overcrowded classrooms

This study investigated the challenges facing head teachers in providing leadership support for the implementation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) in public primary schools in Muleba District, Tanzania. The study was guided by one specific objective: to identify the challenges faced by head teachers in providing leadership support for CBC implementation. Grounded in Hallinger and Murphy's (1985) Instructional Leadership Theory, the study adopted a pragmatic paradigm with a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population comprised 2,166 individuals from 237 public primary schools. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 112 respondents (100 classroom teachers and 12 heads of schools), semi-structured interviews with head teachers and one School Quality Assurance Officer, and document review. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics through SPSS Version 22, while qualitative data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework. The findings revealed seven interconnected challenges: inadequate CBC training for head teachers themselves (84.8%), inadequate funding preventing leadership support (81.3%), heavy administrative workloads (76.8%), unclear government support (76.8%), financial constraints generally (67.9%), overcrowded classrooms (64.3%), and teacher resistance to CBC changes (52.7%). The study concluded that head teachers' effectiveness in leading CBC implementation is systematically undermined by systemic factors beyond their control. The study recommends mandatory CBC training for head teachers, reduction of administrative workloads, increased capitation grants with CBC-specific allocations, clear national implementation guidelines, and investment in school infrastructure.

This study investigates the alignment between teacher allocation and learner enrolment patterns in Eswatini high schools following the 2023 teacher allocation policy, assessing whether deployment corresponds to learner demand and to the policy goals of equity and efficiency. Guided by the Theory of Compensating Differences, it analysed disparities in enrolment and teacher distribution using documentary evidence from enrolment records, class registers, staffing information, and policy documents from 23 high schools, supplemented by contextual observations. Findings revealed substantial variation: some schools faced overcrowded classrooms, while others had enrolments far below the advised threshold of 400 students required for certain staffing provisions, with several reporting between 172 and 286 students. This raised concerns about the effective use of human and financial resources, particularly in high-density communities where staffing levels did not consistently reflect student numbers. The study concludes that reallocating teachers is necessary but complex, requiring a more responsive and context-sensitive model that goes beyond fixed enrolment thresholds to incorporate regular monitoring, redistribution mechanisms, and consideration of demographic and school-specific conditions. Such an approach would better balance educational equity, resource efficiency, and sustainability of teaching provision. Limitations include reliance on documentary and administrative records from a convenience sample of 23 schools, restricting generalisation to all Eswatini high schools. Nonetheless, the study provides valuable evidence to inform refinement of teacher allocation policy and offers lessons for other resource-constrained education systems experiencing uneven teacher distribution and shifting enrolment patterns.

Lesotho has enacted the Lesotho Inclusive Education Policy (LIEP) to guide the conduct of inclusive education. However, the extent of the implementation of the policy on inclusive schooling in the rural communities of Lesotho is yet to be ascertained. Two research questions were raised and answered in this qualitative study. The study adopted the bioecological system theory as a theoretical lens. Data was collected using a discursive semi-structure interview from 21 participants who were the key stakeholders in inclusive education in rural schools `and communities in Lesotho. The participants were recruited using a purposive sampling procedure. The data gathered was analysed using the inductive-deductive thematic data analysis approach. Findings revealed five themes. Three themes addressed the current state of inclusive education practices: overcrowded classrooms, limited supplies and teaching capacity, and limited implementation of the LIEP. Two themes addressed stakeholder concerns: geographical challenges and limited government interventions. Based on the findings, the study advanced the need for the government of Lesotho to establish and adequately equip more inclusive schools so that stress on teachers and learners can reduced significantly.

لسوتو سیاست آموزش فراگیر لسوتو (LIEP) را به منظور هدایت اجرای آموزش فراگیر تصویب کرده است. با این حال، میزان اجرای این سیاست در مدارس فراگیر در جوامع روستایی لسوتو هنوز مشخص نشده است. در این مطالعه کیفی، دو پرسش پژوهشی مطرح و پاسخ داده شد. این پژوهش نظریه نظام زیست‌بوم‌شناختی را به عنوان چارچوب نظری اتخاذ کرد. داده‌ها با استفاده از مصاحبه نیمه‌ساختاریافته گفتمانی از ۲۱ مشارکت‌کننده که ذی‌نفعان کلیدی آموزش فراگیر در مدارس و جوامع روستایی لسوتو بودند، جمع‌آوری شد. مشارکت‌کنندگان با روش نمونه‌گیری هدفمند انتخاب شدند. داده‌های گردآوری‌شده با رویکرد تحلیل داده‌های تماتیک استقرایی-قیاسی تحلیل شدند. یافته‌ها پنج مضمون را آشکار ساختند. سه مضمون به وضعیت فعلی شیوه‌های آموزش فراگیر پرداختند: کلاس‌های شلوغ، منابع و ظرفیت تدریس محدود، و اجرای محدود LIEP. دو مضمون به نگرانی‌های ذی‌نفعان اشاره داشتند: چالش‌های جغرافیایی و مداخلات محدود دولت. بر اساس یافته‌ها، پژوهش بر ضرورت تأسیس و تجهیز مناسب مدارس فراگیر بیشتر توسط دولت لسوتو تأکید می‌کند تا فشار بر معلمان و دانش‌آموزان به طور قابل توجهی کاهش یابد.

