THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

INSTITUTE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY STUDIES

EAP 1010- EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN ZAMBIA

2020 ACADEMIC YEAR

Assignment Two

NAME: MCBRIBE MULEYA

STUDENT ID: 19001114

LECTURER: PILIRA TEMBO CHIRWA (MRS)

QUESTION: Critically analyse the growth and development of Vocational and

technical education in Zambia from 1953 to 1991.

[DUE DATE: 10TH APRIL, 2020 11:59 PM]

Like many countries in Africa, which were under colonial leadership, Zambia’s education
system and/or education growth and development went through many developmental
upheavals. As recorded by (Simposya, n.d.), in October 1964 Zambia attained independence
and up to that point 75 years later of colonial administration, provision of education in the
country was mainly in the hands of the missionaries. Missionary education was very vital to
the growth and development of education (including vocational and technical education) in
Zambia. Specifically, there is noticeable growth and development in technical and vocational
education between the years 1953 and 1991.

A number factors necessitated all the growth and development this education, these range from
the problems of missionary education in the Federal government, rising need of practical skills,
need of skilled manpower in the labour force especially after independence, educational policy
formulation, suggestions from Educational conferences such as the Addis Ababa 1961
conference, Saunders Report and others, etcetera. This paper will critically analyse the growth
and development of vocational and technical education in Zambia from 1953 to 1991.

Remarkably, unlike general education, (Kelly, 1999, p. 62) indicates that technical and
vocational education started early in Zambia for three major reasons: “first, the competition in
manual work with the Europeans was less acute than white-collar jobs; secondly, the
employment possibilities were higher; and the early missionaries and colonial administrators
to raise the standards of living among Africans”. This resulted in most schools including
primary schools to offer technical or vocational programmes for building, carpentry and
agriculture (Kelly, 1999; Mweetwa, n.d.).

By 1953 according to (Kelly, 1991), against the wishes of the ministry of the African people
in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the British government brought the Federation of
Rhodesia and Nyasaland into being. During the decade of the federation, the responsibility for
education in Northern Rhodesia was divided. Territorial governments retained African
education while the Federal government assumed responsibility for the education of other
races. Establishment of high-quality educational facilities was done but was limited or
restricted in access. At this time, African education aimed to improve the primary school
system, to develop secondary education and trade training schemes, and to increase the supply
of trained teachers.

(Ministry of Education, 1977) elaborates that by 1960, the government followed the examples
of Mission schools in offering the trades and crafts and hence established carpentry and

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bricklaying trades as part of training in some educational institutions. This was described as
the birth of trades schools.

The above points out the birth and proposed development of technical and vocational education
because the aimed of education was focused on the improvement of trade training schemes.
Though the development of vocational and technical education was looming, as earlier
highlighted, the access to this education at the time was restricted to the white people.

According to (Kaluba, 1990) during the period of independence, the education and training
facilities for the African population were meagre compared to the provision for no-African
minority communities. There was restrictive access for Africans to trades and technical
training, and prohibitive school fees were among the other policy issues the new government
had to address. The United Nations Economic Survey Mission to Zambia 1964 described the
situation as a marked heritage of imbalance and contrast in the field of human development. In
detail, the situation was described as follows

“It is not too much to say that Zambia in terms of high-level manpower is one of
the least educated countries in the most under-educated continent. This
demonstrable fact presents Zambia with its gravest danger on the eve of
independence. Not only will the shortage of highly educated people be the greatest
obstacle along the path to economic expansion even political stability could be
threatened”, (United Nations, 1964, p. 91).

These hindrances did not last long, vocational and technical education continued to grow.
Following the Saunders’s Report of 1967 which adopted measures to abolish apprenticeship
scheme, advise institution of full-time pre-employed training programmes and training of
teachers for vocational and technical areas, according to (Ministry of Education, 1977;
Mweetwa, n.d., pp. 98–99) Government decided to formally establish technical education
aimed at providing comprehensive training programmes. Vocational and technical education
was highly prioritised for national development. This was tremendous growth and development
in the area of technical and vocational education.

In continuity, (Ministry of Education, 1977) indicates that to continue with grooming the
growth and development of technical and vocational education, in 1968, Government took the
bold decision to expand technical education and trades training programmes in the Department
of Technical Education and Vocational Training Act of 1972. As a matter of fact, (Mweetwa,
n.d.) outlines that Commission for Technical Education and Vocational Training was
established in 1968 which became Department of Technical Education and Vocational Training
in 1973.
Following such significant growths and development of vocational and technical education, in
1969 the First National Development Plan (FNDP) conference was held, elucidative,

“Ministry of Education organised a conference in 1969 to monitor the performance

of the country’s education training system since independence. Among other issues,
the conference covered the relationship between the needs of industries and
technical training programmes. Before 1969 conference, the government had
presented some changes to parliament including conversion of Hillcrest Secondary
School into a technical school and diversification of secondary school curricula by
introducing a wide range of practical subjects such as Metal Work, Wood Work,
Agricultural Science, Business Studies and others…”, (Wina, 1968, p. 2)

In the same vein, (Kaluba, 1990) in the Second National Development Plan (SNDP) embarked
on a serious development to expediently expand NORTEC and Evelyn Hone College. To also
complete expansion works at four Trades Training Institutes, and to begin the construction of
Zambia Aeronautical Services Training Institute. Extensively, (Ministry of Education, 1977;
Mweetwa, n.d.) concretely indicates that in 1964 the only training available for Africans was
low-level, offered in small trade schools and technical training at Hodgson Training Centre
which was later changed to David Kaunda Secondary Technical, DKS. This was also a critical
growth of vocational and technical education.

