Rural Local Government Training in Northern Rhodesia

Abstract

IN Northern Rhodesia, rural local government training is carried out at two different levels. On the lower level the eight Development Area Training Centres situated in the provinces provide courses with a local and practical bias, whilst a higher level of training is provided for the whole territory by the Native Authority Development Centre situated at Chalimbana 32 miles due east of Lusaka. This article concerns the work of this Centre which was established in 1951 to provide central training facilities for chiefs and councillors from all parts of the territory. In recent years the work of the Centre has been expanded to include regular courses for both European and African civil servants as well as a new series of courses for leading African business men and farmers. The origin and history ofthe N.A.D.C. The history of chiefs' training in Northern Rhodesia dates back to 1939 when the first experimental course for chiefs was held at the Jeanes Training School, Chalimbana under the auspices of the African Education Department. This course, which set the pattern for subsequent courses, lasted for six months and included such subjects as local history and geography, civics, agriculture, hygiene, village improvement and rural development. Emphasis was laid on practical work and the afternoons were spent in the school vegetable garden or on some project in the model village. A feature of these early courses was the combined lectures and discussions held with the chiefs and the Jeanes supervisors in training. By 1943 two courses per year, each for twelve chiefs and lasting for four months, were being held. The latter part of the course was devoted to visits to the Copperbelt and other places of interest.In 1946 for the first time a district officer was seconded for a few weeks to lecture on various aspects of native authority administration, finance and courts. This represented the first attempt to give specific training in local government subjects as opposed to educational and civics subjects which formed the bulk of the syllabus. In 1947 a number of traditional councillors were included on the course together with the chiefs.In 1948, with new ideas of local government abroad, the Provincial Commissioners' Conference discussed the question of training for the native authorities and recommended: " ... the expansion of the existing courses for chiefs and councillors at Chalimbana to provide instruction in local affairs and in particular financial affairs for members of African local government bodies and their employees." These recommendations were later endorsed by the Administrative Conference of 1948 which decided that a separate African Local Government School should be established at Chalimbana with a district officer" in charge coming under the general control of the Secretary for Native Affairs.This decision then marked the end of the first phase in which the African Education Department had carried out the pioneering work in a new field of training and laid the foundation for future developments. Besides pro...