Manipulatives are widely recognised as effective tools for simplifying abstract mathematical concepts, yet their integration into primary mathematics classrooms remains limited, particularly in resource-constrained contexts in the Global South. Existing literature has documented general benefits and barriers of manipulative use but has given limited attention to how teachers make decisions regarding manipulative selection within under-resourced primary classrooms. This study investigated the factors influencing the selection and integration of manipulatives in teaching place value among Grade 4 teachers in the Rundu Circuit, Kavango East Region, Namibia. Ten Grade 4 Mathematics teachers were purposively selected based on a minimum of two years teaching experience at Grade 4 level. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis of teachers’ lesson plans. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and categories within the data. The findings revealed that teacher preparedness, knowledge of learners, linguistic flexibility, and availability of the abacus constituted enabling factors, while overcrowded classrooms, insufficient professional development, inadequate resources, and time constraints emerged as significant barriers. These findings demonstrate that manipulative integration is shaped not only by resource availability but by teachers' beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge, and the structural conditions of their schools. The study contributes empirical evidence from the Global South to a predominantly Global North body of literature and provides data-driven recommendations regarding professional development, resource allocation, curriculum review, and time allocation to support effective place value teaching at the primary school level.

ابزارهای دست‌ورزی به عنوان ابزارهایی مؤثر برای ساده‌سازی مفاهیم انتزاعی ریاضی به طور گسترده‌ای شناخته شده‌اند، اما ادغام آن‌ها در کلاس‌های ریاضی ابتدایی، به ویژه در زمینه‌های دارای محدودیت منابع در کشورهای جنوب جهانی، همچنان محدود باقی مانده است. ادبیات موجود، مزایا و موانع کلی استفاده از ابزارهای دست‌ورزی را مستند کرده است، اما توجه محدودی به نحوه تصمیم‌گیری معلمان درباره انتخاب ابزارهای دست‌ورزی در کلاس‌های ابتدایی کم‌منبع داشته است. این پژوهش به بررسی عوامل مؤثر بر انتخاب و ادغام ابزارهای دست‌ورزی در آموزش ارزش مکانی در میان معلمان پایه چهارم در حوزه آموزشی Rundu، منطقه Kavango East، نامیبیا پرداخت. ده معلم ریاضی پایه چهارم به صورت هدفمند و بر اساس حداقل دو سال سابقه تدریس در این پایه انتخاب شدند. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته و تحلیل اسناد برنامه‌های درسی معلمان گردآوری شد. برای شناسایی الگوها و مقوله‌ها در داده‌ها از تحلیل تماتیک استفاده شد. یافته‌ها نشان داد که آمادگی معلم، شناخت از دانش‌آموزان، انعطاف‌پذیری زبانی و در دسترس بودن چرتکه از جمله عوامل تسهیل‌کننده بوده‌اند، در حالی که شلوغی کلاس‌ها، ناکافی بودن توسعه حرفه‌ای، کمبود منابع و محدودیت زمانی به عنوان موانع مهم ظاهر شدند. این یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که ادغام ابزارهای دست‌ورزی نه تنها توسط دسترسی به منابع بلکه توسط باورهای معلمان، دانش محتوایی-تدریسی و شرایط ساختاری مدارس آن‌ها شکل می‌گیرد. این پژوهش شواهد تجربی از جنوب جهانی را به بدنه عمدتاً شمال جهانی ادبیات می‌افزاید و توصیه‌هایی مبتنی بر داده در زمینه توسعه حرفه‌ای، تخصیص منابع، بازنگری برنامه درسی و تخصیص زمان برای حمایت از آموزش مؤثر ارزش مکانی در سطح ابتدایی ارائه می‌دهد.