INVESTIGATING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION DYNAMICS IN EDUCATION: THE CASE FOR MANICALAND PROVINCE - ZIMBABWE

INVESTIGATING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION DYNAMICS IN EDUCATION: THE CASE FOR MANICALAND PROVINCE - ZIMBABWE

MESHECK GODFREY SANGO

Community participation has been adopted world wide as a means for improving the
quality of basic education in primary schools. The aim of this study was to investigate
how community participation dynamics influenced quality of basic education in rural
primary schools in Zimbabwe.
To begin with, insights were drawn from a review of literature that focussed on local
and international perspectives on community participation in providing education.
Literature revealed that community participation had some influence on quality of
basic education provided by schools. However, literature had also warned that the
relationship between community participation and provision of quality basic
education by primary schools was not an automatic one.
In carrying out this study, a qualitative paradigm was adopted and subsequently a
qualitative multiple case study design provided the methodological framework that
guided the study. The research sites were selected on the basis of relevancy to
purpose of the study as well as convenience of access to the researcher. Data were
generated through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Additional data
were gathered through non participant observation and scrutinising of relevant
documents in the selected primary schools. A grounded theory approach in which
themes were identified was used in analysing the research data.
The study found out that community participation was being influenced by economic
and financial dynamics, social dynamics, as well as cultural dynamics and
subsequently had some negative influence on various aspects of the quality of basic
education provided by the rural primary schools. Thus, the communities had not
provided adequate support on essential educational inputs, teaching and learning
processes, and on improving the scope of the primary schools’ curriculum.
And, based on these findings, recommendations to facilitate positive influence of
community participation on quality of basic education were made. There was need
for community level mediation by Ministry of education representatives from district
level offices to balance up financial participation among community members of
different income levels. In addition, the study recommended that the primary schools
could organise community participation orientation programmes for all new parents
joining them. And, schools could also create time for children to engage in school
organised study sessions in which they could do their ‘home work’ at school.

ZOU

2014