The influence of the Headteachers’ Provision of Security Measures on Retention of Girls in Community Day Secondary Schools in Mchinji District, Malawi

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether provision of security measures by the headteachers as strategy influence retention of girls in community day secondary schools in Mchinji district. The study was triggered by the concerns emanating from the teachers on increase of school dropouts among girls in community day secondary schools in Malawi. The study was anchored on Tinto’s theory of retention. The study employed explanatory sequential mixed method research design. The target population included: the students, teachers, headteachers, education officer and chief elders. The study purposively sampled 15 headteachers, one education officer and five chief elders. Additionally, the researcher sampled 80 teachers and used simple random to sample 315 girls, with a total sample size of 416 (12.4%) of the target population. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software Version 21. The study used descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages to summarize the data and present it in form of tables. Qualitative data were manually analyzed by organizing into themes and interpreted in a narrative form and direct quotes. The findings revealed that community day secondary schools in Mchinji district did not have fences, security guards, hostels, locked gates, doors and windows to increase the security of the students and of the school, an indication that community day secondary schools lacked security measures to retain the students in Mchinji district. The study thus recommended that headteachers should cooperate with the board of management Parent teacher Association (PTA) to make sure that security measures are found in order to retain girls in Community Day Secondary Schools. Keywords: Headteachers’, administrative strategy, provision of security measures. Retention of girls, dropout, Community Day Secondary Schools.