Abstract:
Chinamwali and Nyau traditional initiation ceremonies for girls and boys respectively, have been a subject of concern within the community in Chadiza district. While the Chewa people of Chadiza district celebrate Chinamwali and Nyau initiation ceremonies as a transition from childhood to adulthood, some aspects of these traditional ceremonies such as sex education given to the initiates are thought to have a negative impact on the education of girls and boys. Based on these concerns, the study sought to find out the extent to which these traditional initiation ceremonies affected the education of secondary school girls and boys in Chadiza District, Zambia. The population under study consisted of 200 teachers and 30 parents from 5 secondary schools, and 200 school dropouts. The sample of the study consisted of 32 teachers, 25 parents, and 12 school dropouts. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the four secondary schools and twenty-five parents while random sampling technique was used to select the thirty-two teachers who were used for the study. Snow ball sampling technique was used to select the twelve dropouts. The researcher used two instruments; a self-constructed questionnaire with close and open-ended questions and the interview guide. The researcher personally administered the questionnaire and the interview. A pilot study was carried out and the reliability of the questionnaire was established at 0.681 which meant that the instrument was reliable. Descriptive analysis was used for the close-ended questions. Thematic analysis was used for the open-ended questions from the questionnaire and the interview guide. The results indicated that traditional initiation ceremonies affected the education of secondary school boys and girls in terms of: school attendance, pupils’ behavior, pupils’ participation in class, early pregnancies and marriages, dropouts, as well as HIV/AIDS. The key recommendations were that parents should ensure that girls and boys do not miss classes because of initiation ceremonies and should be initiated during school holidays. It was also recommended that parents need to be encouraged to allow their children to speak in class immediately after initiation and to stop some practices that would negatively affect the behavior of the initiates. The government also needs to educate youths on the risks of early pregnancies and marriages including HIV/AIDS.
