Grace Kihombo Final Report MDP

ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO GIRLS’ SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ON FORM FOUR NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS IN

MBEYA REGION, TANZANIA
FIELD PRACTICUM REPORT
By
GRACE ALOYCE KIHOMBO
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
DR. SUSAN PAULSON CHAIR
DR. ANDREW NOSS MEMBER
MASTER OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
FALL, 2017
© 2017 GRACE ALOYCE KIHOMBO
DEDICATION
To My Family
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Primarily I am grateful to our Lord God for his blessings and grace. Indeed, God
has been good through all the period of my studies. Also, I would like to thank the
Salvation Army organization’s team (Mr. & Mrs. Horwood and Mr. Mkami) for accepting
me to conduct the study. My deepest thanks to the whole team of Itundu secondary
school for arranging my accommodation. I would like to thank my committee members
Dr. Susan Paulson and Dr. Andrew Noss for agreeing to supervise my work and for
their valuable inputs in the whole process of developing the proposal and finally the
report. I would also like to thank Dr. Glenn Galloway for the constructive support in
developing the proposal of this report through the Sustainable Development Design and
Methods Course. In addition, my special thanks to Dr. Charles Bwenge, my Graduate
Teaching Assistant director in African Languages, for being helpful and supportive in
making my learning and teaching environment smooth. Finally, my sincere thanks to my
lovely husband Dr. Newton Kilasi, and my daughters Angel and Alice for their valuable
support and understanding. Thanks to everyone who participated in one way or another
in the whole process of developing this report.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... 3
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... 4
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. 7
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... 8
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 9
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ......................................................................................... 10
1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 11

1.2 Statement of the issue ....................................................................................... 14
1.3. Researcher experience and interest in the study.............................................. 15
(i) Experience as a female student .................................................................... 15
(ii) Experience as a female teacher ................................................................... 16
1.4 General objective. .............................................................................................. 16
1.5 Significance of the study .................................................................................... 17
1.6 Scope and context of the study.......................................................................... 18
1.7 Host organization ............................................................................................... 20
1.8 Conceptual Framework ...................................................................................... 20
Inputs ................................................................................................................. 21
Process ............................................................................................................. 21
Outputs .............................................................................................................. 21
Outcomes .......................................................................................................... 22
1.9 Organization of the study ................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER TWO: Factors affecting school attendance and academic performance in

Tanzania .................................................................................................................. 24
2.1. Household poverty ............................................................................................ 26

2.2. Long distance to school .................................................................................... 26
2.3 Pregnancy .......................................................................................................... 27
2.4 Cultural practices ............................................................................................... 28
2.5 Cell phones and consumer desires.................................................................... 29
2.6 Lack of role models ............................................................................................ 29
2.7 School infrastructure and staffing ...................................................................... 29
2.8 Problem tree analysis ........................................................................................ 32
2.9 Ways to improve school attendance and performance ...................................... 34
Abolition of school fees in Primary and Secondary education .......................... 34
Building secondary schools in each ward ......................................................... 34
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CHAPTER THREE: Methods ......................................................................................... 36
3.1 Scope of the study ....................................................................................... 36

3.2 Research design ......................................................................................... 36
3.3 Sampling ..................................................................................................... 37
3.4 Data collection methods and instruments. .................................................. 38
3.5 Ethical considerations. ................................................................................ 39
CHAPTER FOUR: Results and discusion. ..................................................................... 41
4.1 Comparison of school attendance and academic performance among

girls and boys ................................................................................................. 41
4.2 Factors affecting school attendance and academic performance among
girls ................................................................................................................. 43
Institutional or national factors .................................................................... 44
School factors ............................................................................................. 47
Family factors.............................................................................................. 49
Students’ individual factors. ........................................................................ 52
4.3. What can be done to improve girls’ academic performance and school
attendance? ................................................................................................... 54
Institutional or national factors. ................................................................... 54
School factors ............................................................................................. 57
Family factors.............................................................................................. 58
Students’ individual factors ......................................................................... 60
4.4. Which stakeholders can improve girls’ school attendance and
academic performance? ................................................................................. 61
CHAPTER FIVE: Conclusions and recommendations ................................................... 64
5.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 64

Areas for further research ........................................................................... 67
5.2 Recommendations ...................................................................................... 67
Institutional or national recommendations .................................................. 67
School recommendations ........................................................................... 68
Family recommendations ............................................................................ 69
Students’ individual recommendations ....................................................... 69
References ..................................................................................................................... 70
Appendix 1: Interview Questions for Students ............................................................... 74
Appendix 2: Interview Questions for Teachers. .............................................................. 75
Appendix 3: Interview Questions for Parents ................................................................. 77
Appendix 4: Focus group discussion questions for students, teachers and parents...... 78
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
Table 1. Barriers to education and the gender dimension in developing countries ........ 25
Table 2. Number of secondary students in 2016............................................................ 32
Table 3. Sample of respondents .................................................................................... 37
Table 4. Focus group participation ................................................................................. 39
Table 5. School attendance and dropout rates .............................................................. 42
Table 6. School performance ......................................................................................... 43
Table 7. Institutional or national factors affecting girls’ school attendance and

academic performance ........................................................................................ 45
Table 8. Students’ residences ........................................................................................ 46
Table 9. School factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic

