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Introduction

The paper sheds some light on white collar jobs in Zambia education in Zambia during the colonial era and the subsequent challenges that the country faced upon attainment of political independence. It is divided into four sections. The first section is the introduction which provides brief information on Zambian education and the definition of white collar job. The next section discusses the main features of both pre-colonial and first republic in the education sector in Zambia. The third section, which is the main thrust of the paper, discusses the origin of white collar syndrome in the education sector during the 1960’s and attempts made by the first republic in addressing white collar syndrome. The conclusion is the last and final section of this paper.

Definition of white collar syndrome and overview of education in Zambia

The term ‘white collar’ was first used by Upton Sinclair in relation to modern clerical, administrative and management workers during the 1930s. Sinclair’s usage is related to the fact that, during most of the 19th and 20th centuries, male office workers in European and American countries almost always had to wear white, collared dress shirts. In another line of thought, Kabaso Sydney (2002:27) describes the term white-collar worker to refer to, “a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor.”White-collar work” is an informal term, defined in contrast to “blue-collar work”.

Features of colonial education in Zambia

During the federation, that is the period from 1953 to 1963, segregationist and inequitable patterns of provision for African and European children persisted. In addition, the focus was on primary education, with only limited secondary teacher education for Africans. Coombe (1967) has reported that through his extensive archival research in the Zambian archives, there were deliberate moves on the part of the colonial administration in  northern Rhodesia in the 1930s and thereafter, to limit the provision of secondary education for Africans. The educational system inherited by Zambia at independence was accordingly underdeveloped. This forced the first president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda to launch a scathing attack on the British as quoted by Tembo (1978): As far as education is concerned, Britain’s colonial record in Zambia is most criminal. Her colonizers have left the country as the most uneducated and unprepared colony of Britain’s dependencies on the African content (p. xii). It is, therefore, not surprising that: at independence, only 110,200 Africans had completed six years in primary schools, and only 32,000 had completed the full primary course of eight years. At the secondary level, although over 8,000 Africans were enrolled in schools, only 4,420 had passed the Junior Secondary (Form II) Examination and a mere 961 had passed the School Certificate Examination. Only 107 had graduated from university, of whom four were female (Kelly, 1991: 13).

White collar syndrome in the education sector during 1960’s and attempts made by the first republic.

In Zambia the term was a replica of the Europeans and Americans. In particular the term began to be used in Zambia during the colonial era, when most Europeans started to employ Zambians to work as clericals, typist, office orderlies, cleaners and teachers in schools. The onset of the colonial period in the 1800s marked the beginning of the end for traditional African education. According to Fafunwa (1962) European forces, missionaries, and colonialists all came ready and willing to change existing traditions to meet their own needs and ambitions. Bhola (2000) has also argued that ‘the modern sector of  education may have dismissed the traditional culture of  education out of hand, and without thought borrowed indiscriminately from the West, irrelevant ideologies, missions, and methods of adult education …’. What is implied in this statement is that the current adult education curriculum in Africa is still modelled on the colonial one and as such does not serve the immediate needs of the learner in particular and the nation in general. The replacement of the traditional forms of adult education, therefore, brought about challenges to the education system in newly independent Zambia. How did these changes contributed to the white collar syndrome in the education sector? To answer this question, some historical analysis is necessary. Alexander (1971) observed that it was well known that adult education in Africa had been sadly neglected in the past. In colonial times missionaries and education administrators did not normally see the importance of continuing education. UNESCO (1964) in its report on education in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) wrote: An education system is a result of decisions made and designs laid down by past and present governments (p.1). Kelly (1991) admits that the above statement remains as true today as when Radford and his colleagues first wrote it in their report on the future development of the education system of what was then Northern Rhodesia. Several of the concerns that beset the demand for white collar jobs were necessitated by three factors. According to the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, Zambia’s literacy level was estimated at 55.3 %. The report further indicated that the problem of illiteracy continued to be more prevalent among females than males. The report further indicated that about 1 in every 2 females (49.8%) was illiterate as compared to almost 2 in every 5 males (39%) of the same population (MOE, 2008). The high rate of illiteracy has seen contributed to white collar job syndrome in the education sector. In that the Government had to encourage and support all those who finished their school certificates into education system, every one started to embrace adult education. According to Fafunwa (1962) “It was surprising to find a 35 year old doing grade  5, in that, Africans received education opportunities with two hands…”

