The successful education sector development in Tanzania – comment on gender balance and inclusive education

The significance of student voice: female students’ interpretations of failure in Tanzanian secondary education

“…For students who aim to proceed to upper secondary education (Form 5 and 6) the Form 4 examinations form a bottleneck i . Transitions from primary to secondary and from lower to upper secondary education are critical stages for girls, in particular, and the dropout rates of girls in secondary education are higher than those of boys (Okkolin, Lehtomäki and Bhalalusesa 2010;Posti-Ahokas and Palojoki 2013). A significant proportion of students in secondary schools are over-aged due to repetition and drop-out caused by financial constraints within families and the school system and the low quality of education provision ii (e.g.…”

“…Less attention was given to the fact that most of those failed in exams were female students who, therefore, are at a greater risk of dropping out of secondary education. The specific adversities, including discrimination in and out of school, early marriage and pregnancy, that female students face at the critical transitions between levels of education need to be better understood to move towards gender-responsive strategies and practices (Chabaan and Cunningham 2010;Okkolin, Lehtomäki and Bhalalusesa, 2010). This study investigates the examination failure and needs for change in secondary education from the perspective of female students.…”

Hunger and Thirst of Women for Accessing Higher Education in the 21st Century

“…The most common factors are the desire to broaden their knowledge and skills, to advance professionally and to build solid careers with the highest credentials (Wood 2001:108;Kramarae 2001). Other reasons for women's pursuit of higher education include: education as a tool for socialisation; education as a tool for liberation; the availability of funding/scholarships for women who want to advance their studies; the achievement of better post primary school results among women (Collins 2001); and less rigidity in religious and cultural practices (Okkolin, Lehtomaki and Bhalalusesa 2009 …”

Research to engage voices on the ground in educational development

“…While the set goals are both quantitative and qualitative, achievements are monitored quantitatively. What is defined as evidence of change must be broadened and deepened (Little and Green, 2009;McGrath, 2010;Okkolin et al, 2010). Qualitative analysis can add to this picture and the research approaches presented in this paper may be the complementary partners for mixed-methods to strengthen the role of research in educational development.…”