performance ........................................................................................................ 48
Table 10. Family factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic
performance ........................................................................................................ 49
Table 11. Students’ eating habits during school hours................................................... 50
Table 12. Students’ individual factors affecting girls’ school attendance and
Table 13. Institutional or national factors to improve girls’ school attendance and
Table 14. Students’ distances from and to schools ........................................................ 56
Table 15. School factors to improve school attendance and academic performance
among girls .......................................................................................................... 58
Table 16. Family factors to improve school attendance and academic performance
among girls .......................................................................................................... 59
Table 17. Students’ individual factors to improve girls’ school attendance and
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
Figure 1. Tertiary enrolment ratio of females to males ................................................... 11
Figure 2. Primary school enrolment 2012 – 2016 .......................................................... 12
Figure 3. A pathway for empowered girls from childhood to adulthood ......................... 18
Figure 4. Tanzania and Mbeya region ............................................................................ 19
Figure 5. Conceptual framework .................................................................................... 22
Figure 6. Number of girls who drop out from secondary school due to pregnancy in
Tanzania, by region ............................................................................................. 28
Figure 7. Education budget distribution .......................................................................... 31
Figure 8. Problem tree analysis. ..................................................................................... 33
Figure 9. Students’ responses on availability of school resources. ................................ 46
Figure 10. Factors affecting school attendance and perfomance. ................................. 54
Figure 11. Stakeholders who may improve girls’ school attendance and academic
performance. ....................................................................................................... 63
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ABSTRACT
The focus of this study was to identify factors affecting school attendance and
academic performance among girls in secondary school, especially on Form Four
national examinations, together with factors that lead to improved school attendance
and academic performance among girls. The four main objectives of the study were to
determine: 1) how do attendance and performance compare between girls and boys; 2)
the factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic performance; 3) what can be
done to improve school attendance and academic performance among girls; and 4)
which stakeholders can play a role in order to improve school attendance and academic
performance? Six secondary schools in Mbeya rural district were examined. The study
included 98 respondents: 71 students, 20 teachers and 7 parents. The data were
collected from school records, questionnaires and focus group discussions.
Government and non-governmental reports and documents, together with other
literature, were consulted within and beyond Tanzania. The respondents from
questionnaire and focus group participants mentioned many factors that affect school
attendance and academic performance among girls, such as pregnancies, long
distances from schools, cultural practices and family poverty. They also mentioned
factors that can support better attendance and academic performance, such as building
a hostel for girls, as well as cooperation and education among between teachers,
students and parents. Stakeholders highlighted as key to overcome the challenges the
complementary roles of students, teachers, parents and the government.
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The provision of education for all children, specifically in secondary schools, has
been a focus of many Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (Thomas
and Rugambwa, 2011). However, there are gender specific challenges in attendance
and in academic performance on final secondary education examinations around the
world. As a result, some countries show an equitable balance in secondary education
achievement and others face difficulties in meeting educational objectives either for
boys or for girls. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is among the few regions with comparatively
low attendance and poor academic performance of girls in final secondary education
examinations compared to boys (Lugayila, 2014). For instance, The Economist (2015)
highlighted the successful trend of girls’ enrolment in tertiary schools across different
regions of the world since 1970. However, contrary to all other regions, in Sub-Saharan
Africa girls’ enrolment in tertiary school compared to boys has decreased since 2000
(Figure 1). In this sense, Tanzania characterizes many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
in which low attendance and poor academic performance among girls in education,
specifically at the secondary level, has been a great obstacle. This was one of the
serious challenges for the Tanzanian government in attaining the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), especially goal number three, “To promote gender
equality and empower women” (Ellis, 2007). Several organizations including Action Aid,
Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) Tanzania and Salvation Army are working
in Tanzania to promote girls’ education in order to close the gap between girls and boys
and improve girls’ school attendance and academic performance in secondary
education.
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Figure 1. Tertiary enrolment ratio of females to males (The Economist, 2015).
1.1 Background
The overall objectives of public education in Tanzania are to equip students with
academic and vocational skills, morals and ethics. However, these objectives have not
been achieved equitably for all young people, due to variation in school attendance and
academic performance at both primary and secondary levels.
In Tanzania, the education system includes pre-primary, primary, secondary and
higher learning education (Shel, 2007). At the primary education level there are equal
opportunities for education, and only small gaps in attendance and academic
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performance in which girls outperform boys, thus leading to an increase in the number
of girls enrolling in ordinary secondary education (MOEVT, 2016).
The positive achievement has been made possible by the government of
Tanzania abolishing school fees and making primary education mandatory for children
from 7 to 14 years old, through the Primary Education Development Program
(PEDP) (Okkolin et al., 2010). These measures brought about an increase of 43.1% in
enrolment of pupils in primary education from 2002 to 2006. The current primary school
enrolment rates are about 69% in 2016 (MOEVT, 2016) (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Primary school enrolment 2012 – 2016 (MOEVT, 2016).
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However, accessibility, attendance and academic performance of boys and girls
in secondary education has not been equitable. Although boys and girls are very close
in attendance rates and completion of primary and secondary school, there are two
specific areas where girls underperform boys. The first is the attendance rate for
students in Form Four, and the second is exam performance on the Form Four National
Examination, leading directly to attendance rates in advanced level secondary school.
In terms of academic performance in national examinations, there is a notable gap, and
boys have better performance on exams compared to girls. MOEVT (2016) highlighted
the academic performance on the Form Four national examination from 2014-2015 in
nine subjects: civics, kiSwahili, English language, history, biology, geography, basic
mathematics, physics and chemistry. The results revealed better performance among
boys in almost all subjects except in kiSwahili where girls performed better than boys. In
addition, on Tanzania’s Form Two national examination conducted in 2011, across
4,187 centers with 418,974 candidates, only 45.4% of the candidates passed the
examination: 77,388 girls and 112,871 boys (Lugayila, 2014).
In terms of attendance, there are also notable gap between girls and boys. In
2007, 235,537 boys and 212,909 girls enrolled in Form One. Of these, the students who
sat for the Form Four national exam in 2011 constituted only 80.7% of enrolled boys
and 60.4% of enrolled girls (Kalinga, 2013). Boys outnumber girls in attendance and
completion of advanced level secondary schools. For example in 2006, at ordinary level
secondary schools, about 47.5% of those enrolled were girls compared to 52.7% boys,
while at advanced level secondary schools, girls’ enrolment dropped to 40.5%, and to
32.5% at the public university level (UNICEF, 2010). In 2009/2010, girls comprised
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40.5% of students enrolled in private universities, compared to 33.3% in public
universities (UNICEF, 2010).
The attendance and academic performance gap in secondary school between
girls and boys affects female enrolment in higher education (Okkolin et al., 2010). The
inability of many girls to complete secondary education creates challenges for young
women and for Tanzanian development. Many girls who drop out and fail secondary
schools move to urban areas where they work as babysitters or maids. In these
positions they are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, even leading to prostitution,
which increases their vulnerability to diseases such as HIV/AIDS (Dungumaro, 2013). A
lower proportion of girls and women who pursue higher education, which increases their
ability to maintain good health and who find good employment, lowers the population’s
net capacity to contribute to social and economic development of the society.
1.2 Statement of the issue
In Tanzania, there are serious challenges to fulfilling educational commitments
and goals, thereby jeopardizing future opportunities for both boys and girls. This study
focuses on specific factors that affect girls. Low school attendance and poor academic
performance in education is a serious problem for girls and boys in many areas of
Tanzania. For example in Chunya district, Mbeya region, 487 boys and 591 girls were
enrolled in Form One in 2006. Only 377 boys (77%) and 294 girls (50%) succeeded in
completing Form Four in 2009 (Kalinga, 2013). The situation is particularly serious for
Form Four students in Mbeya rural district. According to MOEVT (2017) a total of 4098
candidates sat for Form Four national exams in 2016 in Mbeya rural district, and only
2893 (71%) passed the exams compared to Form Two national exams in which a total
of 3733 candidates sat for exams and 3467 passed the exams (93%).
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Girls who drop out of school face gender-specific challenges, increasing their
vulnerability to sexual assault, unwanted pregnancies, and marriage practices that
expose them to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. These same factors also can cause girls to
drop, for example pregnancy, cultural practices, as well as long distances to school. In
contrast, boys drop out to engage in activities such as mining extraction, motorcycle
(bodaboda) transport services, and plantation labor.
1.3. Researcher experience and interest in the study
(i) Experience as a female student
My name is Grace Aloyce Kihombo, I am a Tanzanian woman. My life began in
rural Njombe, Tanzania, where social services are scarce and where most women are
the center of life in terms of taking care of children and carrying out the main agricultural
activities. My early understanding that women could benefit from development support
drove me to work hard in school hoping that one day I would become an agent of
change in my own community and country. I began the journey of school at Itulahumba
primary school for seven years, and I was the only girl among 4 pupils from 84 who
were selected to continue with government secondary school.
I joined Wanike Secondary School located in Njombe region in January 2000. I
was so happy and excited to join secondary school because during that time it was very
rare for girls to pass and qualify for secondary education especially in rural areas. One
of the major issues was the practice of involving girls in household activities and
discouraging them from concentrating on education. Such issues in evidence in the
surrounding community drove my hunger to work extremely hard at the secondary
school level. I competed with boys with the goal of gaining a better education that would
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enable me to improve opportunities for my life and family. In 2003, I was successful
when I passed the Form Four national examinations. I was the only female among 38 in
my class to be selected to join the government Advanced (Forms Five and Six)
Secondary school. I attended the Songea girls high school where teachers were very
good and supportive, and highly motivated for their students to succeed. It is during this
time that I decided my future would be in education so that I could help other girls. After
two years of study, I sat for the Advanced National Examination which I passed with
scores good enough to join any Tanzanian University program for a Bachelor’s degree. I
decided to earn the diploma in Education for two years, from September 2006 to
February 2008, at Morogoro teachers’ college.
(ii) Experience as a female teacher
After earning my diploma, I was employed by the government of Tanzania as a
teacher in April 2008. Serving as a teacher for more than 5 years, I have observed and
experienced several barriers to girls’ education. Therefore, I decided to conduct my field
practicum to study the factors affecting girls’ and boys’ school attendance and academic
performance. I also sought to collect opinions from parents, students and teachers on
challenges to girls’ education; as well as suggestions for improving the situation in order
to apply them in my career through teaching students and through collaboration with
teachers, parents and other government representatives. One thing that was interesting
in my current field study was to see the growing number of girls enrolled, much higher
when compared to previous years, but continued challenges for girls in Form Four.
1.4 General objective.
The general objective of the study was to identify the factors that affect female
school attendance and academic performance, especially on the Form Four national
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examination in Mbeya rural district, as well as measures and stakeholders that might
improve the current conditions. The following four research questions guided the study.
1. How do girls compare to boys in attendance and academic performance on
Form Four national examinations in selected schools in Mbeya rural district?
2. What factors contribute to attendance and performance among girls compared
to boys?
3. What can be done to improve school attendance and performance of girls on
Form Four national examinations?
4. What stakeholders can contribute to improve girls’ school attendance and
academic performance?
1.5 Significance of the study
The current study generates recommendations and suggestions which will be
key in providing equal access for both girls and boys to education, hence improving
girls’ school attendance and academic performance for the benefit of girls themselves,
