Exploring Zambian girls' experiences of secondary education and the barriers encountered in rural schools: a case study of Chilanga and Kafue Districts

This thesis explores girls’ experiences of secondary education including barriers they encounter in two rural districts of Chilanga and Kafue, Zambia. Official government documents show that more girls dropped out of school and few of them complete secondary education especially in rural schools. Research in the past two decades in low income countries including Zambia, have mainly focused on gender parity of educational attainment, neglecting the nature of learners’ educational experiences and of the multiple influences on their aspirations and ability to achieve an education they value. I, therefore, explore how girls experience secondary education in rural schools. Methodically, I conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with fourteen girls, five school managers and six teachers, held focus group discussions with fourteen Parent/Teachers’ Association members and eight District Education Officers and administered questionnaires among 28 girls, 5 school managers and 6 teachers from the two case study schools. Drawing from their narratives, I show that adequate physical infrastructure besides menstrual hygiene facilities does adversely affect girls’ motivation to value their education. I further illustrate that equal academic achievement between girls and boys in school does not inevitably translate into attainment of gender equality as demonstrated by girls’ negative perceptions about schools. The unsafe school environment for girls, compounded by the lack of gender responsive teaching, inadequate physical infrastructure, and meagre remuneration with poor housing for teachers, are limiting factors to full attainment of gender equality in secondary education. The thesis concludes by proposing a set of approaches for enhancing rural girls’ secondary education.