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INFLUENCE OF SOCIO – CULTURAL VALUES ON THE PROVISION OF QUALITY SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION TO GIRLS IN MASASI DISTRICT, TANZANIA
ALLY RAMADHANI NYANZWA
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION IN ADMINISTRATION, PLANNING AND POLICY STUDIES OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF TANZANIA
2015
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CERTIFICATION
The undersigned certifies that has read and hereby recommends for the acceptance by the Open University of Tanzania a dissertation titled “ Influence of Socio- Cultural Values on the provision of Quality Secondary School Education to Girls in Masasi District,”Tanzania in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Masters of Education in Administration, Planning and Policy Studies ( Med- APPS).
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Prof. Cornelia K.Muganda
(Supervisor)
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Date
COPYRIGHT
This dissertation is copyright material protected under the Berne Convention, the copyright Act 1999 and other international and national enactment in that behalf on intellectual property. It may not be reproduced by any means in full or part, except for short extracts in fair dealing for research or private study, critical scholarly review or discourse with an acknowledgement, without the written permission of the Director of post graduate studies on behalf of the author and the Open University of Tanzania.
DECLARATION
I, Ally Ramadhani Nyanzwa declare that this dissertation is my own original work and that it has not been presented and will not be presented to any other University for similar or any other degree award.
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Signature
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Date
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DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to my beloved parents, my late father Ramadhani Nyanzwa and my late mother Mariam Juma Ally who laid a strong educational foundation and paid for my education in the initial stages. May God rest the soul of my beloved parents in eternal peace.
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost I would like to thank the almighty God for making my academic aspirations and accomplishments a reality. Then my sincere and deep appreciations go to my supervisor, Prof. Cornelia K. Muganda for her advice, patient guidance, support and constructive criticism during the course of this research study. I am also grateful to Mr. Romwald K. Hyeres of UDSM and Mr. Sylvester Joseph Mbumbe for their academic assistance during the period of my studies . I equally wish to thank my fellow MED (APPS) students especially Mr. Daniel Haule and Severino Kayanda for their assistance during the period of our studies. My appreciation also extends to my beloved brother Juma M.Mayawa for his advice, moral support and his endless prayers which contributed to the successful completion of my study. Special gratitude goes to all my respondents for their cooperation and kind assistance during data collection. My recognition and thanks to my wife Shadia Said Laus and my three children, Mariam ,Faisar and Amour for their tireless prayers and their patience for my absence during my study period. I would like to thank all individuals who helped me in one way or another for accomplishments of my study. May almighty God bless them all .Finally; I remain wholly responsible for any shortcoming in this dissertation.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to investigate the way socio-cultural values affected the provision of quality Secondary Education to Girls, in Masasi district. The study rests on the following objectives: To examine the community perception on provision of quality secondary education to Girl students, to examine the influence of polygamous marriages on secondary education for Girls. To assess the strategies for provision of secondary education to Girls’ in polygamous families and to examine the influence of the rites of passage on the provision of quality secondary education to Girls students’. The study used mixed methods approaches. It involved a total of 166 respondents. The categories of sample were secondary school Head teachers, Girl students’, teachers, Statistic and Logistic Officer and the parents. The study deployed purposive and random sampling to select the respondents. The methods of data collection included interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussion and review of documents. The study findings revealed that, socio- cultural values have negative influence on the provision of quality secondary school education to female students’. The evidence showed that there are more female students who are affected from the provision of quality secondary education to female students compared to boys. The findings showed that, polygamous marriages and the rites of passage influenced the pregnancies, early engagement in sexual activities, lack of education support and misbehaviors of some of the female students, poor participation in schools, frustration and finally dropping out from schools.The study made conclusion that, parents and their female students have little or no interest in schooling. It appears that, they have little understanding about the significance of putting investment in education to female.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATION ii