In 1961, the Addis Ababa Conference of Africa necessitated the growth and development of
technical and vocational education. According to (Harry & Eluke, 2019) on the Development
of Education, the Addis Ababa conference addressed itself to the problems of planning
education in relation to economic and social development. The conference addressed the
colonial education situation, manpower needs and most importantly, the conference accepted
the concept of “education as a productive investment” and as a major factor of economic, social
and technological development.

In response to the Addis Ababa Conference of 1961, (Kalila, 2014) reports that the excellent
resolutions made at the Addis Ababa conference of 1961 became part of Zambia’s blueprint
for education. It was reviewed as the genesis of Zambia’s earnest desire to provide education
to all eligible children. It became a catalyst and added impetus to the idea that with serious
commitment and political will, good education could be made available to all eligible children.

In the 1990s, there was a noticeable stunt growth in technical and vocational education,
however, because of the introduction of technical and vocational education most Zambians;
especially the young/youth were employed. Additionally, the decline of the economy in the
late 1990s changed the pattern of the labour market and this gave motivation to the focus of
technical education and vocational training (Salimu, 2007). According to (UNESCO, 1999, p.
212),

“The 1990 census, the population of Zambia was 7,383,097. Between 1980 and
1990, the population grew at 2.7 per cent annually. The population density was 9.8
persons per square kilometre. The female population was 3,765,520. Of the total
population of Zambia, 43.3 per cent were female under 15 years. The labour force
(12 years and above) in 1990 was 4,640,427. Of these 2,384,747 were female. Half
of the labour force was in the young age group of 12 to 29 years. The economically
inactive population was 54.2 per cent. Two-thirds of the inactive population in 1990
were females. The young age structure of the population and large female
population above 12 years, have implications for the provision of social services
including education especially in science education and in technical/vocational
education”.

Future policies out of this scope, that is later after 1991 show that there was a huge
improvement in education for all, especially after the Jomtien Conference of 1990 and Dakar
Conference of 2000. Worth considering, in the same year 1990 according to (UNESCO, 1999)
the census also showed that female attainment lower professional/vocational education levels.
In 1990, 159,328 male and 70,018 females had obtained professional/vocational level of
education. The 1993 Priority Survey revealed that the percentage of women employed in the
category for professional, technical and related in increasing. The following table shows the
statistics.

Source: (UNESCO, 1999, p. 214)

In conclusion, from the analysis, it has been clearly seen that growth and development of
technical and vocational education between the years 1953 and 1991 were gradual in the
beginning but quickened as years went by. One critical thing that fuelled the growth and
development as highlighted was driven by the satisfy manpower needs of the various sectors
in fields of technical, industrial, agricultural, commercial and social services, especially after
independence. Different strategies to improve this education were put across, such as the
introduction of technical and vocational subjects, training of technical teachers, setting up
technical and vocational institutions (Trade schools) and others as analysed. The key aspect is
that the area of technical and vocational education has greatly improved from the inception,
even between 1953 and 1991.

REFERENCES

Harry, C. I., & Eluke, P. (2019). The Focus of Educational Development in Africa Since the
Addis Ababa Conference of 1961 and Tanananrive of 1962. Journal of Education and
Practice, 10(3), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.7176/JEP

Kalila, C. K. (2014). Report of the Committee On Education, Science And Technology For
The Third Session Of The Eleventh National Assembly, Appointed On 26th September,
2013. Lusaka.

Kaluba, L. H. (1990). International Cooperation in Education: A Study of Education Aid

Policy and Management - with Particular Reference to British and Swedish Aid in
Zambia 1964-1989. University of London.

Kelly, M. J. (1991). Education in a Declining Economy: The Case of Zambia 1975 to 1985.
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wuppertal.de/fileadmin/didaktik/sambia/Mweetwa_-_Education_in_Zambia.pdf

Salimu, M. M. (2007). An Evaluation of the Performance of the Technical Education and

Vocational Training Management Boards in Improving the Quality of Training: The
Case of Lusaka and the Copperbelt. The Copperbelt University.

Simposya, W. K. (n.d.). Educational System in Zambia: How it developed since

independence on the 24th of October 1964. Retrieved from https://www.sambia.uni-
wuppertal.de/fileadmin/didaktik/sambia/Symposya_-
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UNESCO. (1999). Access of Girls and Women to Scientific, Technical and Education in
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United Nations. (1964). Economic Survey Mission on the Economic Development of Zambia.
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Wina, A. N. L. (1968). Statement to Parliament 8 October. Lusaka.