Community Involvement in School Activities: Its Effectiveness in Promoting Quality of Learning in Public Secondary Schools in Hai District, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Abstract

Participation in school management, which ensures the cultural relevance of the teaching and learning process, promotes a wider acceptance of the educational process. Community involvement in school activities has been shown to increase accountability for both learning outcomes and school resources. Additionally, community involvement encourages the willing provision of local resources (human, material, and financial) for educational purposes. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of community involvement in school activities in promoting quality learning in public secondary schools in Hai District, Kilimanjaro Region – Tanzania. Community effectiveness was measured in terms of the extent to which community members are involved in school activities. The study adopted a mixed research approach under which convergent parallel design was applied. The District Secondary Education Officer, community members, students, heads of schools, and teachers, representing a total population of 14,351 people were targeted. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the study sample which consisted of 114 respondents. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data. The pilot study was conducted with instruments tested and the coefficient of reliability obtained was 0.81. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively with the aid of SPSS version 21 and presented in frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were coded in categories, thematically analyzed, and presented in narratives. The study found that major activities in which community members were willing to participate are: building school infrastructure, contributing to student meals, school meetings, and disciplinary issues to a moderate extent. The study concluded that building a good relationship between school organizations and community members is vital and should be endeavoured for desired quality education results in public secondary schools. The study recommended that the community members should liaise with schools to find ways of supporting the teaching and learning process- for greater educational output. The school administration also should strengthen the relationship and frequently communicate with community members for active involvement.