their parents and the nation. The study is important because educated women have
positive impacts on Tanzania’s development (Figure 3), and because uneducated
women, as a group, are more easily marginalized by employers, government, social
systems, and national and international organizations.
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Figure 3. A pathway for empowered girls from childhood to adulthood (Linklaters, 2010).
The study provides suggestions specifically to the Ministry of Education and
Vocational Training (MoEVT) and to other education stakeholders such as the Salvation
Army in Tanzania on suitable interventions that enhance girls’ retention in secondary
school. In addition, the study provides valuable information about girls’ school
attendance and academic performance gathered from students, parents and teachers.
Finally, the information collected and presented here will be used to guide further
research.
1.6 Scope and context of the study
This study was conducted in six secondary schools (Itundu, Mpesu, Santilya,
Mwakipesile, Isuto and Ilembo) in Mbeya rural district. Mbeya rural district is among the
eight districts in Mbeya region of Tanzania bordered by Mbalali and Chunya districts in
the north, Mbeya urban and Rungwe districts in the south, Rungwe district in the east
18
and Iringa region in the west. The district is located in the southern highlands of
Tanzania, between latitudes 7o and 9o South and between longitudes 33o and 34o East
(Shitundu and Luvanga, 1998). The district has an area of about 2432 square
kilometers and a population of approximately 310,000 people. Tropical savanna and
wooded grassland are the main vegetation types found in Mbeya rural district (Figure 4).
The district has average temperatures that range between 12oC and 30oC, and average
annual rainfall between 650 mm and 2700 mm. The economic activities of the people in
Mbeya rural district include livestock keeping, agriculture, mining and forestry as the
main sources of income. However, agriculture is the main activity, which contributes
more than 85% of the district’s domestic product (Namwata et al., 2010; Exavery et al.,
2012).
Figure 4. Tanzania and Mbeya region (Amritzer, 2014).
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The major limitation that the researcher faced was inadequate funding to travel
from one place to another to collect data from respondents, since there was no public
transport available.
1.7 Host organization
Salvation Army is a Christian organization that began its work in Tabora,
Tanzania, in 1933 (Merritt, 2006). Its mission includes preaching the word of God and
meeting human needs without discrimination. The Salvation Army organization supports
orphans and vulnerable children and their families impacted by HIV/AIDS through the
Mama Mkubwa (Big Mother) program by providing psychosocial support which includes
guidance, counseling, and school uniforms and fees. Currently the organization runs
two schools and aims to increase attendance in education and enhance performance
among Tanzanian children. The first school is Matumaini residential primary school
located in Dar es Salaam for children with disabilities and albinism, and the second is
an ordinary level school, Itundu secondary, located at Ilembo in Mbeya region (Winter
2006). An ordinary level secondary school comprises Form One to Form Four.
Salvation Army asked me specifically to identify what constraints girls face in terms of
school attendance and performance so that they can be addressed in order to prepare
girls for high level secondary school, Forms Five and Six, that provide access to
universities.
1.8 Conceptual Framework
This study was conceptualized within a framework designed to understand how
different factors contribute to girls’ school attendance and academic performance. The
20
framework brings together four factors, namely inputs, process, output and outcome
(Figure 5).
Inputs
In order to improve attendance and academic performance among girls in
secondary schools it is important to understand the input factors that contribute to their
academic performance and school attendance. Government capital and family
economic status are some of the inputs that affect girls’ school attendance and
performance. Education and training policies are fundamental inputs that should be
considered before establishing an intervention for overcoming poor attendance and
academic performance among girls in secondary schools. If policies for education and
training are not academic-friendly, it will be difficult for any intervention to generate
positive impacts.
Process
The process includes teaching and learning. Therefore, in order to improve
school attendance and academic performance among girls on the Form Four
examination there must be motivation among teachers and students, as well as an
environment conducive to learning which includes sufficient classrooms, books,
laboratories, dormitories and libraries.
Outputs
These are the products of inputs and process. For the purpose of this study,
Form Four national examination results are the products—or outputs—of government
policies, training policies, family economic status, and the learning and teaching
process.
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Outcomes
The key outcomes assessed in this study are the rate of girls’ school attendance
and academic performance on national examinations, rates that are conceptualized as
the product of input, process and output. School attendance and academic performance
depend on the qualities of inputs, process and outputs.
Figure 5. Conceptual framework (modified from Nyalusi, 2013).
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1.9 Organization of the study
This report has five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the
study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, significance
of the study, limitations of the study, conceptual framework and organization of the
study. The second chapter discusses factors affecting school attendance and academic
performance among girls in Tanzania and other areas in the world. The third chapter
presents detailed research methods that were applied during the study. The fourth
chapter presents the findings of the study and a discussion of these findings. The fifth
chapter presents conclusion and recommendations. The bibliography presents
references for further information on the subject matter, and the appendices include the
instruments used for data collection.
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CHAPTER TWO: FACTORS AFFECTING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is among the few regions of the world with
comparatively low school attendance and poor academic performance of girls in final
secondary education examinations compared to boys (Lugayila, 2014). Tanzania is one
country in SSA where girls face particular challenges resulting in low school attendance
and poor academic performance on the Form Four national exam. Many girls after
dropping out or failing Form Four exams move to urban areas where they work as
babysitters, maids or sex workers. In these positions they are vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation, which increases their vulnerability to diseases such as HIV/AIDS (Lugalla,
2003). If the girls return home, they sometimes transmit these diseases to others,
leading to a major problem in the region and country as a whole (Dungumaro, 2013).
A study by UNICEF (1999) on gender dimensions of educational barriers in
Bangladesh and Botswana found that, in the late 20th century in those countries, girls
were educationally disadvantaged compared to boys. Barriers to equality in education
identified in the study include household poverty, inequality in household gender roles,
discriminatory cultural practices, inadequate educational infrastructure, inadequate legal
framework and lack of enforcement of laws (Table 1). Several of these factors also
affect school attendance and academic performance in Form Four national
examinations among young girls in Tanzania.
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Table 1. Barriers to education and the gender dimension in developing countries
(UNICEF, 1999).
25
2.1 Household poverty
In many areas of Tanzania there are greater obligations for girls to perform
domestic chores at home than for boys (Machimu and Minde, 2010). Most girls are
expected to carry out work in domestic households and agriculture, while their parents
themselves often work far from home in order to sustain the family. Most families will
expect boys to watch over animals during the day, and when the animals come home
boys will be sitting in the dining room or studying while waiting for food. But due to their
domestic responsibilities, girls may not be able to attend school regularly thus leading to
poor academic performance on national exams.
2.2 Long distance to school
Long distance walks from home to school cause many girls to miss classes or
entire school days, and to drop out of school, thus leading to low school attendance and
26
poor performance on Form Four national exams (Okkolin et al., 2010). In most rural
areas, each ward has approximately 10 villages, but only one secondary school to serve
members from all these villages, and the majority of these schools are day schools,
where students are required to walk long distances each day to and from school. In
such an environment girls fall into temptations by non-school males and school boys as
they make their way to and from school. Exposure to sexual violence is a greater risk for
girls commuting longer distances (Mbelwa and Isangula, 2012).
2.3 Pregnancy
Pregnancy among secondary school girls is another big challenge for attendance
and academic performance in secondary education. According to the Global Campaign
for Education (GCE, 2012), about 25,000 girls in Tanzania left school between 2007
and 2009 due to pregnancies alone, contributing to the significant gap between males
and females completing secondary school, and thus affecting females enrolling in
higher education institutions. Uromi (2014) reported more than 8,000 girls dropping out
each year due to pregnancies alone. A report by UNICEF (2010) indicated that Mbeya
region is the 1st out of 23 with respect to dropout rates of girls from secondary school
due to pregnancy alone in 2010 (Figure 6). In most schools, once girls are known to be
pregnant, they are expelled. Only a few of these girls return to school later to continue
with their education, because the parents need to find a new school and most private
schools are expensive. Therefore, many girls stay home after their pregnancies and
take care of their babies, or leave their children with their parents and move to towns
where many are exposed to a dangerous environment and engage in illegal activities.
27
Figure 6. Number of girls who drop out from secondary school due to pregnancy in
Tanzania, by region (UNICEF, 2010).
2.4 Cultural practices
In addition to pregnancies affecting unmarried girls, early marriages and cultural
practices contribute to low attendance and academic performance among girls in
secondary school (UNESCO, 2012). In some societies in Tanzania, traditional norms
and religions encourage girls to drop out from school and get married because there is
an expectation that girls need to be married at a certain age. Some cultural practices
such as genital mutilation require girls to stay out of school temporarily or permanently
(Unterhalter and Heslop, 2011). These practices lead some parents to pull girls out of
school as soon as they reach maturity in order to prepare them for marriage.
28
2.5 Cell phones and consumer desires
Another issue that has been raised by some authors is the concern that, with
advances in telecommunication technology, girls who own cell phones are distracted
and cannot concentrate on schoolwork (Mbelwa and Isangula, 2012). Money and goods
they receive from men, such as expensive telephones, tempt girls lacking in maturity.
Desires for expensive and modern materials, which include perfumes and clothes,
accelerate the involvement of some school girls in sexual activities with wealthy as well
as older males. If they risk unsafe sex and have unplanned pregnancies, they are more
likely to reduce school attendance, academic performance, and even to drop out from
school (Mbelwa and Isangula, 2012).
2.6 Lack of role models
The lack of diverse role models for girls is another challenge to attendance and
academic performance of girls in secondary schools. Haki Elimu (2014) highlighted the
inadequate number of female teachers—only 34.5% of female teachers compared to
65.5% of male teachers around the nation. And most female teachers preferred to work
in urban areas rather than rural areas. In most rural areas there are few positive female
role models in academic fields such as female teachers. Most female role models in
rural areas are conducting simple jobs such as selling in the market, cooking and
serving food. This contributes to many school girls believing that even without formal
education women can earn money, and encourages some girls to drop out from school
and join such activities.
2.7 School infrastructure and staffing
School infrastructure is another challenge contributing to low school attendance
and poor academic performance among girls in secondary schools. Most schools have
29
few or no books, classrooms, toilets, laboratories, water and libraries (Sumra and
Katabaro, 2014). For example in 2013 in Mbeya rural district the secondary enrolment
was about 156,584, but the district had only 4,976 latrines, or one latrine for every 30
students (MOEVT, 2014). This situation is exacerbated by the insufficient government
budget for education. The abolition of school fees in primary school and secondary
school has led to increased enrolment in secondary school—from 24.4% in 2008 to
36.6% in 2012 (Haki Elimu, 2014). But the increase in enrolment is not matched with an
adequate supply of teaching and learning facilities. This has led to a decline in
secondary academic performance (Sumra and Rajani, 2006). According to Ministry of
Education and Vocation Training (MOEVT), the Form Four national exam pass rate was
57.1% in 2013 compared to 91.5% in 2004 (MOEVT, 2014). In most cases, the schools
depend on capital from government. The insufficient budget leads to unconducive
educational infrastructure that contributes to low school attendance and poor academic
performance among girls. For example, the government budget for 2012/2013 was
1,888,248,989 Tanzanian shillings (about USD 900,000) with 17.4% of the budget for
education. The education budget was distributed across four levels with only 7.6%
allocated to secondary education (Figure 7). According to the Ministry of Finance
(2011), the secondary school enrolment increased from 1,566,685 in 2009/2010 to
1,711,109 in 2010/2011. The budget is not sufficient for the number of youth in a
country with a population of about 50 million people and where 47% of the population is
under 15 years old (Wijeyesekera, 2011).
30
Figure 7. Education budget distribution (MoEVT, 2014).
Increases in student enrolment have not been matched by increases in teachers
to serve the large numbers of students. Mafuru (2011) found that, in Mvomero district in
Morogoro region, the need of secondary school teachers in 2008 was estimated to be
542 teachers, however only 117 teachers were employed.
At the national level (MOEVT, 2016); girls’ enrolment was higher than boys’ in
government schools in Forms I-IV but lower in Forms V-VI (Table 2). However, few girls
continued to Form Five and Six because they dropped out by the end of Form Four, or
failed the Form Four national exam. However, the performance of girls in non-
government schools is better and the number of girls who joined Form Five was higher
compared to boys. This is due to the good management and teaching in non-
government schools where teachers and students are motivated and the school
infrastructures are well maintained and academic-friendly.
31
Table 2. Number of secondary students in 2016 (MOEVT, 2016).
Type of Forms Girls Boys Total Male Female Total

