Voices of School-Age Street-Children Denied Basic Education in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports the findings of a study that was conducted to explore issues related to the continued denial of school-age street-children access to and, hence, lack of participation in basic education. Such children from socially and economically marginalised backgrounds still go without basic education the efforts to arrest the trend dating back to the 1960s notwithstanding. Specifically, it revisits reasons and activities behind their exclusion from accessing, and participating in basic education amid concerted national, regional and international efforts to advocate and foster universal basic education. The qualitative study was conducted on the streets of Dar es Salaam and Iringa regions of Tanzania. The qualitative inquiry informed data generation and analysis procedures. The study found that destitution was the primary reason that made school-age children forgo basic education. Moreover, the activities street-children engaged in at the expense of primary schooling were mainly labour-intensive, which threatened their health. On the whole, despite official pronouncements, some children still remain excluded from accessing and participating in primary education, thus undermining the sustainable development goal four.