Challenges in Implementation of Fee-Free Basic Education among Public Secondary Schools in Karatu District, Tanzania

Abstract

The study sought to establish challenges in implementation of fee-free basic education among public secondary schools in Karatu District using the mixed approach and the convergent parallel research design. Out of 2441 students and 102 teachers from the sampled schools, 97 students and 50 teachers were selected through simple random sampling. Furthermore, 24 school board members, one District Educational Officer and six Heads of School participated in the focus group discussion and the interview schedule.  The study revealed that implementation of fee-free education in Tanzania faces challenges which reduce the accuracy of reaching the government expected goals. Among the challenges are poor budget review, lack of financial training and poor accountability by school heads due to limited knowledge on financial management. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the government should ensure that key stakeholders, especially school heads, are well equipped with appropriate skills on financial management in order to curb challenges in implementation of the fee-free basic education among public secondary schools in Karatu District.