Community Involvement in the Management of Community Secondary Schools in Coast and Kagera Regions of Tanzania

Ngonge, Rweyendera Gosbert (2020) Community Involvement in the Management of Community Secondary Schools in Coast and Kagera Regions of Tanzania. ["eprint_fieldopt_thesis_type_phd" not defined] thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This qualitative case study aimed at investigating community involvement in the management of community secondary schools in Coast and Kagera regions of Tanzania. Study objectives were to assess community members’ perceptions, inclusivity, school managerial activities in which they were involved and to examine strengths and weaknesses of the strategies used to empower them. Methods used for data collection were semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion, field observation and documentary review. The study involved 12 education officers, 10 school heads, 7 school board members, 18 community leaders and 64 school local community members. Criterion-based and snowball sampling techniques were used to obtain participants. Findings indicated a link between resources contributed by the community members and the desire to get involved in school management. Interests of the community members could not effectively be represented through school board. The low level of education, lack of information and coordination, awareness, political antagonism, urgent directives and restrictions from the government were pointed out as the major challenges for community involvement in school management. Nature of activities in which school local communities were engaged in, largely seemed to be of material resource provision rather than participation in school management decisions. The seemingly used strategies by the education administrators to empower school local community members were not at community involvement in school management. The study recommends review of the structure of the school boards and removal of all sorts of obstacles to enhance and reframe democratic right and participation of the school local community members. Suggestions for further research on this topic are also included in this report.

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