school Teacher teacher
Government I-IV 693,756 683,293 1,377,049 55,446 34,108 89,554

school
V-VI 34,230 58,310 92540
Non- I-IV 157,070 141,474 298,544 15,277 3,765 19,042

Government
schools
V-VI 22,819 16,003 38,822
2.8 Problem tree analysis
Figure 8 below is derived from the literature on underlying factors regarding the
attendance and performance of girls in secondary schools. The main underlying factors
that have been indicated by many authors include inadequate education policies and
insufficient government capital. The quality of education depends on adequate
education policies and sufficient government capital. If these factors (roots) are weak,
they will give rise to weak stems manifested here as unskilled teachers, insufficient
infrastructure and low motivation among teachers and students. As these premature
stems continue to grow, they give rise to the problems of low attendance and poor
performance among girls in secondary schools, here the stem of the problem.
Unplanned pregnancies and early marriages, rural-urban migration among girls and an
increase of illiterate women are the branches of the problem. Limited participation of
women in civil and political life, girls’ engaging in illegal activities and vulnerability to
dangerous diseases such as HIV/AIDS after being in urban areas, insufficient examples
32
of qualified women to serve as role models, and reduced number of women contributing
to society are the fruits of the problem.
Figure 8. Problem tree analysis.
33
2.9 Ways to improve school attendance and performance
Achieving better secondary school attendance and higher performance among
girls on Form Four national examinations are among the challenges facing the
Tanzanian government. The government of Tanzania has implemented two key
strategies in order to improve attendance and performance in education, especially for
girls at different levels: eliminating school fees and building more schools.
Abolition of school fees in Primary and Secondary education
DFID (2006) reports that the Tanzanian government successfully closed the
gender gap in primary education, with enrolment by girls rising from 49% to 91% of
school-age girls in 2005. This increase is explained by several factors: the abolition of
school fees, which took place in 2001; making primary education mandatory; crash
programs for training more teachers; and sensitization of parents to understanding why
it is important to educate girls. This strategy has enabled more Tanzanians, including
girls, to access primary education (DFID, 2006). This has enabled most girls to become
literate, including the ability to read, write and speak in the Swahili language. In 2016,
the government of Tanzania abolished school fees in secondary schools, thereby
addressing the problem of poverty as an obstacle for many girls and boys to access
secondary education (Kapinga, 2016). However, failing to learn from the increased
enrolment in primary school, the government again has not responded sufficiently to
additional infrastructure needs and the training of an adequate number of personnel to
manage and deliver educational programs.
Building secondary schools in each ward
The government of Tanzania implemented another strategy to increase
attendance and improve performance among girls in secondary school by building
34
secondary schools in each ward in 2008 (Mafuru, 2011). Consequently, more students
are able to access secondary education. The presence of schools closer to home
certainly reduced problems for some girls who risked distraction or assault on the way
to and from school. The increase in the number of schools could lead to even better
effects with the addition of other kinds of infrastructural innovation, which would
enhance retention of girls in secondary school. For example, some schools might be
built with dormitories, which may help girls to concentrate on school and avoid the risks
that may happen on the way to and from school each day.
35
CHAPTER THREE: METHODS
This chapter covers the research methodology, research design, research
approaches, targeted population, sample size, sample technique, data collection
methods and instruments, data analysis and ethical considerations.
3.1 Scope of the study
This study was conducted in six secondary schools in Mbeya rural district, Mbeya
region. The study involved five government secondary schools—Isuto, Mpesu,
Mwakipesile, Santilya, Ilembo—and one private secondary school that is Itundu.
3.2 Research design
This research used a grounded theory approach to identify the primary influences
on female school attendance and examination outcomes. Grounded theory seeks to
understand how participants understand the issue of concern according to their
experience (Yin, 2011). Information on individual opinions and attitudes was collected
by administering questionnaires to samples of students, teachers and parents, allowing
the study to obtain information directly from the respondents. Questionnaires were
designed to allow quantitative analysis of the findings, complemented by qualitative
interpretation of narratives and descriptions. In this study, both primary and secondary
data were collected. Primary data were collected in the field by administering the
questionnaire to teachers, students and parents as well as through focus group
discussions. Secondary data were collected through documentary review such as
attendance registers, student enrolment books and Form Four national exam results
from the selected schools.
36
These research findings were analyzed in the context of data and findings drawn
from scholarly literature, government data and reports, and from studies produced by
development organizations and international agencies.
3.3 Sampling
The target population of the study involved Form Four students, teachers and
parents in Mbeya rural district. This district with many secondary schools allowed the
researcher to gather maximum findings with limited resources and time. Therefore, the
strategy was to select schools that were near The Salvation Army’s secondary school,
as the organization was interested to learn the factors affecting these girls’ school
attendance and performance. The sample included ninety-eight respondents (98):
seventy-one (71) were students from six secondary schools; twenty (20) were teachers,
of whom about 90% had been teaching in their current school for under 10 years; and
seven (7) parents, with ages ranged from 35-45 years and all with primary education
(Table 3.).
Table 3. Sample of respondents.

