The study was carried out to assess the extent to which the intervention of traditional leaders is effective in mobilising support for community development projects and to examine the perceptions that communities have about the role of the traditional leaders in development projects. The study has been guided by the critique of neoliberalism which exposes the negative effects of implementing the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) in Third World countries. The literature that has been reviewed has looked at the historical and political background of the role of chiefs and other traditional leaders in order to assess the nature of participation that is promoted through their involvement in development projects. An overview of the neo-liberal prescription and its critique has been made in order to expose the effects of the oil embargo of 1973 and the debt crisis of the 1980s on the economies of Third World countries in general and Malawi in particular. On the basis of evidence which has been gathered through a survey and focus group discussion, the study has found that the intervention of traditional leaders is very effective in mobilising communities for development projects. It has further been established that communities have high regard for their traditional leaders and that they perceive them as crucial role players in the conception and implementation of development projects. The study has however established that traditional leaders use unorthodox means such as threats of punishment to solicit the cooperation of the community members which in essence is counterproductive to the participatory approach to development.

This study investigates the experiences of at-risk secondary school students in the Chitungwiza District, Zimbabwe. At-riskiness is defined as a condition in which students are likely to produce poor academic achievement, irregular school attendance, grade retention or dropout due to various individual and social factors. At-riskiness has increased in Zimbabwe’s school population since the adoption and subsequent failure of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) which has contributed to poverty and concomitant poor social conditions. A literature study explored at-riskiness in the light of socio-cultural perspectives on at-riskiness and also discussed contextual factors in the Zimbabwean schooling system which influence students’ vulnerability to at-riskiness. A qualitative inquiry using a narrative approach explored at-riskiness in the life stories of three male and three female secondary school students attending two selected schools in Chitungwiza, an economically deprived area close to Harare. Selection of schools was based on high levels of absenteeism and sustained poor performance in the national school leaving examinations. Purposeful participant selection was based on school records on grade repetition, absenteeism and poor behaviour. Semi-structured Interviews with participants, based on the Dan MacAdams framework for life story research, were used to gather rich data. Ethical compliance included written parental consent and participant assent and the assurance of anonymity, confidentiality and the right to refuse information. Findings were categorized under family related factors, school related factors and resource limitations. At-riskiness was exacerbated by parental unemployment, poor socio-economic conditions at home and a lack of cultural capital. Participants were compelled to undertake casual work to supplement household income in addition to the fulfillment of academic responsibilities. Poor school conditions comprising poor discipline and unprofessional teacher conduct increased at-riskiness especially among female participants. Resource limitations included poor nutrition, lack of basic necessities required for personal hygiene, in adequate parenting and the absence of psycho-social support mechanisms. Based on the literature study and empirical inquiry, recommendations were made for a more inclusive educational model, poverty alleviation and special support for disadvantaged students to reduce at-riskiness among students in Zimbabwe. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)