The management of curriculum change in basic schools in Mongu Township in Zambia

Abstract

The researcher undertook a study of the management of curriculum change in basic schools in Mongu Township in Zambia with a view to provide recommendations for improvement in the management of curriculum change. A conceptual analysis of key concepts relevant to the research was done in Chapter 2, while Chapter 3 presented how curriculum change was managed in several other countries. This formed the theoretical basis for directing the empirical study. For the qualitative empirical study two basic schools were investigated out of the 10 schools in Mongu Township in the Western Province of Zambia. The basic research objective of the empirical research was to investigate the management of curriculum change provided by the managers and class teachers. The qualitative research strategy adopted was a case study. The research methods that were used to collect empirical data were semi-structured, unstructured, and focus group interviews, institutional and classroom observations, and document analyses. The researcher discovered that the management of curriculum change, the implementation of the educational programmes and the interpretation of the educational policies were inadequately executed in the studied schools. Research findings inter alia also indicated: that the managers and class teachers were found to possess inadequate management skills; that professional capacity building programmes had little impact on managing curriculum change; that the job descriptions and management roles of the managers and class teachers were not adequately executed to conform to the management functions model which was used to describe how curriculum change should be managed. The institutional and classroom challenges experienced by the managers and teachers contributed to the inadequate execution of their curriculum management tasks. It was possible for the researcher to indicate many shortcomings in the management of curriculum change and change processes, and to make meaningful recommendations to address them.

Umcwaningi wenze ucwaningo lokuphatha ukushintshwa kwekharikhyulamu ezikoleni eziyisisekelo sokuqala emaLokishini aseMongu eZambia ngomqondo wokwenza izincomo ngokuthuthukiswa ukuphathwa koshintsho lwekharikhyulamu. Uhlaziyo lwemiqondo esemqoka kucwaningo lwenziwe kwiSahluko 2, kanti iSahluko 3 sibeka indlela yokuthi ukuphathwa koshintsho lwekharikhyulamu kwenziwe kanjani emazweni ambalwa. Lokhu kube yisisekelo sethiyori yocwaningo olwenziwe ngezinto ezibambekayo ngaphandle. Ukwenza ucwaningo ngaphandle lwe-qualitative, empirical kuphenyisiswe ngezikole ezimbili zesisekelo phakathi kwezikole ezilishumi zaseLokishini laseMongu kwiProvinsi (isifundazwe) seNtshonalanga saseZambia. Injongo enkulu yocwaningo lwesisekelo lwangaphandle bewukuphenyisisa ngokuphathwa koshintsho lwekharikhyulamu okwenziwa ngabaphathi kanye nothisha bamaklasi. Kwenziwe i-case study njengesu lokwenza ucwaningo lwe-qualitative research. Izindlela zocwaningo ezisetshenzisiwe ukuqoqa i-empirical data, kusetshenziswe amaqembu okugxila ngezingxoxo ngokwenza ama-semi-structured, kanye nama-unstructured interview, kanye nokubukela ngokuqaphela ukusebenza kwamaklasi ezikhungweni kanye nokuhlaziya imibhalo. Umcwaningi uthole ukuthi ukuphathwa kwekharikhyulamu, ukusetshenziswa kwezinhlelo zemfundo kanye nokutolikwa kwemigomo yezemfundo kwakungasetshenziswa ngokwenele ezikoleni okucwaningwe ngazo. Imiphumela yocwaningo phakathi kokunye, ikhombise: ukuthi abaphathi kanye notshisha bamaklasi abanawo amakhono alingene okuphatha; nokuthi izinhlelo zobuprofeshini zokuthuthukisa amakhono zaba nomphumela omncane ekuphathweni koshintsho lwekharikhyulamu; kanti futhi ukuchazwa kokwenziwa komsebenzi kanye nezindima zokuphatha kwabaphathi kanye nothisha bamaklasi kwakungalandelwa ngokwanele ukuze kulandele imodeli yemisebenzi yezokuphatha, okwakusetshenziswa ukuchaza ukuthi ukushintshwa kwekharikhyulamu kumele kuphathwe kanjani. Izinselele ezikhona ezikhungweni nasemagumbini okufunda, abaphathi nothisha abahlangabezana nazo zaba nomthelela ekuphathweni ngokungenele kwemisebenzi yokuphatha ikharikhyulamu. Kwakhonakala ukuthi umcwaningi akhombise ukuntengantenga okukhulu kwezokuphathwa koshintsho lwekharikhyulamu kanye nokushintsha izinqubo zoshintsho, kanti futhi nokwenza izincomo ezibambekayo zokubhekana nokuntengantenga.

Monyakišiši o dirile nyakišišo ya taolo ya phetošo ya kharikhulamo ka dikolong tša motheo tša Lekheišene la Mongu go la Zambia ka kgopolo ya go fa ditšhišinyo tša kaonafatšo taolong ya phetošo ya kharikhulamo. Tshekatsheko ya kgopolo ya dikgopolo tše bohlokwa go nyakišišo e dirilwe ka go Kgaolo ya 2, mola Kgaolo ya 3 e bolela ka ga ka fao phetošo ya kharikhulamo e laotšwego ka dinageng tše dingwe tša go balega. Se se bopile motheo wa teori wa go hlahla nyakišišo ya epirikale. Go nyakišišo ya epirikale ya khwalithethifi, dikolo tše pedi tša motheo di nyakišišitšwe go tšwa go dikolo tše lesome tša Lekheišene la Mongu ka Profenseng ya Bodikela bja Zambia. Maikemišetšo a motheo a nyakišišo ya epirikale e be e le go nyakišiša taolo ya phetošo ya kharikhulamo ye e fiwago ke balaodi le barutiši. Nyakišišokakaretši e amogetšwe bjalo ka leano la nyakišišo ya khwalithethifi. Mekgwa ya nyakišišo yeo e šomišitšwego go kgoboketša datha ya epirikale e be e le dipoledišano tša sebopego sa seripa, tša go hloka sebopego, le tša tebantšho ya sehlopha, tša institšhušene le ditlhokomelo tša ka phapošing ya borutelo, le ditshekatsheko tša tokomane. Monyakišiši o utulotše gore taolo ya phetošo ya kharikhulamo, phethagatšo ya mananeo a thuto le tlhathollo ya dipholisi di be di sa phethagatšwe ka go lekana ka dikolong tše di nyakišišitšwego. Dikutullo tša nyakišišo magareng a tše dingwe gape di laeditše: gore balaodi le barutiši ba phapoši ya borutelo ba hweditšwe go ba ba na le mabokgoni a taolo a go hlaelela; gore mananeo a kago ya bokgoni a profešenale a na le khuetšo ye nyane godimo ga go laola phetošo ya kharikhulamo; le gore ditokomane tša tlhaloso ya mošomo le mešomo ya taolo ya balaodi le barutiši ba phapoši ya borutelo ga se di phethagatšwe ka go lekana go latela mmotlolo wa mešomo ya bolaodi, yeo e šomišitšwego go hlalosa ka fao phetošo ya kharikhulamo e swanelago go laolwa. Ditlhotlo tša institšhušene le tša phapoši ya borutelo tše di lemogilwego ke balaodi le barutiši di bile le seabe go phethagatšo ye e sa lekanego ya mešongwana ya taolo ya kharikhulamo ya bona. Monyakišiši o kgonne go laetša ditlhaelelo tše ntši ka taolong ya phetošo ya kharikhulamo le ditshepetšo tša phetošo, le go dira ditšhišinyo tša go kwagala go di lokiša.