No Category Respondents Total
Male Female
1 Students 32 39 71
2 Parents 05 02 07
3 Teachers 09 11 20
The researcher worked with the teachers of the selected schools to select the
participants. At Itundu secondary school, the researcher asked all Form Four students
37
to participate, and all did. In the other five schools, the teachers selected ten students
from Form Four, five girls and five boys from each school.
3.4 Data collection methods and instruments.
The researcher collected both secondary and primary data. The instruments
used to gather primary data were questionnaires and focus group discussions.
Three versions of questionnaires were used for teachers, students and parents
respectively. Both open-ended and closed questions were asked of the respondents in
order to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher used open-ended
questions in order to have general explanations of the specific questions according to
each respondent’s perceptions. The researcher also used closed questions in order to
limit the number of answers and thereby to facilitate quantitative analysis.
Focus group discussions were chosen as the method that allows researchers to
gather perceptions and positions quickly with a representative group of people. The
method also is good for identifying and explaining ideas, beliefs and opinions of the
respondents. The researcher applied this method because of increasing credibility and
validity of the results. Thirteen focus groups were implemented, where seven involved
students, six involved teachers and one involved parents (Table 4).
Kalinga (2013) stated that there is no one correct approach regarding to data
analysis and evaluation. Questionnaire responses were analyzed quantitatively using
Microsoft Excel and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The data are
presented using percentages, frequencies and tables in order to enhance
interpretations and comparisons. Qualitative data were analyzed through putting
together the responses and findings that addressed a certain research question, and
38
then analyzing that information related to the research question. Finally, the data were
labeled and coded following the findings of the specific questions.
Table 4. Focus group participation.
School Group involved Participants
Itundu Boy students 9
Girl students 17
Teachers 7
Mpesu Students 10
Teachers 3
Santlya Students 10
Teachers 2
Mwakipesile Students 10
Teachers 6
Isuto Students 10
Teachers 2
Ilembo Students 10
Teachers 7
3.5 Ethical considerations.
Ethical principles were given first priority in the study. Prior to the study the
researcher completed all required Institutional Review Board (IRB) procedures at the
University of Florida and then followed all the approved protocols for collecting data in
Tanzania. The names and information given by the respondents remained confidential.
39
Enough time was given to the respondents to read and understand the information
relating to the study. After reading the information, the participants were given a chance
to ask questions before consenting to and participating in the study. During the study, all
participants were given the right to withdraw at any time.
40
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents findings on the factors affecting school attendance and
performance among girls on Form Four national exams. As explained above, the
findings were gathered in six secondary schools (Itundu, Mpesu, Santilya, Mwakipesile,
Isuto and Ilembo) in Mbeya rural districts. The findings address the following themes:
comparison of school attendance and performance between girls and boys, factors
affecting school attendance and academic performance among girls, factors that can
contribute to improve girls’ school attendance and academic performance, and analysis
of which stakeholders can play a key role in improving girls’ school attendance and
academic performance.
4.1 Comparison of school attendance and academic performance among girls

and boys
The first objective was to compare data on school attendance between girls and
boys in six secondary schools (Itundu, Santilya, Mwakipesile, Ilembo, Mpesu and Isuto)
in 2013, 2015 and 2016. More girls than boys enrolled every year (Table 5). The
numbers of students who dropped out have declined for both boys and girls over this
period. However, the dropout rate for girls remained higher, over 14%, which is three
times the dropout rate for boys (Table 5). Boys may drop out in order to engage in
income-generating activities to sustain themselves. The researcher posed questions
regarding the activities of boys after school hours; some boys go to the bus stops to
carry passengers’ luggage, while others go to work in tea plantations or nearby mining
areas to extract minerals such as gold. The activities mentioned by boys are physically
exhausting and lead to negative health repercussions. This contributes to boys having
low school attendance and poor academic performance as well.
41
Table 5. School attendance and dropout rates.
Academic Enrolment of Form Number of students

year Four students (at who dropped out (at Percent
the beginning of the the end of the year) (%)
year)
2013 Boys 172 Boys 11 6.4
Girls 175 Girls 33 18.8
2015 Boys 152 Boys 12 7.9

2016 Boys 153 Boys 6 3.9
Total Boys 477 Boys 29 6.1

Source: School records
Similar trends and gaps were also evident in school performance for girls and
boys. Again, there were more girls sitting for exams than boys each year. In addition,
more girls than boys passed the exam each year. In total, significantly more girls (327)
than boys (280) passed. However, although pass rates are improving for both boys and
girls, the proportion of girls passing the exams continues to be lower when compared to
boys. The gap has remained steady at around 10% between pass rates for boys and for
girls respectively (Table 6).
42
Table 6. School performance.
Academic No of students who No of students who Percent

year sat for Form Four passed the exams (%)
national examination
2013 Boys 131 Boys 77 58.7
2015 Boys 152 Boys 98 64.5

2016 Boys 140 Boys 105 75
Boys 423 Boys 280

Total
Girls 586 Girls 327
Source: School records.
4.2 Factors affecting school attendance and academic performance among girls
Several studies have categorized the factors affecting school attendance and
academic performance in different ways. Kalinga (2013) categorized factors affecting
school attendance and performance into three category namely social, economic, and
political. Mlowosa and colleagues (Mlowosa et al., 2014) looked at the effect of truancy
on school attendance and performance. Mugoro (2014) highlighted transportation only
and its influence on school attendance and performance. Chinyoka and Naidu (2014)
categorized factors influencing school attendance and academic performance into
school environment-based factors, home-based factors and student-based factors. In
the present report the researcher organized the findings into four categories:
43
institutional or national factors, school factors, family factors and student individual
factors.
Institutional or national factors
The institutional or national level factors identified in the study include poor
school infrastructure, low teacher salaries, limited role models, insufficient teachers in
government secondary schools, pass mark differences in science subjects between
boys and girls, and distance from school (Table 7). In Tanzania, the institution is
responsible to make sure that the school infrastructure is supportive to students and
teachers. However, the teachers highlighted that school learning and teaching
resources are insufficient. Parents in turn indicated that teachers are not paid well,
which contributes to increased absences of teachers from school, thus causing many
girls and boys to have low attendance and poor performance as well. The parents
argued that, due to low salaries, some teachers are dedicating more time and effort to
agriculture than to teaching.
Another factor highlighted by respondents is the distance to and from school. The
students explained that the schools are built far away from their houses, and the
schools do not have living quarters, so as a result the girls have to walk long distances
to and from schools. Girls in particular face many dangers when walking to school such
as sexual assaults and peer pressure thus affecting their school attendance and
academic performance. In addition, parents considered that the number of female
teachers is insufficient, especially in rural areas. Teachers argued that the scarcity of
role models like female teachers or other educated employed women in rural areas
contributes to low attendance and poor academic performance among girls.
44
Most women who may be perceived as role models in rural areas are conducting
simple jobs such as selling in the market, or cooking and serving food. This contributes
to many schoolgirls believing that even without formal education women can earn
money, and this encourages some girls to drop out from school and join such activities.
The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training has set a low science subject pass
rate for girls to be qualified to continue to advanced secondary school (Forms Five and
Six) compared to boys. Teachers think the differential test policy discourages girls since
these formal measures imply that boys have more academic ability than girls.
Table 7. Institutional or national factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic
performance.
Students Parents Teachers

Causes
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Poor school infrastructure 6 8
Low salaries for teachers 3 2
Few role models 7 8
Insufficient teachers in 5 1
government schools
Distance from school 20 26
Different pass mark for girls 7 11
and boys
Although students did not mention insufficient resources as a key factor, when
asked directly about the availability of resources, students agreed that most school
resources were not sufficient (Figure 9). Both girls and boys are affected, but the lack of
female teachers, girls’ latrines and hostels has gender-specific effects on girl’s school
attendance and performance.
45
Figure 9. Students’ responses on availability of school resources.
When asked directly about their residence, three quarters of girl students and
one boy indicated that they stay in lodgings a considerable distance from their parents
because their houses are located far away from schools. Few of them responded that
they stay with parents. It is dangerous for a student to live alone, and this is especially
true for girls (Table 8).
Table 8. Students’ residences.
Boys Girls
With parents 20 7
Far away from home 21 20
46
For example, two comments from the focus group discussions with students and
parents respectively are as follow:
Student 1 (girl)
The distance from home to school is very long. I have to walk for almost one hour
before getting to school at 7:00 am. When I get to school late the teacher always gives
a punishment, which sometime takes a whole day without going to the class. In addition,
on the way some village men are forcing me to have a relationship with them by
promising good things like clothes, money and modern phones.
Parent 1
Some parents are not following the school progress report of their daughters. For
example, some girls are staying far away from parents and some parents do not know
where their daughters live. This causes some girls to live with boyfriends as husband
and wife, with the results that the girls lose school concentration and sometime get
pregnant and leave school.
School factors
Factors related to school that influence girls’ school attendance and performance
include corporal punishment, sexual assaults by teachers, diseases and rules
prohibiting the attendance of pregnant girls in schools (Table 9). Corporal punishment is
still used by teachers to punish students for academic mistakes or other behavior
violations in schools. Many girls and boys highlighted corporal punishment as a barrier
to school attendance and academic performance. Sexual assaults as mentioned by
47
teachers meant the force used by men to force girls to engage in sexual acts against
their will. Teachers reported that some teachers coerce girls to have sex by promising
them to help in studies and other needs. If the girls get pregnant, they are expelled from
school and the Tanzanian government does not allow a pregnant girl to come back to
school after delivery (Maluli and Bali, 2014)
Table 9. School factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic performance.
Causes Students Parents Teachers

