Description:
Early marriage is a challenge facing secondary school girls in Tanzania, the study
focused on accessing the Impact of early Marriage and girls‟ access to Secondary
Education in Sengerema District. Specific objectives of the study were; identify the
causes of early marriage to girls and access to secondary education, to evaluate the
impact of early marriage and girls‟ access to secondary education and to evaluate
strategies taken to minimize early marriage and girls‟ access to secondary education.
The research employed quantitative and qualitative research approach as well as Ex
post facto research design. The total sample size were 304 respondents, which
comprises 269 students, 34 teachers and 1 District Education Officer (DEO).
However Respondents were obtained through simple random sampling techniques
for teachers, stratified simple random sampling for students and Purposive for
DEOs. The quantitative data was analyzed using chi-square manual, while
qualitative data was analyzed through content manuals analysis. Therefore lack
access to secondary educations, increase of ignorant and poverty were the research
findings.
The conclusions of the study were that the existence of poor school management,
poor government support and psychosocial development led the existence of early
marriage to girls. Therefore researcher recommends that, there was a need for
government, NGOs, community and all education stake holders on insuring that
girls‟ hostel should be constructed, strictly rules and regulations, provision of food to
school, introducing vocational training center for those dropping from school due to
pregnancy and rule that allow girls to come back to school after births that will
provide opportunity to them to reach their expected goals.