The first factor was that Zambia needed many educated people to fill up positions that had or were being vacated by expatriates. Kelly (1991) explains that the colonial government had a pervasive concern about the production of an educated cadre that could not be absorbed into productive employment. Additionally, (Okafor, 1971), colonial administrators (not only in the then Northern Rhodesia but throughout Africa) generally preferred the uneducated Africans to the educated ones, who, they feared, tended to take educational planner today have their origin in events that occurred years and even decades before. In that regard, the challenges that the newly independent Zambia faced could be attributed to the education system that existed during the colonial era. The second factor was that the new government during its campaign for political independence, promised to provide more educational opportunities. A crisis of expectation was, therefore, imminent as people expected immediate delivery of more education. Thus this expectation motivated many adults to take part in adult education.

The other factor was that, apart from education being a human right, individuals themselves were keen to go to school and learn. These factors put a lot of pressure on the government to create more opportunities for learning. Indeed, the government saw this high illiteracy rate as an obstacle to economic development (Mulenga, 2000).

The third challenge was relevance of the adult education curriculum. Even after independence, the adult education curriculum available was based on the colonial model. This was the same curriculum which was said to be alienating students and stifling critical and creative thinking. In this curriculum, what was emphasised was the teaching of literacy where people learnt reading, writing and later simple arithmetic. As it has already been established, missionaries educated adults for liturgical purposes. Hence, the emphasis on literacy. Nafukho, et al, (2005) explain that the education system was changed to reflect the European social process. Colonial governments were interested in adult education in so far as they produced literate people who were used as collaborators and workers for their colonial enterprises.

According to Kabaso Sydney (2007:12) as reflected In “History of Education in Zambia” article as published by article base.com writes,” the Zambians were compared to put on smart clothes, they were put in charge of office work, in which they began to occupy professional, managerial, or administrative position. Such workers typically wear shirts with white collars. Those working in factories or doing manual labour typically had to wear blue collars, working suits and over rows and are therefore became to be called blue-collar workers

Conclusion

It has been established that history has a long lasting influence on what happens in the future. It has been shown colonial adult education positively impacted on post independent Zambia as white collar syndrome is concerned. The first republic worked out hard to fill in the workers in all vacancies that were left by the colonial government and a number of Zambians were employed on white collar jobs, thus the syndrome increased.

Online colleges are a part of the boom in online education. College-level programs are using online delivery, due to the easy availability of computers and the internet. Some of these courses involve little or no student interaction, and are like correspondence courses.

Others are more interactive and innovative. They use threaded discussions, video and audio clips, internet resources, e-mail, etc. Online programs are more convenient, easier to access, and are more cost effective, both for students and colleges.

Benefits of Joining an Online College

Online colleges allow you to earn a top-class degree that is nationally recognized, entirely online. You can learn at your own pace. The degrees you can earn online range from a certification, or associate degree, all the way up to a master’s degree, or even a doctorate.

You can enjoy personalized attention and avoid driving long distances to attend scheduled classes. Online colleges allow you to attend class from anywhere in the world, and at any time of the day or night.

Whether you are a student, or an experienced professional, you can reach your educational goals, through distance learning. Some of the oldest universities are offering online degrees.

Online colleges offer you unrivaled flexibility and convenience. The online programs usually cost much less than traditional programs. You can be in close contact with faculty members, experts, and experienced professionals. You may even be able to specialize in an area of your choice.

Choosing an Online College

You need to take time to research your options, while choosing an online college. Ensure that the program is accredited by a Department of Education-recognized accrediting body; otherwise it will not have much value in the job market.

