Authors: Nkalamo Kelvi
Abstract: Pupil absenteeism remains a persistent challenge to educational access, participation, and achievement in many rural parts of Zambia. Although national policies promote equitable access to education, school managers in rural districts often face practical constraints when monitoring attendance, engaging parents, and implementing interventions for chronically absent learners. This study investigated the challenges faced by school managers in addressing pupil absenteeism in selected schools in Lunte District, Northern Province, Zambia. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. A descriptive mixed-methods design was adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from school managers, teachers, District Education Board officials, parents, and community leaders. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document review. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that pupil absenteeism in Lunte District is driven mainly by poverty, long distances to school, seasonal agricultural labour, illness, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities, and weak parental involvement. School managers used strategies such as attendance registers, home visits, counselling, parent meetings, collaboration with community leaders, and limited school feeding support. However, their efforts were constrained by inadequate transport, limited funding, shortage of staff, weak institutional follow-up, and insufficient policy guidance on chronic absenteeism. The study concludes that absenteeism in Lunte District is a multidimensional problem requiring coordinated school, household, community, and policy-level interventions. It recommends strengthening attendance monitoring systems, expanding school feeding programmes, improving rural school infrastructure, supporting girl-friendly sanitation, and empowering school managers through training, resources, and clearer operational guidelines.
DOI: http://doi.org/
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