A century of preparing educators: The evolution and trajectory of Teacher Education Policy in Zambia (1924-2024)

2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 15

Available Online:  20 June 2026

Author/s:

Farrelli, Hambulo
University of Zambia, Zambia (farrelli.hambulo@unza.ac.zm)

Abstract:

Teacher education stands at the critical intersection of national development, pedagogical quality, and structural governance. Utilizing a historical-policy framework grounded in historical institutionalism and path dependency, this article offers a critical longitudinal analysis of the evolution of teacher education policy in Zambia over a one-hundred-year trajectory (1924-2024). The study reviews pivotal educational landmarks, including the colonial 1925 Memorandum on Native Education, post-independence initiatives such as Education for Development (1977) and Educating Our Future (1996), and contemporary legislative frameworks up to the 2024 universal free education mandates. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative thematic content analysis of authoritative policy blueprints, triangulated with institutional statistics and secondary historical scholarship. The analysis identifies three distinct policy eras: colonial-era vocationalization under missionary and state duress, post-independence expansion and nationalization, and a modern era grappling with market deregulation and state-driven massification. The paper argues that while Zambia has successfully expanded institutional access and legalized professional standards through the Teaching Council of Zambia, contemporary policy remains bound by path-dependent structural constraints, particularly a persistent rural-urban digital and infrastructural divide. By exploring how early institutional tracks continue to shape 21st century educational reforms, this study provides critical insights for contemporary policymakers and educational administrators navigating the balance between quantitative expansion and qualitative standards in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: teacher education, policy evolution, Zambia, historical institutionalism, path dependency, professionalisation

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26255

Cite this article:
Farrelli, H. (2026). A century of preparing educators: The evolution and trajectory of Teacher Education Policy in Zambia (1924-2024). International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(15), 13-23. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26255