Obstructive and promotive factors for access to school and learning in primary school in Zambia

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the obstructive and promotive factors that affect students’ access to school and learning attainment in Zambia. Much of the literature discussing Zambian education identifies only the obstructive factors. When identifying the obstructive factors becomes the primary focus in education policy, efforts are directed towards eliminating these factors without considering the context of the educational process. Consequently, this discourse has lost sight of the fact that eliminating obstructive factors does not guarantee good access to school and learning but merely provides a condition in which students are part of an educational process. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents an explanatory study with in-depth interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 27 university students. The sample was purposefully selected to balance variation in the respondents in terms of geographical background. The data analysis was aided with the qualitative analysis programme NVivo 10 along with the descriptive method. Findings The paper presents empirical insights about multi-faceted factors that affect students’ access to school and learning in Zambia. In particular, this study finds that teachers, policy changes, and students’ motivation are the key factors in achieving students’ academic excellence. Originality/value By presenting a simultaneous investigation of both sides of the factors related to access to school and learning, this paper contributes by suggesting the importance of a binocular perspective for educational development in Zambia and by providing implications for the new global agenda of post-2015 educational development that shifts the focus from access to quality.