Community in Participation in Fee Free Primary Schools in Kibaha District, Coastal Region.

Elisha, Sareyo, M. (2023) Community in Participation in Fee Free Primary Schools in Kibaha District, Coastal Region. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study examines the participation of community in supporting primary schools in Kibaha district, Coastal region. Specifically, the study examined the understanding of teachers and parents on the importance of community participation for school effectiveness; assessed the characteristics of community participation in primary schools ; and determined the effects of characteristics of community participation in primary schools on the quality of teaching and learning in Kibaha district. The study was guided by the Systems Theory and the information was gathered from 65 teachers and 20 community members -through questionnaire and interviews. The findings reveal that both the teachers and the community members had a correct understanding of the importance of community in supporting schools. It was however found that the community participation in schools was minimal due, in part, the government pronouncements of fee free education. On the effects of characteristics of community participation, it was found that schools were operating in meager resources, which negatively affected teaching and learning. Based on the evidence above, this study concluded that in the context of primary schools in Kibaha district FFP is contradictory to idea of school-community partnership within decentralization policy. In this respect, the study recommended that there is no need for contradiction between decentralization and FEE FREE education policies. The government should review both the FFP and encourage the community to support the development of schools to improve teaching and raise the quality of education in Tanzania. For further studies, it is recommended that more studies should focus on the strategies that the schools can use to encourage community participation in supporting schools’ activities. Key words: Community, participation, decentralized primary schools, fee –free, Kibaha District.

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