The Challenges Facing Secondary Education Service Delivery under Decentralization by Devolution in Tanzania

Abstract

This study investigates the challenges facing decentralization by devolution on public participation in secondary education service delivery in Tanzania. It is a descriptive research under which a cross-sectional survey is used to collect detailed information from Tanzania. The main focus is on the management of secondary education. The population of this study comprises national groups of local governance actors in education sector including officials from local government authorities and from district councils of Karagwe and Bukoba Municipality in Tanzania. The study employs purposive and simple random sampling techniques to draw 287 respondents. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The collected data from face to face and other group interviews are transcribed qualitatively. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 is used to analyze the quantitative data. The evidence obtained indicates that decentralized education governance is challenged in terms of policy decision and clear policy guideline, hence, the minimality of education decision-making at grass-roots level. However, the study also observes that, the local government agencies attempted little to encourage involvement in local needs particularly decision-making. But there are reasons to believe that given the opportunity to continue to institutionalize local government over a long period, and following the decentralization reform route, decentralization by devolution will gradually bring about better results.