Always Learn!

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.

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.

Did you find this article useful?  For more useful tips and   hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to credit card, do please browse for more information at our websites.
<a onClick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.yoursgoogleincome.com
“>http://www.yoursgoogleincome.com
</a>
<a onClick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.freeearningtip.com
“>http://www.freeearningtip.com
</a>

Copyright (c) 2008 Kenneth Anczerewicz

Do online courses sound appealing to you? What about just taking an online class or two rather than working towards an online degree? Online courses may be taken while you work full time or even if you attend a regular college or university. You can work at your own pace and at various times of your choosing depending on what’s most convenient to you. Classes are typically online for 30 days per session and and take 18 hours to complete. The site www.Online-Education.net is a great resource to use. They have over 600 online classes to choose from in their catalog.

There are many good reason to consider taking courses online.

1. Eliminate boredom! When the kids are in school, do you find that you’re bored? Take an online education course! You could try something new like cooking, photography, building websites, drawing, or anything that interests you.

2. Learn something new! Learn to do your own taxes or use a new computer program. Get new ideas for gardening or homeschooling or improve your communication and writing skills. Perhaps astronomy, religion, or genealogy will spark your interest. Men enjoy courses on tying flies (for fishing lures), stamp collecting, and history.

3. Meet some new friends or re-connect with old ones! Online courses provide good opportunities to make new friends and share experiences with your old friends. Get a friend to enroll in a course with you; you’ll have a wonderful time!

4. Improve your self-esteem! After learning a new skill, your self-esteem will soar. The new sense of accomplishment will enrich your life and encourage you to try other online courses.

5. Re-ignite your brain! Get your brain in shape. Take a few hobby or informational courses and get used to working online, remembering details, and completing projects.

6. Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Keeping your brain active will help prevent dementia and, possibly, Alzheimer’s Disease as you get older. Scott Gottlieb, New York newspaper writer, states that, “Participating in mentally challenging leisure activities such as reading and playing board games may help elderly people stay mentally sharp.” Researchers have found that people aged 75 years or more who engaged in leisure activities had a lower risk of dementia than other elderly people. (New England Journal of Medicine 2003; 348:2508-16).

7. Become a more interesting person. When you attend various functions such as PTA meetings you’ll have some interesting conversation to share.

8. Provide your children and family with a great role model. Adults who demonstrate life-long learning are wonderful role models for children, who learn that education continues to benefit us all through life.

9. Learn more about technology. Any time we use a computer, we learn more about technology and how to use it effectively.

10. Improve your resume. The information you learn via online courses might be a great addition to your resume and help you get a better job or more pay.

Pay attention to my roundup of reasons for taking online education courses and you may be surprised at the benefits you experience!

Each and every child has the right to education. Education is the basic tool that every individual should possess. Several NGOs and government bodies are taking up primary education as their prime concern for India. Under this, government has made primary education compulsory for every single student.

The Anganvadis have been set up by various government about private entities in almost all the villages. These are day care centres for working women. Several of Anganvadis are being maintained by the government. These Anganvadis together with NGOs are trying to fill the gap between cities and villages by providing Montessori level education to village kids. They call it “ The Butterfly Project”. This implies not only education for children at the very tender initial stages in their lives, but also gainful employment to women and in some cases even men who not only earn their livelihood but also derive immense satisfaction out of teaching the toddlers and in turn learning from them as well. Thus the concept of Anganvadis is a Career Resources only.

Recently, around 1000 delegates from 120 different countries marked their presence at World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). The summit was 3 day long held in Doha, Qatar. They drew a 10 point docket carrying a look out for to educate all under “21st Century education”!!

The 2009 budget also involved Education Resources. It is done for the betterment of the country as a whole. Numerous Schemes related to Education have been started in Indian Interim Budget for 2009.

Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme government is trying to universalise secondary education. Major steps have already taken place.

Higher Education (HE) For maintaining and lifting up the standards of living higher education is very important. Government is trying really hard through its various programs to build a knowledge based society. The outlay on Higher education increased by 900% in the Eleventh Five Year Plan. An Ordinance has also published to establish fifteen central universities. 6 IITs are already in function at Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Punjab and Gujarat in 2008-2009. In 2009-10 government is planning to set up 2 more IITs in Madya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Educational Loan Schemes (ELS) has been super simplified, hence the number of loan accounts have increased more than 4 times during March 31, 2004 to September 30, 2008 from 3.19 lakhs to 14.09 lakhs.

ITIs. The budget declaration made in 2004-05. 500 ITIs have been revived for quality performance. Government of India established National Skill development Corporation in July 2008 with initial investment of Rs. 1 thousand crore. This is an extension in the Interm Budget. Measures are being taken up by government to provide better Career Resources. Though there are so many Career options but until and unless Career Resources improve these options cannot be exhausted properly.

Even though this piece talks more about Education Resources, the career resources available here are equally impressive. Whether it is capital intensive industries or regular manufacturing units, India has it all. And in good measure. Be it fertilizers, textiles, leather, cement, paints and adhesives, food processing, automobiles, aircraft, ship building, agro-based industries, jewellery and cosmetics, FMCG, electronic items, household appliances, toy industry, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing, Telecommunications, Energy-related industries such as oil refineries, bio-mass plants, solar energy units, hydro-thermal projects, mines, retailing, real estate, the hospitality industry, and so on. The list is actually endless.

The College Student Relief Act (H.R. 5), recently approved in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently is awaiting approval by the Senate. The act, which proponents claim will benefit taxpayers, may not have the impact that backers claim. Essentially, H.R. 5 encourages schools via incentives to go with the government’s Direct Lending Program over the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

This is being pushed even though the Direct Lending Program has been operating at a deficit since 1997. Currently, the Direct Lending Program only has $89 billion in student loans, but owes the government $105 billion, a shortfall of $16 billion. Opponents of H.R. 5 are concerned, as they realize that taxpayers ultimately will end up picking up the $16 billion tab.

FFELP Saves Students Thousands

The FFELP, established by Congress more than 40 years ago, allows students to choose lenders based upon such criteria as customer service, incentives such as interest rate reduction, and other factors. Private lenders, including savings and loans, credit unions and banks, provide federally secured low interest student loans for college students that include: Parent Student Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Graduate PLUS Student Loans, Federal Subsidized Stafford Student Loans, Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Student Loans, and the Federal Student Loan Consolidation Program.

Through subsidies provided by the federal government, private lenders pass on savings to students in the form of student loan incentives. These benefits form the basis of competition in the student loan industry, offering potential savings of thousands over the course of a student’s loan in order to win a borrower’s business. When private lenders compete within the context of the FFELP, students win with greater savings. For instance, NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, provides a 1 percent LOCKED interest rate reduction once a borrower has made 36 on-time consecutive payments, one of the most aggressive benefits in the industry.

College Student Relief Act Doubles Costs

If the College Student Relief Act becomes law, students may be adversely affected. It will cut in half the subsidies paid to FFELP lenders, effectively doubling the cost required to service these student loans. Over time this will reduce the number of FFELP lenders, and ELIMINATE competition. This will negatively affect customer service, information about financial aid, and benefits passed on to students through student loan incentives.

Many students and their parents until recently were not aware of the adverse effects of the College Student Relief Act. Some have decided to take action, and, in essence, fight for their rights to save by contacting their senators, and asking them to vote against H.R. 5. Find your senators’ contact information here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. Every little bit helps to protect the integrity of quality financial aid in the United States.

NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about student loans and student loan consolidation at NextStudent.com.