Social Change and the Identity of Catholic Secondary Schooling in Zambia’s Southern Province: A Catholic and Zambian National Education Policy Analytical Perspective Since 1964

Abstract

The Catholic Church has always proved to be a very dependable and reliable partner to various governments globally in terms of educational provision through Catholic educational institutions at all educational levels. Apart from such education institutions contributing to educational provision at all educational levels globally, the education they provide is also of a high standard. Taking a pinnacle position, at all levels in Catholic educational provision is the ‘religious mission’ and subordinate to this is the ‘academic mission’; and combined the two missions form the basis of Catholic schooling globally. However, the two missions of Catholic schooling highlighted above have not remained static over the years in Zambia’s education system due to factors of social change. Consequently, this has specifically led Catholic schools to experience an ‘identity change’ over the years since the attainment of political independence in Zambia (1964).The interplay of issues regarding the situation of Catholic schooling indicated above is centred on social change which determines educational policy directives or provisions culminating in the ‘changed identity of Catholic schools’. Social change factors divert the schools from educational practice as directed by the evolving Catholic education policies over the years. The general purpose of the paper, which utilises research findings from Hambulo’s (2016) study entitled ‘Catholic secondary education and identity reformation in Zambia’s Southern Province,’ is to give a categorical articulation of how factors of social change in the Zambian setting have influenced education policy directives, leading to the ‘changed identity’ of particularly Catholic secondary schools in Zambia’s Southern Province since 1964. Keywords: academic; education; Catholic; mission; policy; religious Opsomming Die Katolieke Kerk het nog altyd bewys dat hy wêreldwyd ’n baie betroubare en geloofwaardige vennoot vir verskeie regerings is wat betref onderwysvoorsiening deur middel van Katolieke onderwysinstellings op alle onderwysvlakke. Afgesien van hierdie onderwysinstellings se bydrae wêreldwyd tot onderwysvoorsiening op alle onderwysvlakke, is die onderrig wat die Kerk bied ook van ’n hoogstaande standaard. By Katolieke onderwysvoorsiening is die “godsdienstige missie”, en ondergeskik hieraan die “akademiese missie”, op alle vlakke belangrik; en as hierdie twee missies gekombineer word, vorm dit die wêreldwye basis van Katolieke onderrig. In Zambië se onderwysstelsel het die twee missies van Katolieke onderwys wat hier bo genoem word, met die verloop van tyd egter nie staties gebly nie ‒ vanweë faktore van sosiale verandering. As gevolg van hierdie faktore en sedert Zambië politieke onafhanklikheid (1964) bereik het, het Katolieke skole oor die jare ’n “identiteitsverandering" ondergaan. Die interaksie tussen kwessies rakende die situasie van Katolieke onderwys wat hier bo genoem word, sentreer op sosiale verandering wat die onderwysbeleidsriglyne of -voorskrifte bepaal, wat gelei het tot die “veranderde identiteit van Katolieke skole”. Sosiale veranderingsfaktore het die skole weggelei van onderwyspraktyke soos bepaal deur die ontwikkelende Katolieke onderwysbeleid deur die jare. Die hoofdoel van hierdie artikel, wat die navorsingsbevindings van Hambulo (2016) se studie, “Catholic secondary education and identity reformation in Zambia’s Southern Province” gebruik, is om kategoriese artikulasie te bied van hoe faktore van sosiale verandering sedert 1964 in die Zambiese opset die onderwysbeleidsriglyne beïnvloed het en gelei het tot die “veranderde identiteit” van Katolieke sekondêre skole in Zambië se Suidelike Provinsie in die besonder. Sleutelwoorde: akademies; onderwys; Katoliek; missie; beleid; godsdienstig