COPYRIGHT iii
DECLARATION iv
DEDICATION v
AKNOWLEDGEMENT vi
ABSTRACT vii
LIST OF TABLES xiii
FIGURE xiv
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS xv
CHAPTER ONE 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 General Introduction 1
1.2 Background to the Problem 1
1.3 Statement of the Problem 2
1.4 The Purpose of the Study 3
1.5 General Objective of the Study 3
1.6 Specific Objectives of the Study. 3
1.7 Research Questions: 3
1.8 The Significance of the Study 4
1.9 Conceptual Framework of the Study 4
1.10 Limitations of the Study 6
1.11 Delimitations of the Study 6
1.12 Definitions of key Terms 7
1.13 Research Gap in Literature Review 8
CHAPTERT WO 9
2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9
2.1 Introduction 9
2.2 Quality of Education 9
2.3 Why Emphasis on Quality Secondary Education Provision? 10
2.4 Challenges and Opportunities Concerning Provision of Quality Secondary Education for Girls 13
2.5 Why Boys are favoured with Better Education than Girls? 15
2.6 Global Intervention on the Right to Education 16
2.7 Socio-Cultural Values and Provision of Quality Secondary Education. 17
2.7.1 Preference to Educate Sons (boys) and Quality Secondary Education Provision 17
2.7.2 Societal Attitudes towards Quality Education Provision for both Girls and Boys 18
2.7.3 Parents Educational Status and Quality Education Provision 18
2.7.4 Cultural and Religious Beliefs and Quality Education 19
2.7.5 Synthesis 20
CHAPTER THREE 21
3.0 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 21
3.1 Introduction 21
3.2 Research Approach 21
3.3 Research Design 21
3.4 Area of Study 22
3.5 Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques 22
3.5.1 Target Population 22
3.5.2 Sample and Sampling Techniques 22
3.5.3 Sample Schools 23
3.5.4 Secondary School Students Sample 23
3.5.5 Parents of Secondary School Students Sample 23
3.5.6 Teachers of Secondary School Sample 24
3.5.7 Headmasters / Mistresses 24
3.5.8 Statistics and Logistics Officer 24
3.5.9 Sample Size 25
3.5.10 Data Collection Instruments 25
3.5.11 Questionnaires 26
3.5.12 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) 26
3.5.13 Documentary Review 27
3.5.14 Reliability and Validity of Research Instrument (Pilot Testing) 27
3.5.15 Data Analysis Techniques 28
3.5.16 Ethical Considerations 28
3.5.17 Summary 29
CHAPTER FOUR 30
4.0. DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 30
4.1 Introduction 30
4.2 Community Perceptions on the Provision of Quality Secondary Education to Female Students’ 30
4.2.1 Community Perceptions from Female Parents of Secondary School Students 31
4.2.2 Perceptions from Male Parents on the Provision of Quality Secondary School Education to Girl Students 32
4.2.3 Perceptions from Secondary School Teachers and Heads of Schools on the Provision of Quality Secondary Education for Female Students 34
4.2.4 Perceptions from Female Secondary School Students on the Provision of Quality Education 35
4.2.5 The Influence of Polygamous Marriages on the Provision of Quality Secondary School to Female Students 36
4.2.6 The Influence of Initiation Ceremonies (Rites of Passage) on the Provi sion of Quality Secondary School Education for Female Students 43
4.2.7 Girl Students who did not Complete their Final Form Four Studies 44
4.2.8 Girl Students who got Pregnancies before Completing School: 52
4.2.9 The Influence of Early Marriages to Girl Students on the Provision of Quality Secondary School Education. 55
4.2.10 Academic Achievement and the Provision of Quality Secondary School Education for Female Students 60
4.2.11 Strategies for Provision of Quality Secondary School Education to Female Students in Masasi District 61
4.2.12 Summary 65
CHAPTER FIVE 66
5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 66
5.1 Summary of the Study Findings 66
5.2 Conclusion 68
5.3 Recommendations 69
5.4 Recommendations for Administrative Action. 69
5.5 Recommendations for further Research 71
REFERENCES 73
APPENDICES 77
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: Responses from Community Perceptions 36
Table 4.2: Responses from Polygamous Marriages on the Provision of Quality 37
Table 4.3: Summaries of the Responses Collected from Girl Secondary 44
Table 4.4: Low Completion rates for Female Students due to Pregnancies 52
Table 4.5: Responses obtained from Female Students about Pregnancies 53
Table 4.6. Responses Concerning Early Marriages for Female Students 55
FIGURE
Figure 1.1: Conceptual frame work of the Study...... 5
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
URT United Republic of Tanzania
SSA Sub- Sahara Africa
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
SIDA Swedish International Development Agency
MDGs The Millennium Development Goals
PEDP Primary Education Development Plan
EFA Education for All
FDG Focus Discussion Group
UPE Universal Primary Education
SEDP Secondary Education Development Plan
SEMP Secondary Education Master Plan
GCE Global Campaign for Education.
