The Diploma in secondary Education is a three year program to prepare teachers for the Junior secondary schools. The programme contains both education courses which are compulsory as stated by the 2013 Ministry of Education Curriculum Framework as well the teaching specialisations. The students will be required to choose two teaching subjects.
The Zambian Education Curriculum Framework emphasizes vocational subjects as a way of equipping the pupils with survival skills. There is still a dire shortage of teachers at the Junior Secondary School level at Grades 8 and 9 in Zambia. This cadre of teachers needs to be well skilled versatile to be able to adapt to the ever-changing educational environment. In schools where graduate teachers are not available, these Diploma teachers should be able to teach the senior classes with confidence. There is need therefore to embark on a program to train qualified teachers for the Junior section.
The programme responds to the academic, professional, industry and societal needs by equipping the graduate with the requisite knowledge, skills and values to: