- David Daniel Chipeta & Pethias Siame*
- Department of Literature and Languages, Kwame Nkrumah University, Kabwe, Zambia
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21461912
This study investigates the systemic exclusion of indigenous language specialists from Head of Department (HOD) positions in Northern Province secondary schools, Zambia, where English language teachers monopolise departmental leadership despite the region’s predominantly Icibemba-speaking population (71.3% of households). Grounded in Language Policy and Planning Theory, the research employed a convergent mixed-methods approach combining questionnaire surveys (N=124) with semi-structured interviews (N=38) of language teachers, HODs, school administrators, and education officials across seven districts. Purposive sampling selected participants representing diverse sociolinguistic contexts. Thematic analysis revealed that English language monopoly stems from four interconnected mechanisms: perceived superior prestige of English qualifications (cited by 87.3% of head teachers), entrenched colonial attitudes perpetuating linguistic hierarchies, policy ambiguity enabling discretionary discrimination, and assumptions conflating English proficiency with managerial competence. Results demonstrate significant resource allocation disparities (p < .001), with English programmes receiving 73.4% of language department budgets while serving 48.2% of enrolled students, undermining indigenous language teacher morale and constraining culturally responsive pedagogies. The research underscores the necessity for explicit appointment criteria mandating equitable consideration of all language specialists, minimum quotas for indigenous language representation in leadership, and policy reforms recognising indigenous language qualifications as equivalent to English credentials for administrative advancement.
