Views of School Administrators on Civic Education as a Compulsory Subject in Selected Secondary Schools of Kabwe District, Zambia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue II, February 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Views of School Administrators on Civic Education as a Compulsory Subject in Selected Secondary Schools of Kabwe District, Zambia

Samiwe Kayaya and Dr. Oliver Magasu (PhD)
Kwame Nkrumah University, Zambia

Abstract: The aim of this research was to explore the views of school administrators on Civic Education as a compulsory subject in selected secondary schools of Kabwe District in Zambia. Methodologically, the study took the qualitative approach. This study employed a qualitative descriptive research design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The key findings were that most of the school administrators were in support of Civic Education as a compulsory subject because it gave learners the knowledge on political process and governance system. Civic Education helped learners acquire values commonly accepted by society which facilitated interpersonal relationships and social integration through the creation of awareness for respect, promotion of democracy and human rights. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that Civic Education should be supported as a compulsory subject by school administrators in secondary schools to actualize the goal of education in Zambia.

I. BACKGROUND

Civic Education is one of the popular subjects in secondary schools in Zambia. It is a compulsory subject in all the curriculum path ways in Zambian schools (MOGE: 2013). It is expected that through the introduction of Civic Education learners could acquire knowledge and skills that would not only help them with the school life but also with problem solving skills in the communities where these learners come from. This view was also acknowledged by Muleya (2015); Magasu, Muleya and Mweemba (2020a); Magasu (2021); who observed that Civic Education provided opportunities to learners with various skills required to shape their communities.
Civic Education has been found to be fundamental in the transmission of democratic principles and values Biesta (2011); Magasu (2021). Zambia like many other countries has also recognized the significance of Civic Education in preparing democratic citizenship, in order to have Civic Education taught in schools, the Zambian government has made it a compulsory subject at secondary school level. This entails that Civic Education should be designed in a manner that equips the learners with a wide body of necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required in the community (CDC, 2012).

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