Rules forbidding pregnancy 32 37 5 2 9 5
Corporal punishment 32 37
Diseases 20 25
Sexual assaults by teachers 7 6
Another focus group statement is given below:
Student 2 (boy)
Some male teachers have the tendency of forcing girls to have love affairs with them. In
a nearby school, I had my friend who was made pregnant by a teacher. After becoming
pregnant, the teacher bribed her parents to chase her far away. Now my friends lives in
Morogoro with her sister and the school does not know where she is.
48
Family factors
Factors related to families that influence girls’ school attendance and academic
performance includes family poverty, poor cooperation between teachers and parents,
home chores and cultural practices (Table 10). Parents’ poverty causes girls to feel
inferior because they have insufficient school resources. Due to these feelings of
inferiority, the respondents argued that the girls are uncomfortable participating in
academic activities so some of them decide to skip classes and others leave the school
entirely. Moreover, most parents argued that the current level of cooperation between
teachers and parents is not sufficient. Some parents just tell their children to go to
school, but the parents have neither been to the schools where their children study nor
know the children’s teachers.
Table 10. Family factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic performance.

Family poverty 19 22 4 1 8 10
Poor cooperation between 3 2
parents and teachers
Home chores 3 2
Cultural practices 21 27
Only students mentioned cultural practices during the study. They include
traditional and customary practices among ethnic groups in Mbeya region that cause
some girls to have low attendance and poor performance due to trauma. Examples of
49
cultural practices include initiation rituals to shape adolescent sexuality. After initiation
rituals, girls may be sexuality active resulting in pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases.
Home chores are another reason mentioned by parents, but not by students, as
a hindrance to girls’ school attendance and academic performance. In rural areas there
are greater expectations for girls to perform domestic chores at home than boys. Most
girls are required to carry out work in households and agriculture, while their parents
often work far from home in order to sustain the family. The researcher also asked
students what activities they usually undertake after getting home. Most girls mentioned
activities such as cooking, taking care of their siblings, helping parents on the farm and
fetching water. As described above, some boy students reported engaging in after-
school activities to earn money. Few of them stated that they eat and study. Family
poverty—as highlighted by teachers, students and teachers—has a big impact on
school attendance and performance in secondary schools. When asked about their
eating habits during school hours, most students responded that they do not eat up to
evening, and this affects their academic performance. A few of them did indicate that
they eat in restaurants, and others leave school and go back home to acquire food,
which leads to poor attendance (Table 11).
Table 11. Students’ eating habits during school hours.
Eating habit to students during school hours Boys Girls
I do not eat up to evening when I get home 20 23

I buy food in restaurants 1 0
I leave school and go home to look for food 11 3
50
Focus group comments from students, parents, and teachers are provided
below:
Student 3 (girl)
Most of the time there is no breakfast at home and the school does not provide
breakfast and lunch. Therefore, I have to leave school during class hours and go back
home to search for some food. Sometime I do not eat anything up to evening, and that
makes me tired to listen to teachers during class hours.
Parent 2
I do not have children in secondary school but I am living near to parents who have a
student (girl) in secondary school. I always see that girl busy with so many activities
such as fetching water and cooking after getting back from school. I don’t know what
time she uses to study. This can be one of the reasons that causes girls to
underperform in academics.
Parent 3
One thing we have to do as parents is to help our children in preparing foods soon after
getting home from school. Some parents do not care about cooking for their
schoolchildren. Sometimes you may find many children (girls) walking around the bush
to find firewood and water that put their life at risk, and girls are especially at risk to be
sexually assaulted.
51
Teacher 1
Some students come to school without eating anything and from far away on foot. When
we teach, the probability of these students understanding is very low, that is why some
of them decide to leave school and why some perform poorly.
Students’ individual factors
The factors grouped in this category include sexual activity, feeling inferior, peer
pressure and needs of having luxurious things (Table 12). Sexual activity can result in
pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Girls face peer pressure from other girls
who dropped out or skip school. Some girls desire luxuries such as phones and clothes
beyond their parents’ means. This leads girls to engage in sexual activities with wealthy
as well as older males and other unlawful acts such as drug abuse. If they risk unsafe
sex and have unplanned pregnancies, they are more likely to miss school, drop out of
school or have poor academic performance.
Table 12. Students’ individual factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic
performance.
Peer pressure 20 26
Local beliefs 22 27
Needs for luxurious things 21 26
Sexual activity 7 8
Feeling inferior 7 6
52
In one of the conversations with a student, she stated that:
Student 4 (girl)
One of my friends dropped out from school last year and she went to Dar es Salaam.
During December, she came back. She was really in a good condition with a smart
phone and good clothes. My parents did not want to see her in our house because they
thought I could change my mind and leave school and go to town with my friend.
Figure 10 integrates the underlying factors affecting school attendance and
academic performance among girls in secondary schools. Risk factors stemming from
these underlying factors are presented in the second column of the Figure. Finally the
outcome of these underlying and risk factors is that many girls have poor school
attendance and academic performance.
53
Figure 10. Factors affecting school attendance and perfomance.
4.3 What can be done to improve girls’ academic performance and school
attendance?
In this section, the researcher divides into four categories the participant
perceptions on measures that might be taken to improve girls’ school attendance and
academic performance. The categories are institutional or national, school, family and
students’ individual factors discussed below.
Institutional or national factors
According to teachers, parents and students, one way to improve girls’ academic
performance and school attendance is to provide education to parents so that they
recognize the importance of providing equal educational opportunities to boys and girls,
54
and so that they follow up on their children’s progress (Table 13). In addition,
governmental provision of school needs on time is an important factor for improving
girls’ school attendance and academic performance. Most resources provided by the
government such as books, teachers and capital funds are not delivered on time to the
schools. If this can be improved, there is a good possibility of increasing attendance and
performance among girls.
Table 13. Institutional or national factors to improve girls’ school attendance and
Factors Students Parents Teachers
Education to 27 33 4 1 9 4
parents
Building hostels 22 29 4 2 5 9
for girls
Elimination of 23 29
school fees and
other
contributions
Equal pass for 5 9
both girls and
boys
Other important factors mentioned by students include the elimination of school
fees and other contributions, and building hostels for girls. Although the government has
already eliminated the school fees in government schools, the students highlighted that
the government should think about eliminating other contributions, as well as revise the
school fees and other contributions to private schools. The equal pass as highlighted by
teachers meant to eliminate the different pass rates between girls and boys in science
55
subjects. Most female teachers urged the elimination of the differential policy as one
solution to improve school attendance and academic performance among girls.
Another suggestion was to build hostels for both girls and boys. Most students
have to walk every day between 0.5-3 kilometers to go to school (Table 14).
Table 14. Students’ distances from and to schools.
Distance from and to schools Boys Girls
0.5-1 kilometers 22 18
1-3 kilometers 10 9
The group discussion with the teachers elicited the following comments:
Teacher 2
The abolition of school fees as the strategy by government to improve school
attendance and performance was a good idea, but the government should think about
other contributions where the sum of these contributions is more than school fees. Also,
as a result of school fee elimination, the government should supply the materials such
as chalk and books on time. In my school, some times we used to go to nearby schools
to borrow chalk and books.
Teacher 3
To abolish low school attendance and poor academic performance among girls is
possible. This can be done through cooperation between teachers and parents, as we
are all guardians of the girls. Also, the benefit of teachers and improved school
56
infrastructure should be considered. Most private schools, which have good teacher
salaries and improved school infrastructure, have good school attendance and
academic performance by girls.
School factors
Elimination of corporal punishment was among the factors highlighted by
students and parents (Table 15), who argued that teachers should be given guidelines
on how to punish students, because some kinds of punishment given by teachers lead
students to drop out from school.
A student comment from a focus group discussion is provided below:
Student 4
I think if the teacher should address the good way of punishing students this can help to
improve school performance and attendance. I remember last year 3 students were
expelled from school because the teachers found them with cellphones and we are not
allowed to have them. However, the teachers, instead of taking those cellphones to
keep them and perhaps call the students’ parents to take them, they assembled us and
told the students to break their phones with stones in front of us. 10 students did and 3
denied and were expelled from school due to misbehaving. For me I think what the
teachers did was unfair.
In addition, gender education for girls was among the factors highlighted by
students; this can be done by providing special guidance and counseling in the
classroom in order to understand the important of education to better their lives.
57
Table 15. School factors to improve school attendance and academic performance
among girls.
Elimination of corporal 24 22
punishment
Good cooperation between 4 2 9 4

