English Teachers Preparedness in the Implementation of Performance Lag Address Programme (PLAP) at Secondary School Level in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The purpose of a school is to produce students who are achievers. However, low pass rate, especially in English Language, is affecting Zimbabwe’s education system and the Ministry of Education is trying to implement new strategies that are earmarked at improving it. One of the strategies is the Performance Lag Address Programme (PLAP) that was introduced in Zimbabwe in 2012. The study sought to assess secondary school English teachers’ preparedness in the implementation of PLAP in Gweru urban, Zimbabwe using a descriptive survey design. The researcher drafted questionnaires for teachers, distributed them to a convenient sample of 34 English teachers in Gweru urban secondary schools and finally collected them. Data was analyzed by SPSS, specifically in the form of frequencies and descriptive statistics for research questions number 1 to 6. Inferential statistics, that is, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient r was uses to test the null hypotheses. Findings showed that most of the English teachers in Gweru are mature, well experienced, well balanced in terms of gender distribution and are highly qualified. However, they could not fully execute PLAP because very few of them were prepared and trained as well as skilled to implement it in the classroom. Nothing much has been put in place for the programme implementation in terms of resources; teachers’ workloads are too high, there are no relevant textbooks and the schools rarely meet PLAP financial needs. The respondents’ attitude toward PLAP was generally negative although they agreed that low performing students benefit from the programme. The respondents never liked the way PLAP is implemented in their Zimbabwe in general and in their school in particular, thus it is rarely implemented in Gweru, mean 2.56. This is so because the bases for programme have not been properly laid. Teachers are not motivated to carry out PLAP for they do not get monetary incentives, neither are they exempted from other duties. They also doubted if programme implementation improves them professionally. The study concluded that the way PLAP is implemented in Zimbabwe needs an overhaul so that its goals can be realized.