Does the role of social workers matter? Reflecting on the strategies to prevent teenage pregnancy in Igunga District – Tanzania

Abstract

Does the role of social workers matter? Reflecting on the strategies to prevent teenage pregnancy in Igunga District, Tanzania" took into account the roles of various stakeholders in the context of girls' school education. At the same time, social workers remained at the centre of the study, guided by the structural functionalism theory. Embracing the pragmatic philosophy, the study employed a mixed method to collect data. Data for this study was collected from 145, including heads of secondary schools, Ward Executive Offices, Ward Education Officers, Ward Police Officers, and Social Workers. The quantitative data were analysed using a statistical package for social science (SPSS), and content analysis were utilised for qualitative data. The results showed that there were differences in the knowledge of the methods used to prevent teen pregnancy, even among the research subjects with different demographic characteristics. Social workers did not perceive the government's efforts to address the issue under investigation as equally important. In addition, secondary school stakeholders lacked sufficient knowledge about social workers' tasks and were unaware of the initiatives. There is a call for the government to increase implementors' knowledge of the strategies, which are still unknown. The government, therefore, should reconsider hiring social workers in educational settings, especially secondary schools, which calls for a thorough investigation into the advantages and disadvantages of the tactics already employed.