A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam Campus College in
Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Masters of Public
Administration (MPA) of Mzumbe University
The concepts of community participation and development become crucial topic in
attaining sustainable development. Development by itself deals with human
development; therefore, the participation of the people in their own development is very
essential. Education is very important tool for human liberation and development.
Tanzania is one of the developing countries, which strives to achieve Universal Primary
Education to meet the target of United Nation through its Millennium Development
Goals. In order to achieve the target United Nations (UN) demand for government to
involve the community/parents to improve the school development and pupil’s
enrolment rates (UNDP, 2007).
This study aimed at investigating the community participation in development of
secondary education in Tanzania. Two schools from Ilala Municipality (Kitunda and
Zawadi secondary schools) were taken as case studies. The study investigated general
understanding of the people on community participation, the level of community
participation, reasons for their participation and the challenge/limitations for effective
local people participation in development. The finding reveals that the community
participates in development of their school such as building classrooms, teacher’s
houses, toilets, furniture in school administration. The researcher found out that the
local people contribute/participate either through paying the money or labour. The
choice of the community to either pay money or labour depends on the nature of
activity conducted or their social-economic situation.
Despite the community participation in school development, the research discovered
that the participation of local people is very low as the number of people participating
in development is limited. The research found out that there are number of factors that
limit effective community participation which these include poverty, illiteracy and
ignorance, political interferences, poor performance of the pupils, mistrust and misuse
of money and lack of transparency. The researcher provide for the recommendation to
improve the number of local people to participate in development and insist on the
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