EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

A policy is a statement that is formulated by a government in power

concerning specific important issues of the country. Thus the educational
policy is the statement concerning education in the country.

3.2 AIM

The aim of this unit is to enable you to understand the link of the
educational policy in relation to geography.

3.3 OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit you should be able to:

a) explain the educational policy.

b) discuss the changes the educational policy in relation to geography.

3.4 THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY

This refers to principles or a collection of laws and rules that govern the
operation of the education system. Zambia has used three national
education policies since 1997 when the first policy was established. The first
policy was the Educational Reforms of 1977 which emphasized education as
an instrument for personal and national development. The second policy
was Focus on Learning of 1992 which stressed mobilization of resources for
the development of school education. The third policy is ‘Educating our
Future’, developed in 1996 and is the one in use. Its emphasis is on the
entire field of formal institutional education, paying particular attention to
democratization, decentralization and productivity on the one hand and

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curriculum relevance and diversification, efficient and cost-effective
management, capacity building, cost sharing and revitalized partnerships on
the other.

I am sure you know that the educational system in the country is guided by
the National Policy on Education, known as ‘Educating Our Future’. This
policy serves as a reference for guidance and information on issues to do
with education. The Ministry of Education is responsible for ensuring that
the policy is adhered to and has formulated a mission statement which is ‘to
guide the provision of education for all Zambians so that they are able to
pursue knowledge and skills, manifest excellence in performance and moral
uprightness, defend democratic ideals, accept and value other persons on
the basis of their personal worth and dignity, irrespective of gender, religion,
ethnic origin, or any other discriminatory characteristic’ (Educating our
Future, 1996).

The policy stipulates the role of the Government in Education, the principles
for the development of education and the goals of the education system.
Thus the Ministry of Education has set for itself the following goals,

a) Producing learners capable of:

 being animated (showing a lot of interest and energy) by a
personally held set of civic, moral and spiritual values,
 developing an analytical, innovative, creative and
constructive mind,
 appreciating the relationship between scientific thought,
action and technology on the one hand and sustenance of
the quality of life on the other
 demonstrating free expression of one’s own ideas and
exercising tolerance for other people’s views
 cherishing and safeguarding individual liberties and
human rights

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  appreciating Zambia’s ethnic cultures, customs and
traditions, and upholding national pride, sovereignty,
peace, freedom and independence
 participating in the preservation of ecosystems in one’s
immediate and distant environments
 maintaining and observing discipline and hard work as
the cornerstone of personal and national development
b) Increasing access to education and life skills training
c) Building capacity for the provision of quality education
d) Creating conditions for effective coordination of policies, plans and
programs
e) Rationalizing resource mobilization and utilization

These goals are supposed to inform the education policies and practise of all
partners in educational provision and will also be the basis for teaching and
learning in schools and colleges.

Geography as a subject should play an important role in insuring that the

listed goals are achieved especially the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th goals. This is
because of the content taught in the subject.