By: Maglorious Mwansa
They say, “Education is the passport for the future and for tomorrow is for those who prepare for it today.” The question one would ask is this: why is it that in the same class, one learner would get 98% and another will get a 2%? Could it be that the teacher wasn’t teaching effectively? Should the blame be on the learner? Those are critical questions that have to be analyzed especially in rural areas. I hope this piece of writing enables the readers to really see what could actually be the real problem. The following are some of the hurdles that hinder education in Zambian rural areas:
To begin with, certain policies in education do not really favour the smooth teaching especially if one is even teaching English language. Let’s take for instance, the policy of teaching local languages from grade one to four. The only time a child is really exposed to English is in grade five . This makes it so hard for most learners to really have a firm grip for the Queen’s language and the consequences are seen in their eighth grade up until grade twelve. Bare in mind that most of these learners have no access to the television where they can even watch cartoons or just even ordinary story books to read.
Secondly, the automatic progression for grade sevens to grade eight. This simply means that even when a child scored less than five hundred marks, they still make it to grade eight. These are the same learners at most who have zero literacy knowledge and for some reasons, the teacher is expected to produce miracle marks. And because of the external pressures, sometimes, teachers are compelled to show these learners in the examination. As if that is not enough, some learners who are genuinely smart when they get really good marks, most schools in rural areas get the cream dela cream and they are sent to boarding schools and other stem or technical schools leaving behind for lack of a better term, only the residual. These are the same learners the community expect to pass with flying colours. No where in hell is such a thing going to happen. Expecting to produce hundred percent pass rate with such caliber of learners is tantamount to trying to squeeze an elephant in a key hole.
Other hurdles may include things like shortages of infrastructure, human resource as well as educational materials such as books and desks. With the introduction of free education, one finds that one class may be occupying over 180 learners against one teacher and maybe only 12 textbooks and sixteen desks. Since no one is allowed to chase anyone who has passed their exams irrespective of shortage of manpower or insufficient rooming. Some learners have to start off as early as 04:00hours just to come and secure a desk. Most of them from far places and on empty stomached.
And because of that, some learners are meant to rent shacks and start living all by themselves which equally breeds in another problem.
The lack of recreational equipment and activities in rural areas often leads students to engage in dangerous and unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, and illicit interactions. This is due to the fact that these activities are often the only form of entertainment available. The nearby clinics often record over 400 teenage pregnancies each month, with most of these pregnancies belonging to school-going pupils.
It is clear that teaching in a rural area is not for the faint of heart. Teachers often lack proper shelter and must travel long distances to access water. Some are even scared of the witchcraft that is prevalent in these areas, and thus do whatever they can to get a transfer to an urban area. While this may seem reasonable, it is not a viable solution.
The government should take steps to ensure that both students and teachers have the resources they need to participate in educational activities and receive a quality education. Every child deserves the opportunity to receive a good education, regardless of whether they are in a rural or urban area. After all, education is the great equalizer of social classes. As the saying goes, “whatever you believe with your heart, conceive with your mind, it surely can be achieved.”
