Exploring the Practice of “Extra” Lessons as Offered in Chinhoyi Urban Secondary Schools, Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe
Keywords:
moonlighting, reality definer, questionable teaching, survival strategy, school development committee, case studyAbstract
The purpose of the study was to establish the practice of extra lessons in
Chinhoyi urban secondary schools in Zimbabwe. A case study was adopted to facilitate an
in-depth understanding of the practice of extra lessons in schools. Purposive sampling was
used to select the two schools for the study and the participants. A total of 160 participants
were used to solicit information for the study. Questionnaires, interview schedules and
observation checklists were enlisted for gathering data for the study. The study established
that extra lessons targeted those students who could pay for the service rendered; were
being carried out during normal school hours, lunch hour, after school hours and weekends;
the activities were not being supervised; popular with pupils preparing for public
examinations; promoted elitism and unequal access to education; provided lucrative
employment for teachers; were a result of shoddy teaching during normal hours and that
pupils would benefit more if extra lessons are supervised and coordinated. The study
recommends that extra lessons be done outside normal school hours, with parents having
the honours to identify the tutors, discuss areas of the learner’s concerns with them and
monitor progress made during the lessons. The study also recommends that extra lessons
should be supervised and coordinated if students are to effectively benefit .School
Development Committees should discuss with parents and come up with modalities to
incentivise teachers so that all students benefit and that policy makers need to take a
decisive position on the status of extra lessons in schools.
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