teachers and parents

teachers and girls
Motivation for girls 5 8
Gender education to girls 19 26
Moreover, both teachers and parents highlighted the need for good cooperation
between girls and teachers in order to improve girls’ school attendance and
performance. Teachers also mentioned motivation for girls as an important factor to
consider. The participants suggested this could be implemented in schools through
rewards and recognition of different talents among girls. In addition, education to
parents could be achieved in schools through meetings with parents and teachers to
discuss student progress reports and school in general.
Family factors
Good cooperation between parents and teachers was raised by parents as an
important strategy at the family level (Table 16). This can be done through teacher-
parent meetings to discuss with their students’ and daughters’ attendance and
58
academic. Also motivation for girls can be boosted at the family level, if parents express
their appreciation for girls’ education in general as well as for their own daughters’
academic achievements.
Table 16. Family factors to improve school attendance and academic performance
among girls.

teachers and parents
Motivation for girls 5 8
Gender education to girls 19 26
Parents made the following observations during focus group discussions:
Parent 4
I have my neighbor and his child is in private school at Mbeya urban. He always tells me
when he is going to his child’s school for a meeting to look after his cows. His child
graduated last year and passed well and now she joined at advanced level secondary
school. If this meeting can be done in both schools even here in Itundu village this can
be helpful to strengthen the cooperation between teachers and parents. I never see any
kind of meeting in our nearby school.
59
Parent 5
Some parents just tell their children to go to a nearby school to find accommodation
during the school days. I am living near one student a girl and for more than a week
now, I usually see a man coming from the same room. I don’t have any action to do
because I do not know her parents or teacher.
Students’ individual factors
Good cooperation between teachers and students/girls can be implemented
directly with students. During the study, teachers and parents highlighted the good
attendance and academic performance of those students who have good cooperation
with their teachers (Table 17).
Table 17. Students’ individual factors to improve girls’ school attendance and academic
performance.
Good cooperation 4 1 7 8
between teachers and
girls
In focus group discussions, teachers and parents observed the following:
Teacher 4
Some of the girls usually like to sit at back of the class for the aim of hiding them to be
known by the teachers. Most of them never come to the office to ask any question about
their studies. I hope if the girls and teachers will have good cooperation this will help to
60
improve academic performance among them. We have a very bright Form Two girl in
our school and she always disturb teachers with so many questions. She is really doing
well in her class and out-performs boys in each subject.
Parent 6
If the teacher will act as guardian to the students this will help more to improve the
school attendance and academic performance. Looking on the previous years, teachers
were interested to know the parents of their students for the aim of informing them the
progress report of their students. In our nearby primary school the teachers have good
cooperation with students and parents as well. And this helps because in primary school
almost all students usually pass the national exams. If this can be done in secondary
levels it can be a useful strategy as well.
As results of questionnaire and focus group findings, the principal measures
suggested to improve school attendance and academic performance among girls in
secondary schools include: building hostels for girls, gender education for girls,
improving school infrastructures and teachers’ salaries, education to parents on the
importance of education for both genders, and on-time provision of government school
needs.
4.4 Which stakeholders can improve girls’ school attendance and academic
performance?
The question concerning which stakeholders can play a role in improving girls’
school attendance and academic performance was posed to participants both in
questionnaires and in focus groups. Although I meant to identify the main stakeholder
61
to be responsible, the respondents highlighted an array of different stakeholders
according to their perspectives on what the latter can contribute to perceived solutions.
Many of the respondents argued that school attendance and performance among girls
is not a responsibility of one stakeholder alone, but many stakeholders must collaborate
to improve the situation.
Students identified themselves to be the most important stakeholder followed by
parents, government, and lastly teachers (Figure 11). Parents also considered
themselves as well as students to be the most important followed by government,
teachers, and community. In Tanzania, people believe that “someone else’s child is
your child,” and that is why the parents considered the community to be responsible for
the improvement of girls’ school attendance and academic performance. However,
neither teachers nor students mentioned the community as an important stakeholder.
Finally, teachers considered parents to be the most important stakeholder followed by
teachers themselves, students, and government.
In one of the focus group discussions with teachers, the response was as
follows:
Teacher 5
Improving school attendance and academic performance is not a matter of one
stakeholder alone. Students themselves must make sure that they study hard and
escape all temptations, because some challenges are under their control. In addition,
teachers must be regarded as a mediator between parents and government to teach
62
and respect all students. Parents and government as well are important stakeholders to
make sure that the student has a conducive environment at home and at school as well.
Figure 11. Stakeholders who may improve girls’ school attendance and academic
performance.
63
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusions
Tanzania has made great progress in promoting girls’ education, and girls
now equal or outnumber boys in both primary and secondary schools, at public schools
as well as at private NGO-administered schools. The abolition of school fees and the
construction of secondary schools in every ward across the country have contributed
greatly to these achievements.
However, school attendance and academic performance are still serious
problems among girls in Mbeya Rural District, specifically in Form Four which is the
gateway from ordinary level secondary to advanced level secondary and tertiary
education. The study found a gap of 10% in the pass rate between girls and boys, and a
dropout rate three times higher for girls in Form Four. Therefore, in Form Four and
higher, boys outnumber and outperform girls. This problem does not only affect the
community to which they belong, in Mbeya district, but also the nation at large.
The Tanzanian government must resolve this problem in order to meet its
commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most importantly SDG 4,
“to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education”. But quality education for girls in
Tanzania also affects, and is affected by, several other SDGs, as detailed below.
SDG 1: end poverty in all its forms everywhere. Educated girls have many more
employment opportunities, with both government and private institutions, compared to
those who lack this important key to life, and therefore more opportunities to improve
their livelihoods and to keep themselves and their children out of poverty. In turn, higher
64
household incomes will allow more children, and particularly girls, to continue their
educations to the advanced secondary and tertiary levels.
SDG 2: end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote
agriculture. Generally, in Tanzania women are the main producers of agricultural
commodities and spend more time in caring for children (Ellis 2007). Education and
training for girls related to agriculture and nutrition will therefore contribute
improvements in these areas among girls who do not continue their educations, while
higher numbers of girls continuing their educations can contribute even more as
researchers and scientists to Tanzania’s food security and nutrition challenges. At the
same time, improved food security allowing schoolchildren to eat three meals every
school day will increase school performance and attendance.
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all, at all ages. Education
leads to better health outcomes, both for women themselves and for their family as well.
As women’s education levels increase, family size tends to decrease and this can also
contribute to healthier children. Any measures to improve maternal and newborn health
contribute to improved development of young children and in turn stronger learning
abilities. Any measures to improve health of schoolchildren further increase school
attendance and academic performance.
SDG 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Even before
the SDGs were ratified in 2015, Tanzania had demonstrated its commitment to women’s
rights by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women in 1979 (Ellis 2007). Therefore, improving girls’ education
is one of the best ways to empower women, allowing them greater social and economic
65
independence. Girls, and their parents, in turn will be more strongly motivated to
continue their education if they are supported by larger numbers of women teachers,
and if they have more educated women as role models.
SDG 8: promote sustained inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment, and decent work for all. Advanced secondary and university
education can help women to attain higher-paying positions, and to be more productive
in their economic activities, thereby contributing more strongly to Tanzania’s economic
growth. In turn, a stronger national economy can generate more resources for
Tanzania’s education system, generating more funds for school infrastructure,
materials, and teachers.
SDG 16: promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels. Improving inclusive societies will provide a more supportive
environment for Tanzanian girls to pursue their education to the advanced secondary
and tertiary levels. As they become women, they will be empowered by education to
participate more fully and effectively in public and private institutions both at the local
and the national levels.
Considering the many contributions of women at different levels of society,
the study concluded with a wakeup call for government and other educational
stakeholders such as parents, students and teachers--as mentioned by respondents--to
refine the effectiveness of educational programs and resources to overcome the
challenges.
66
Areas for further research
This study focused on factors that affect girls’ school attendance and academic
performance on Form Four national examinations in Mbeya rural district. The study
involved Form Four students, teachers, and parents in six secondary schools. It was
anticipated that the sample and study area would reveal the factors affecting girls’
school attendance and academic performance on the Form Four National Examination.
I recommend a similar study at schools with marked differences in cultural and
economic bases, or example across the whole Mbeya region or in another region in the
country. This is because Form Four is the critical bottleneck in the Tanzanian education
system right now, granting exclusive access to the advanced secondary and tertiary
education levels. Therefore, more successful strategies for helping girls to pass the
Form Four National Exam and continue to advanced secondary school must be
identified, and new ideas must be tested, for improving school attendance and
5.2 Recommendations
Based on responses collected from students, parents and teachers, combined
with my review of school records and my field observations, a number of different
strategies must be applied in order to improve school attendance and academic
performance among girls in secondary schools. Some require additional funding, and
others do not.
Institutional or national recommendations
v Improvement of school infrastructure such as classrooms, toilets, books,
laboratories and desks by government.
67
v Cooperation between government and NGOs in providing guidance and
counseling to parents on the importance of education for both genders. Although
several non-governmental organizations help pregnant students with counseling
and vocational training, these organizations are not operating throughout the
nation. Therefore, if the government would start such a program with broad
geographic coverage, more girls will benefit.
v Provision of guidance by government to teachers on how to treat misbehaving
students, replacing corporal punishment with more effective, constructive
measures.
v Motivation to teachers by parents and government in order to encourage them to
work hard.
v Provision of sufficient salaries to teachers in order to incentivize them to focus
on teaching rather than engaging in other income-generating activities.
v Imposition of legal sanctions by government on parents or guardians who fail to
keep their children in school.
v Collaboration between government and other education stakeholders such as
parents and NGOs in building and operating hostels that will help to retain girls at
schools.
School recommendations
v Introduction of regular teacher-parent meetings in order to discuss the progress
reports of the students (girls).
v Collaboration between teachers and parents in order to establish food programs
at schools during the day.
68
Family recommendations
v Monthly school visits by parents in order to inform themselves about their
children’s attendance and academic progress.
v Equal distribution of home chore responsibilities by parents in order to allow girls
to have time to focus on academics.
Students’ individual recommendations
v Self-motivation by students themselves on valuing the importance of education to
better their lives.
69
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Appendix 1: Interview Questions for Students.
1. Sex
2. Do you reside in the school (dormitory)? ……….. (Yes/No). If the answer is no,
go to question two, three, four, five and six. If yes, go to question seven.
3. Where do you live?
a. What is the distance from your home to school?
4. Do you get meals at school? (Breakfast and lunch) … (Yes/No).
5. If the answer is No, where do you get your breakfast and lunch during school
hours?
6. What do you do after getting home after school hours?
7. What do you do when you get to your dormitory in the evening?
8. How satisfied are you with school learning environment? Please tick where
appropriate.
Resources Not Present but not Present and

