The Constraints Faced By Teachers in the Current Era of Free Education in Secondary Schools of Kabwe District, Zambia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ lived experiences of Free Education in selected secondary schools of Kabwe district of Zambia amidst low distribution of financial resources in schools. The study used Van Manen’s existential phenomenology to understand lived experiences by focusing on meaning and first-hand interpretations rather than measurement. Teachers experience Free Education through everyday teaching practices, workloads, and identities, with meanings shaped by their own experiences rather than policy texts. Overcrowded classrooms and limited resources create physical and emotional strain, alongside resilience and commitment to teaching, and this is likely to affect teachers and learners in the teaching and learning process. Teachers make sense of Free Education by linking past experiences, present challenges, and future expectations within changing school contexts. The study employed a qualitative research approach using a descriptive case study design. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the study participants. The study revealed that while the Free Education significantly increased access to secondary education, its implementation is threatened by systemic and operational challenges. The findings imply that although Free Education has improved access to secondary education, systemic and operational challenges threaten its sustainability and quality. The following recommendations were made: The Ministry of Education should ensure that adequate teaching and learning materials such as textbooks, laboratory equipment, and teaching aids are supplied to all schools to enhance the quality of instruction and reduce teachers’ financial burden and improve the timeliness and adequacy of school grant disbursements to ensure smooth planning, procurement, and management of educational programs without disruptions.