Educational Partnerships and the Provision of Education to the Masses: A Case of the Catholic Church and the Government of the Republic of Zambia from 1890 to 2025

This article provides the first continuous, archival-based history (1890-2025) of the Catholic Church–Government educational partnership in Zambia and shows how long-term institutional co-dependency shaped mass schooling through colonial, post-independence, and neoliberal eras (Snelson, 1974; O'Connor, 2016). Using a qualitative historical case-study method grounded in eccelessiastical and national archives, policy texts, and secondary literature, the analysis identifies three phases: a missionary-led pioneering phase that established educational infrastructure; a post-independence formalization that integrated mission schools into the national system via grant-aid arrangements; and a contemporary period defined by fiscal strain, adaptive financing, and renewed policy negotiation (Kelly, 1999; Luebke & Kanyanga, 2021). Documentary evidence demonstrates that institutional flexibility, diversified funding strategies, and sustained administrative capacity within the Church enabled the partnership to expand and sustain access despite recurring economic and policy shocks (Patrinos, Barrera-Osorio, & Guáqueta, 2009; O'Connor, 2016). The study refines Public-Private Partnership (PPP) theory by showing how path dependency and institutional adaptation operate together to produce durable public–nonstate collaborations, and it offers practical lessons for countries seeking scalable, resilient models for mass education (Adamson & Taylor, 2018).

Catholic Church-State partnership; Public-private partnerships (education); Zambia (1890–2025);

1. Adamson, F., & Taylor, S. (2018). The global education policy field: A case study of public–private partnerships in education. Comparative Education Review, 62(4), 513–535. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Barrera Osorio, F., & Guáqueta, J. (2009). The role and impact of public–private partnerships in education. World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Berman, E. H. (1975). African reactions to missionary education, 1840–1900: The case of the Basel Mission in the Gold Coast. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Carmody, B. (2009). The history of education in Zambia. Twaweza Communications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2017). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Hambulo, F. (2016). Catholic secondary education and identity reformation in Zambia’s Southern Province (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Africa). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Hambulo, F., & Higgs, L. G. (2017). Catholic secondary education and identity reformation in Zambia’s Southern Province: An outcome of a conflict of educational values or not? Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, 82(1). https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.12279 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Hambulo, F., & Higgs, L. (2019). Social change and the identity of Catholic secondary schooling in Zambia’s Southern Province: A Catholic and Zambian national education policy analytical perspective since 1964. Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, 84(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.19108/koers.84.1.2447 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hambulo, F., Simuchimba, M. & Ziwa, J.I. (2025a). Towards a decolonial philosophy of Religious Education in Zambia. International Journal of Advanced Academic Studies, 7(10):29-35. https://www.doi.org/10.33545/27068919.2025.v7.i10a.1698 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Hambulo, F. (2025b). From protectorate to republic: Tracing the evolution of education policy in Zambia (1890-1925). International Journal of Humanities and Education Research, 7(2): 273-279. https://www.doi.org/10.33545/26649799.2025.v7.i2d.267 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Hastings, A. (1994). The Church in Africa, 1450–1950. Clarendon Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Kelly, M. J. (1999). The origins and development of education in Zambia. University of Zambia Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Luebke, C., & Kanyanga, H. (2021). The political economy of educational partnerships in Zambia: A case of structural adjustment programs. Journal of African Studies, 45(2), 175–198. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Mwanakatwe, J.M. (1968). The growth of education in Zambia since independence. London: OUP. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. O'Connor, T. (2016). Church and state in African education: A history of the Catholic mission in Zambia. Palgrave Macmillan. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Patrinos, H. A., Barrera Osorio, F., & Guáqueta, J. (2009). The role and impact of public–private partnerships in education. World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Republic of Zambia. (1966). Education Act, No. 28 of 1966 (Chapter 134). The Laws of Zambia. https://zambialii.org/akn/zm/act/1966/28/eng@1996-12-31 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Robertson, S. L., & Mundy, K. (2018). Global education policy and the state. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Snelson, P. D. (1974). Educational development in Northern Rhodesia, 1883–1945. Kenneth Kaunda Foundation. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Stone, D. A. (2012). Policy paradox: The art of political decision making (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Sundkler, B. I., & Steed, C. (2000). A history of the Church in Africa. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study