present sufficient sufficient
Female teachers
Male teachers
Boys latrines
Girls latrines
Boys hostels
Girls hostels
Classes
Books
Library
9. What causes girls to have low attendance and poor performance in your
School?
10. Suggestions to improve girl’s attendance and academic performance.
11. Who can do it?
74
Appendix 2: Interview Questions for Teachers
1. Sex
2. For how long have you been teaching in secondary level?
3. For how long have you been working in this school?
4. Is there any difference in attendance between boys and girls at your school?
5. Is there any difference in performance between girls and boys at your school?
6. Please fill the following tables.
School attendance
Academic Enrolment of form Percent No of students who dropped
year four students (at the out (at the end of the year) Percent
beginning of the
year)
2013 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
2015 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
2016 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
75
School performance.
Academic No of students who Percent No of students who Percent

year sat for Form Four (%) passed the exam (%)
national examination
2013 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
2015 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
2016 Boys Boys
Girls Girls
Total Total
7. Causes for girls to have low school attendance and poor performance.
8. What can be done to improve school attendance and Form Four examination
performance?
9. Who should be responsible?
76
Appendix 3: Interview Questions for Parents.
1. Sex
2. Age
3. Marital status
4. Highest level of education
5. Do you have child/children enrolled in secondary school____ YES/NO
If your answer is YES go to question 6, if NO go to question 7
6. What sex is your child/children enrolled in secondary school?
7. Basing in your surrounding community, do you think the number of boys and
girls graduating in secondary school is equal?
8. What sex has high level of graduating in secondary level?
9. Causes for girls to have low school attendance and poor performance.
10. What can be done to improve school attendance and Form four-examination
performance?
77
Appendix 4: Focus Group Discussion Questions for Students, Teachers and
Parents.
1. What are the factors contributing to poor attendance and performance
among girls compared to boys?
2. What can be done to improve the school attendance and performance of girls
on Form Four national examinations?
78

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ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO GIRLS’ SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ON FORM FOUR NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS IN

FIELD PRACTICUM REPORT

GRACE ALOYCE KIHOMBO

MASTER OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

school for arranging my accommodation. I would like to thank my committee members

Methods Course. In addition, my special thanks to Dr. Charles Bwenge, my Graduate

making my learning and teaching environment smooth. Finally, my sincere thanks to my

in the whole process of developing this report.

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. 7

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... 8

CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ......................................................................................... 10

1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER TWO: Factors affecting school attendance and academic performance in

2.1. Household poverty ............................................................................................ 26

3.1 Scope of the study ....................................................................................... 36

CHAPTER FOUR: Results and discusion. ..................................................................... 41

4.1 Comparison of school attendance and academic performance among

CHAPTER FIVE: Conclusions and recommendations ................................................... 64

5.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 64

Appendix 1: Interview Questions for Students ............................................................... 74

Appendix 2: Interview Questions for Teachers. .............................................................. 75

Appendix 3: Interview Questions for Parents ................................................................. 77

Table 2. Number of secondary students in 2016............................................................ 32

Table 3. Sample of respondents .................................................................................... 37

Table 4. Focus group participation ................................................................................. 39

Table 5. School attendance and dropout rates .............................................................. 42

Table 6. School performance ......................................................................................... 43

Table 7. Institutional or national factors affecting girls’ school attendance and

Table 8. Students’ residences ........................................................................................ 46

Table 9. School factors affecting girls’ school attendance and academic

Table 11. Students’ eating habits during school hours................................................... 50

Table 14. Students’ distances from and to schools ........................................................ 56

Figure 1. Tertiary enrolment ratio of females to males ................................................... 11

Figure 2. Primary school enrolment 2012 – 2016 .......................................................... 12

Figure 3. A pathway for empowered girls from childhood to adulthood ......................... 18

Figure 4. Tanzania and Mbeya region ............................................................................ 19

Figure 5. Conceptual framework .................................................................................... 22

Figure 7. Education budget distribution .......................................................................... 31

Figure 8. Problem tree analysis. ..................................................................................... 33

Figure 9. Students’ responses on availability of school resources. ................................ 46

Figure 10. Factors affecting school attendance and perfomance. ................................. 54

academic performance among girls in secondary school, especially on Form Four

included 98 respondents: 71 students, 20 teachers and 7 parents. The data were

collected from school records, questionnaires and focus group discussions.

Government and non-governmental reports and documents, together with other

attendance and academic performance among girls, such as pregnancies, long

complementary roles of students, teachers, parents and the government.

been a focus of many Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (Thomas

and in academic performance on final secondary education examinations around the

world. As a result, some countries show an equitable balance in secondary education

serious challenges for the Tanzanian government in attaining the Millennium

and improve girls’ school attendance and academic performance in secondary

academic performance at both primary and secondary levels.

In Tanzania, the education system includes pre-primary, primary, secondary and

of girls enrolling in ordinary secondary education (MOEVT, 2016).

The positive achievement has been made possible by the government of

from 7 to 14 years old, through the Primary Education Development Program

Figure 2. Primary school enrolment 2012 – 2016 (MOEVT, 2016).

Examination, leading directly to attendance rates in advanced level secondary school.