Underachievement among secondary students in Tanzania is tragic: the failure rate on the national exams after the fourth year is between 65 to 100 percent (Mushi, 2011). The literature affirms that student learning is primarily improved by enhancing quality classroom instruction while the second most impactful strategy is consistent school leadership to ensure that effective practices are utilized in the classroom

The study has examined the Influence of strategic planning in improving academics in public Diploma Teachers Colleges in Tanzania. The study used mixed research methods, under concurrent triangulation design. The purpose of using this design was to bring together the differing strengths and non-overlapping weaknesses of quantitative methods with those of qualitative methods. The sample sizes of 10 colleges out of 35 public teachers Colleges with 140 respondents out of the entire population were selected for the research. The study sample comprised 30 Department Leaders, 10 College Principals/Vice Principals and 100 tutors. The study used three sampling techniques which were simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and convenience sampling. Data were collected through interview guide, document analysis guide; observation and questionnaires and Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and presented using frequency, distribution tables, and percentages and inferentially using Pearson correlation. The qualitative data was summarized, coded and analyzed by the research questions. Pilot testing of the research instruments were conducted in one of the teachers' college where the targeted respondents were given a questionnaire and interview guide. The findings of the study revealed that, majority of colleges that had put a strategic plan in place and incorporate students' academic issues had made considerable value-added progress on their students' academic performance.

This study addressed the influence of delegation of responsibility in participative leadership style on improving the quality of education in public secondary schools in Arusha region, Tanzania. The study was informed by Likert’ participative system theory. Correlation survey design was adopted to establish the influence of delegation of responsibilities on improving the quality of education. To this end two hundred and nineteen (219) respondents from 18 public secondary schools were selected based on stratified and random sampling techniques from three (03) district councils in Arusha region. The study involved three (03) district education officers, eighteen (18) heads of schools, eighteen (18) academic masters/mistresses, and one hundred and eighty, and (180) teachers. In this study data was collected by using multiple instruments such as questionnaires for teachers and academic masters/mistresses, interview schedule for district education officers and headmasters/mistresses, and document analysis schedule. Cronbach alpha was used to test reliability, while content validity was used to test validity. Data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics by frequency, mean scores, standard deviation; and inferential statistics by the use of Chi-square tests technique. The study findings revealed that delegation of responsibility fosters shared leadership responsibility between head of schools and experienced teachers, as well as develops accountability and commitment among the teaching staff. The study concluded that the delegated teachers in different responsibilities are not given decision making powers. It was also concluded that head of schools delegates responsibility to some of the teachers especially the experienced ones than the new teachers. Based on the research findings and conclusions, the study recommended the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to develop a clear policy and increase efforts in training and retraining headmasters/mistresses on the proper delegation of responsibility for improving the quality of education in public secondary schools.

This study examined the influence of shared strategic vision in participative leadership style on improving the quality of education in public secondary schools in Arusha region, Tanzania. Correlation survey design under quantitative approach was adopted to establish the influence of shared strategic vision on improving the quality of education. Data was collected from 291 respondents, comprising district education officers, heads of schools, academic masters/mistresses, students’ leaders, and teachers. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analysis revealed that shared strategic vision is a vital approach of participative leadership style that enabled the involvement of teachers in preparing a detailed school calendar system to guide teaching and learning activities for facilitating students’ achievements, provides conducive environment for motivating teachers through timely rewards systems, facilitates the sustainable implementation of education goals by ensuring that teaching strategies are guided by clear objectives for improving quality education, facilitates effective monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning process for ensuring regular and early report of students’ academic progress, increases teachers’ commitment and efficiency to the attainment of students’ performance especially in lesson preparation and syllabus completion. The study concluded that teacher and students’ leaders are mainly implementers of the strategic vision rather than designers and thus affect the provision of quality of education. The study recommended the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to develop a clear policy and increase efforts in training and retraining headmasters/mistresses on the proper delegation of responsibility for improving the quality of education in public secondary schools.

Quality education of primary and secondary schools is dependent on quality teachers who depend on quality teachers training colleges. Despite that, colleges are service-oriented; the Government requires them to make a strategic plan to help succeed in their college activities (Medium Term Strategic Planning and Budgeting Manual, 2005). A strategic plan in teachers colleges helps the academic achievement and income-generating projects and minimizes dependency of subsidy from the Central Government. It also helps to plan for the construction and renovation of college buildings (School Construction and Maintenance Strategy-SCMS 2019). Although, the government introduced a strategic plan to Teachers Colleges for success and survival, visit inspection report for colleges conducted by quality assurance officers in June 2018 revealed that some colleges failed to prepare the strategic plan on time (Quality assurance inspection report for colleges, 2018). Incidentally, while some colleges that have strategic plans were performing better in terms of academic performance and income-generating projects, some colleges continued to have poor academic performance despite having a strategic plan. An evaluation study done by the Ministry of Education in all teacher's colleges and visit inspection reports for colleges conducted by quality assurance officers in Northern Eastern Zone Lake and Eastern zone revealed that some colleges were missing an action plan, a very important document that put the strategic plan into action.