Bundie Moombe Kabanze
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Open Digital Archive at Oslo and Akershus University College Bundie Moombe Kabanze Whose Policy Is It Anyway A study examining the factors that have influenced the formulation and reform of language-in-education policy (LiEP) in Zambia Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Multicultural and International Education (MIE) Autumn 2012 Master in Multicultural and International Education Faculty of Education Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences Declaration I HEREBY DECLARE THAT MY: ...... Assignment/article ....... Master thesis ....... Other................... SUBMITTED, ....... Master in Multicultural and International Education (MIE) ....... Master in International Education and Development (NOMA) ....... Master in International Education and Development - Sudan (NUCOOP) TO: The Faculty of Education and International Studies at Oslo University College 1. is made by the undersigned, if the work is done by a group of students, all involved are considered responsible 2. has never been submitted before directly or indirectly in relation to the same or similar/another examination at the department/university/University College in Norway or abroad. 3. is not a copy or duplicate of another person's work or examination, or reproduction of earlier work done by the undersigned without citing the sources. 4. has cited all relevant literature which has been made use of in the bibliography I am aware that any offense towards the regulations mentioned in this document is considered as fraudulent by the University College authorities. Any offense regarding these regulations will be treated as suspicion of academic misconduct during the examination. The department and faculty are free to investigate the case, and if necessary take legal action by forwarding the case to the University College Appeals Committee. The University College Appeals Committee determines possible sanctions e.g. annulment of the examination in question or annulment of the examination as well as barring the student's access to institutions of higher education in Norway. More information on the Regulations regarding attempted examination offences can be found in Norwegian at the University College's web pages. Every student at the Oslo University College is under an obligation to be aware of and understand these regulations. (place and date) ___________________________________________________________________ Student's signature ___________________________________________________________________ Student's full name (capital letters) ___________________________________________________________________ ii Abstract Four decades after independence, debates on the medium of instruction in Zambian schools still exist. English was adopted as a national language as well as a medium of instruction at independence in 1964. Unique to this decision was the historical absence of English as an indigenous language in the country, its minimal use in the first few years of the colonial education system, the small percentage of first language speakers of English, and its virtual non-use as a language of wider communication. Studies conducted earlier have shown how detrimental the use of English has been on the academic development of students. Arguments about the appropriateness of decisions to continue with the English-medium policy, in light of all research evidence, have been a main feature of all education policy reform exercises. This study took a step back and examined the process of making the language policy to reveal the influences that act upon the exercise. The study offers an historical analysis of how policy-making and reform in education has occurred from the time formal education was introduced in the country. Qualitative research methods, including interviews, document analysis and audio recordings were utilized to understand the salient influences on policy formation over the years. The results suggest that pedagogical reasons have not featured as primary considerations during policy formulation and review. Even when issues of pedagogy have featured on the negotiating table, their influence on policy has been negligible. The impact of political and economic considerations has, however, been very noticeable. Furthermore, the study has shown that the ability to influence policy among all the stakeholders is uneven. While politicians, the elite and donors have leverage to bend policy towards their orientations, the masses’ contributions barely make it to the negotiating table. Though not out of the woods yet, it is encouraging to note that the process of policy- making is moving in a positive direction; from total rejection of the inclusion of local iii languages in the 1960s, to partial recognition in the 1970s and, eventually, formal recognition as media of instruction in the 1990s. iv Acknowledgements This has been a long and eventful journey, and I would like to thank all the people who have followed me and supported my along the way. First I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Professor Halla B. Holmarsdottir for the guidance and for believing in me more than I believed in myself. This document is a culmination of your invaluable advice, support and facilitation. Dr. Louis R. Botha, thank you for the constant reminders that this path has been travelled before and that I would be not walking alone. A special thank you to all my lecturers at Oslo and Akershus University of Applied Sciences for sharing their knowledge and experience. Special thanks also go to all the study respondents for their patience and interest to grant me time to interview them. Dr. D. Banda at UNZA, thanks for pointing me towards were to look. To the MIE class of 2010-12, thank you for the memories. Lauren, Isabel and Alvina, you have been my support structure. Thanks for tolerating the inconvenient phone calls and finding time for pep talks. To all my friends, thanks for the words of encouragement and being patient with me when I was stressed and touchy. Special appreciation goes to my family, Lipe, Mutibo, Conseptor, Jennifer, Jack, Johnson for letting me be a big brother and challenging me to lead the way. Eben, this is for you, for giving the family something to always smile about. To the most important elders in my life, Mr. and Mrs. Kabanze, I wouldn’t ask for a better set of parents. Thanks for believing in me and for always setting the bar one notch higher. Finally, to God be the glory for His unfailing faithfulness. God bless you all, and thank you very much! Bundie Moombe Kabanze Oslo, Norway - November 2012 v Table of Contents Declaration ...................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... vi Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ ix Tables ............................................................................................................................... x 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the study .................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Education System - A multitasked sector ...................................................... 2 1.2 Relevance of study .............................................................................................. 5 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study ...................................................................... 6 1.4 Outline of the study ............................................................................................ 7 2 Methodological Framework ..................................................................................... 9 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Research Strategy ............................................................................................ 10 2.3 Research Design ............................................................................................... 11 2.4 Sources and Methods of Data Collection ....................................................... 13 2.4.1 Interviews .................................................................................................... 13 2.4.2 Selecting Respondents ................................................................................. 14 2.4.3 Documents ................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 18 2.6 Validity and Reliability .................................................................................... 18 2.7 Reflexivity ......................................................................................................... 20 3 Theoretical framework ..........................................................................................