A Critical Analysis of Factors Accounting for Low Pupil Retention Rate in Public Primary Schools in Zambia

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.