Role of Male Parents in Supporting Secondary Education for Teen Mothers: A Case Study of Kiwalani Ward, Dar es Salaam Region: An Ubuntu Perspective

Abstract

Globally, teen motherhood is considered a critical barrier to educational continuity and attainment among teen girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, despite global commitments to inclusive and equitable education for all. The current study, entitled "Role of Male Parents in Supporting Secondary Education for Teen Mothers: A Case of Kiwalani Ward, Dar es Salaam – An Ubuntu Perspective", employed a case study design to interrogate the lived experiences of 20 participants. Qualitative data were collected by using interviews and focus group discussion were analysed by thematic analysis. The Ubuntu philosophy guided the study. The findings reveal that fathers' financial support, emotional encouragement, and shared caregiving responsibilities significantly reduce dropout rates and strengthen the psychosocial resilience of teen mothers. Further, social stigma, cultural norms, poverty, and rejection from community members often limit paternal engagement, leaving teen mothers vulnerable to re-dropping, hence hindering their academic attainment. The study concludes that mobilising fathers within Ubuntu's communal framework can transform reentry policies into sustainable pathways for inclusive education, contributing to Tanzania's Vision 2050 goals of gender equality and human capital development. The study recommends that community intervention should be initiated to support remove cultural barriers that hinder male parents in supporting secondary education for their daughters who are teen mothers.