FAWE Forum for African Women Educationalists
CBOs Community Based Organizations
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination.
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean.
UNGEI United Nation Girls Education Initiative.
ESR Education for self-Reliance
FEMSA Female Education in Mathematics and Science in Africa.
BEDC Basic Education Development Committee
COBET Complementary Basic Education and Training.
TADREG Tanzania Development Research Group
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Introduction
This chapter presents introductory information about the efforts made by Tanzania in the provision of quality Secondary Education. The chapter covers background to the problem, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, research questions, and significance of the study, limitations and delimitations of the study as well as the conceptual frame work.
1.2 Background to the Problem
The Tanzania Government has shown a serious commitment on improving the quality of Secondary Education as indicated by the launching of SEDP in 2005. Phase one of SEDP has shown significant achievements in improving the teaching and learning environment for Secondary Education. There were tremendous efforts in the construction of classrooms, teacher offices and houses, toilets facilities and the general rehabilitation of some of the school buildings. Despite Government Commitment to improving the provision of quality secondary education, efforts have largely been hindered/ affected by some socio-cultural values in providing secondary education to female students. The evidence provided by UNESCO (2005) shows various challenges regarding the investment in girls’ education worldwide, ranging from those related to the ‘demand’ for education to those related to ‘supply’. On the demand side there are domestic responsibilities, which force girls to drop out of school earlier than boys. These challenges are linked to high costs of girls’ education, in that girls perform a vast array of unpaid domestic tasks, to the social norms that discourage female autonomy and hence education and to practices such as early marriages, dowries, taboos, and those harmful to sexual maturation. The study therefore, intends to investigate the way socio- cultural values have affected the provision of quality secondary education to female students using Masasi as a case study.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
Data from the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC), indicates that up to 2004 only nine per cent (9%) of labour force in our country had received education beyond the primary school level, hence the average of education level of labour force is below to what is required to generate a sustainable upward shift in economic productivity in the country (MOEC, 2004). Increasingly, lower education is seen as one of the major constraints to the nation’s prosperity in all spheres of life. Evidence suggests that, secondary education will increase the chances for people’s wellbeing in different perspectives. Since independence in 1961, the government of Tanzania has passed various programmes in favour of female schooling.Therefore, by so doing the government of Tanzania is trying to make sure that education is imparted to more people and for all sexes, both females and men. Unfortunately, many of these programmes have not been able to address the problem of dropout of girls as they are associated with socio-cultural barriers. Masasi district as the rest of the districts in Mtwara region is characterised by the socio cultural problems for the female students. Socio- cultural values including polygamous marriages and rites of passage hamper the attainment of quality secondary education for female students. This study intends to identify socio-cultural values and how they can be addressed so as to have quality secondary education for female students in Masasi district.
1.4 The Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to investigate the way socio-cultural values in Masasi have affected the provision of quality secondary education to female students.
1.5 General Objective of the Study
The overall objective of this study was to examine the influence of socio- cultural values on the provision of quality secondary school education to girls in Masasi.
1.6 Specific Objectives of the Study.
i). To examine the community perception on provision of quality education to female students in Masasi district.
ii). To examine the influence of polygamous marriages on secondary education for female students in Masasi district.
iii). To examine the influence of Rites of passage on provision of quality secondary school education for female students in Masasi district.
iv). To assess the strategies for provision of secondary education to female students in Masasi district.
1.7 Research Questions:
· What is the community perception on provision of quality education to female students in Masasi district?
· How does polygamous practice influence the provision of quality secondary school education for female students in Masasi district?
· How do rites of passage influence the provision of quality secondary school education for female students in Masasi district?