Perceptions and Attitudes of the Ministry of Education Staff in Lusaka District Towards Adult Education Degree Programme at The University of Zambia
This is a report of a study on the perceptions and attitudes of the Ministry of Education staff in Lusaka district towards the adult education degree programme. The main purpose of the study was to find out the perceptions and attitudes of the Ministry of Education staff towards adult education degree programme. The study attempted to answer the following research questions: 1) What are attitudes of the Ministry of Education staff towards adult education? 2) What is the general understanding of adult education in the Ministry of Education? 3) What is Ministry of Education knowledge of the courses offered in adult education degree programme? 4) How does Ministry of Education staff understand the role of Adult Education? 5) What were the perceived job descriptions of adult education degree graduates? The survey study design was used to explore the perceptions and attitudes in the Ministry of Education staff in Lusaka district towards Adult Education Degree Programme. The semi- structured interview method was used to collect data. The structured questions in the interview schedule facilitated the generating of the quantitative information. In depth qualitative type of information was generated through unstructured questions in the interview schedule. The information in this study was collected from the following categories of people: 19 Ministry of Education officials, 40 teachers, 4 school managers, and 12 adult education degree graduates who work in the Ministry of Education. The findings of the study revealed a general ignorance of the adult education degree programme with three quarters of the Ministry of Education staff expressing ignorance about the courses. The study also revealed that majority of Ministry of Education staff in Lusaka had negative attitudes towards adult education degree programme. A third major finding of the study was that adult education was perceived as education for the elderly in form of night school and literacy. Finally, respondents in the study also perceived adult education degree graduates' ideal jobs to be located only in the Directorate of Open and Distance Education (DODE). Based on findings, the following recommendations were made: - The Department of Adult Education and Extension Studies should devise a deliberate marketing strategy aimed at sensitizing Ministry of Education officials and teaching staff. The University of Zambia should expand its marketing strategy through the use of media, production of brochures, workshops and seminars. Graduates of Adult Education Degree programme should be placed not only in DODE but also in other Ministry of Education directorates where they can apply the skills acquired in the adult education degree programme.
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