| dc.description.abstract | This desk review study was purposed to analyse frantic
factors responsible for low retention rate among public primary
school pupils in Zambia. The study revealed that pedagogical,
school environment and socio economic factors were topping the
list on prohibitive drivers to children’s continuity with their
academic life beyond the 5 th grade. Pedagogically, the study
enlisted discoveries of unqualified and untrained teachers
handling classes to the collateral damage of the education system
in general but the learners in particular as these personnel did not
have professional proficiency and passion to meet the learners’
needs cognitively, emotionally, socially and physically. Besides,
the school environment was deemed hellish as physical input
factors such as classrooms, books, sanitary facilities, desks etc
were not available in equitable quantities to guarantee service
quality and, therefore, motivation for learners. Socio
economically, poverty was among the prominent factors in
inhibiting learners’ effective progression in their academic radar
as most of the parents/guardians were unable to provide for
children’s basic needs including food, clothing (uniform), and
transport. Compounding the situation was the fact that
government’s policy interventions such as introduction of feeding
programmes, sponsorship of orphans and vulnerable children have
been negatively affected by the declining education financing
from government since 2016. The resultant effect overall is an
increase in the number of children out of school from over 195,000
in 2015 to over 800,000 in 2019. | en_US |