Find out about the qualifications of the teachers. Ask about whether they are trained and experienced in providing online education. You can contact the Better Business Bureau to find out if anyone has registered a complaint against the online college. You can also contact the appropriate licensing board to make sure that the degree or diploma is recognized.

Talk to former and existing students, to find out about their experiences. Find out about the financing options. Enquire about the transfer of prior learning assessments and existing college credits.

Don’t be in a hurry, while selecting an online college. It is a decision you will have to live with for years to come. You will have to invest substantial time and money. Make the right decision for a path to a better future.

In this age of digital technology, more people are turning to the internet to obtain a college education. Now, it’s easier than ever to get an online masters degree from one of many internet colleges and schools offering distance education. While online learning isn’t for everyone, it’s certainly a convenient and flexible way of furthering your education and obtaining accredited degrees from one of many leading universities. Whether you take a few courses or an entire distance learning program, the following tips will help you in your search to get an online degree in whatever course of study you wish to pursue.

For busy students who are juggling work, school and a home life, obtaining an online degree through a distance education program fits into their hectic schedule. An important thing to remember when studying online is to take programs through an accredited college. Provided you receive accredited degrees, your hard work will be recognized at any major university and prospective employer in the workforce. What’s more, receiving an online degree will still garner the same respect as if you had earned the degree through traditional means. Because so many programs are offered via distance learning, you’re almost guaranteed to find an academic program that interests you.

With a little research, it is fairly simple to determine the quality of an online degree program. In addition to making sure that the program is accredited, it is also important to use common sense. If the program is offering a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Additionally, you can use Google or another search engine to search for third party reviews or testimonials about a program. These tools can help you find an online program which meets your standards and will help you obtain your goals.

While acquiring an online degree is definitely a convenient, flexible way of getting a college education, it’s important to remember that distance learning isn’t right for every student. In order to be truly successful in receiving accredited degrees, students must have a very high sense of discipline in order to get the work done. Not only that, but they must also be extremely self-motivated to achieve success through online learning. Because you won’t have teachers breathing down your back to complete your work on time, you must work diligently and efficiently as if you were attending college in a traditional classroom setting.

Provided you do extensive research beforehand, you should be able to ascertain whether the college you’re interested in pursuing offers accredited degrees and what course of study you’d like to take. When trying to get an online degrees, remember that choosing a program of study you enjoy will almost certainly lead to success. Granted, you are not going to like every class you take. When you choose an educational program that you enjoy however, you are more likely to complete the work in a timely matter and devote your full attention to the tasks at hand.

Online learning is definitely becoming increasingly popular as the years progress, and offers students a chance to enhance their education at a pace that works best for them. Getting an online degree is really no different than receiving accredited degrees from any leading brick and mortar institution, but it does take a certain amount of discipline to achieve the results that will lead to success. If you feel online learning is right for you, it’s important to do as much research as possible before you commit to any course of academic study. Once you’ve realized that distance education is a viable option for you, apply yourself to the program and you’ll have an online degree in no time.

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President Barack Obama is hoping mothers will go back to school with the use of his scholarship-for-moms program, which is providing educational funding to these women that have had to take time off to raise their families. He is hoping these moms will take advantage of the grants so that they can further their education and raise the quality of life for themselves and their children.

Mothers have busy schedules, we know, but with today’s technology, there are online degree programs some college use that allows the students to earn degrees from the convenience of their homes. This frees up the schedule a bit so that they do not have to be so worried about the time crunch. The financial aspect is also taken care of because the government grants do not have to be paid back.

If you still are not sure about going back to school, think about how getting a degree will improve your life once you are finished. Instead of working two jobs, you can enter a career where you will be more secure. You will feel more confident in yourself and your children will see that. Just think about how good it will feel to go on job interviews and go to work once you land that career you have been dreaming about.

Those who are interested in taking part in the educational grants should first complete their FAFSA form, and also decide which college they want to earn a degree through, making sure the school has the program they are interested in. There are many organizations offering scholarships aimed at mothers, so if you find you do not qualify for one grant, you can always try for another.