Abstract:

.Early childhood is a crucial period for the development of children's mental functions; hence it needs to be handled by qualified teachers who are well motivated. The purpose of the study is to highlight some of the challenges faced by ECE teachers in rural areas and how much efforts have been made by government in terms of policies, funding, curriculum and infrastructure. A case study of early childhood provision in rural areas of Mongu district of Western Province, was presented as an example of challenges in a remote rural of Zambia. Using questionnaires and observations from the visited schools, ECE teachers are faced with a number of challenges. Based on this background, ECE teachers are supposed to be qualified in order to be able to comprehend the developmental process of ECE children. The study results revealed that most administrators, teachers, had very little knowledge on ECE provisions, and teachers were rarely monitored by standard officers to take stock of the ECE delivery system in rural areas. Also, among other findings, ECE teachers were overloaded with other responsibilities giving them less time to prepare adequately for their classes. The study was set to investigate challenges faced by preschool teachers in rural areas, and suggest measures that could be addressed by the government and other stakeholders to ensure that there is quality delivery of early childhood education regardless of the geographical positions of the centers. Other researchers who may be interested to verify on these challenges are free to do so.

Keywords: Early childhood education, curriculum, infrastructure, conducive environment, Policy

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