Abstract:
In essence, student dropout in public secondary schools has continued to be a critical
challenge undermining the achievement of inclusive and equitable quality education in
Tanzania. Despite national initiatives like the Fee-Free Basic Education Policy, rural
districts such as Ileje District Council continue to experience persistently high dropout
rates, which threaten human capital development and worsen socio-economic
vulnerabilities. This study therefore sought to explore the determining factors for
student’s dropouts in public secondary schools in Ileje District Council, Songwe
Region, Tanzania. Guided by the Social Reproduction Theory and the Self Determination Theory, the study employed a qualitative approach with a hermeneutic
phenomenological design to capture in-depth insights into the lived experiences of key
stakeholders. Evidently, pertinent data were collected through semi-structured
interviews, Focus Group Discussions and documentary reviews from a purposively
selected sample of 36 participants, including education officers, teachers, parents,
community members and dropout students. Conversely, both thematic and content
analysis revealed that, dropout is a multifaceted phenomenon driven by the rapport of
economic, cultural and school-related factors. Economically, household poverty,
hidden education costs, child labour and economic migration were predominant drivers.
Besides, culturally, entrenched norms such as early marriage, low value placed on girls'
education and polygamous family structures significantly influenced dropout,
particularly among female students. Moreover, school-related factors included poor
teacher-student relationships, inadequate school infrastructure, long distances to school,
and insufficient academic support. Therefore, the study concludes that, addressing
student dropout in Ileje District Council requires a multi-sectoral approach that
integrates poverty alleviation, community sensitization on the value of education and
significant investment in improving school environments and support systems.
Generally, the study findings offer valuable evidence for policymakers, educators and
local government authorities to design context-specific interventions aimed at
enhancing student retention and educational equity in rural Tanzania.
