Progression in secondary school education in Zimbabwe: A mirage for rural female students

Progression in secondary school education in Zimbabwe: A mirage for rural female students

Chikuvadze Pinias* chikuvadzepinias@gmail.com Bindura University of Science Education (Zimbabwe)
Tracy T. Mawadze tmawadzet@gmail.com Bindura University of Science Education (Zimbabwe)
Daimond Dziva daimond.dziva@gmail.com Bindura University of Science Education (Zimbabwe)
Summary: 
Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory to various international gender equality treaties and protocols, rural female students’ progression in education at one secondary school remains a mirage. In this context, this study sought to explore factors influencing rural female students to either progress or not in secondary school education. Data generation, analysis, and discussion were grounded in an emancipatory paradigm and qualitative approach. Against this background, the researchers used document analysis, interviews, and focus group discussion in sourcing information. As sources of data, thirty rural female students and five class teachers from one secondary school were purposively selected to form the sample for the study. Generated data were analyzed and discussed according to themes derived from the research questions. In this context, results from the analyzed and discussed data revealed numerous gender-related policy guidelines that advocate for rural female students’ progression in secondary school education. It was also noted that socialization was the protagonist in influencing rural female students on whether to progress or not to progress in secondary school education. In addition, the findings revealed that female students encounter multi-faceted obstacles in their progression in secondary school education. Therefore, from these results, the researchers concluded that multiple obstacles make rural female students’ progression in secondary school education a mirage. In this context, researchers recommended that parents or guardians transform their mindsets toward the rural female students’ progression in secondary school education and beyond.
Keywords: 
Progression
mirage
rural female student
secondary school education
Zimbabwe
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