Meru District Research Articles

The use of School Information System in Strengthening the Management of Government Secondary Schools in Meru District Council

This study investigated the use of the School Information System (SIS) in strengthening the management of government secondary schools in Meru District Council. The study adopted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The Diffusion Innovation theory and Technological Acceptance model guided this study. A qualitative research approach alongside a case study research design was adopted. The targeted population of the study was 1203 including 46 heads of schools, 1083 teachers, 46 academic teachers, 26 ward secondary officers, 01 District Education Officer (DSEO) and 01 District Information Communication Technology Officer (DICTO) of which 37 were drawn. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to get respondents. Interview and questionnaire methods were used to collect data. The study's trustworthiness was maintained through the supervisor’s corrections, expert advice, and following all necessary ethical procedures. The study revealed that the School Information System carries user-friendly features that strengthen the management of government secondary schools such as student information management, and teacher and staff management. However, the facilities are not sufficiently available. Furthermore, the study found that the School Information System greatly enhances data management and analysis, streamlining administrative tasks and resource management, promoting teachers’ accountability and improving communication in government secondary schools. The study recommended that there should be the provision of enough facilities, alternative sources of energy, seminars, and training to promote the implementation and use of School Information System in government secondary schools.

An assessment of the Effects of Government Policies on the Development of Tourism Industry in Tanzania: A Case of Meru District Council

An assessment of the Effects of Government Policies on the Development of Tourism Industry in Tanzania: A Case of Meru District Council

Contribution of Community Member Participation in Promoting Sustainability of Water Development Projects at Kikwe in Meru District, Arusha Region in Tanzania.

Contribution of Community Member Participation in Promoting Sustainability of Water Development Projects at Kikwe in Meru District, Arusha Region in Tanzania.

Factors Influencing the Struggle towards Reduction of Gender-Based Violence in Meru District Council, Arusha Region, Tanzania

It is important to end Gender-Based Violence because of its consequences in communities but there are factors influencing the efforts toward Reduction of Gender-Based Violence. Tanzania Police Gender and Child Desk fight against gender violence among different communities whereby gender violence survivors report cases with assurance of professional treatment by trained police officers. Main objective was to analyze factors the Performance of Police Gender and Children Desk on Reduction of Gender-Based Violence in Meru District Council, Arusha Region. Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design involving 324 heads of households was adopted for the study. Data were collected using household survey questionnaire and analysed using Multiple linear regression model. Factors; Gender-based Violence cases resolved, number of Gender-based Violence cases reported per annum, increased number of Police officers trained on Gender-based Violence, Level of community awareness and community members trained on Gender-based Violence per annum were statistically significant at 1% level. It is concluded that Police Gender and Children Desk had significant contribution in reduction of gender-based violence in Meru District Council of Arusha Region. The study recommends that the gender issues related stakeholders at the country and international levels support the Police Gender and Children Desk to end as Gender-based Violence.

Challenges Facing Secondary School Teachers in Achieving Effective Job Performance: A Case Study of Meru District Council, Arusha Region

This study examines the challenges facing secondary school teachers in executing their duties for effective job performance through a qualitative case study design. The study participants were secondary school teachers, heads of schools, and the District Education Officer. A total of 111 respondents were involved, including 100 teachers, 10 heads of schools, and 1 District Education Officer. In collecting data, interview and focus group discussion (FGD) methods of data collection were used for the purpose of this study. The data were analyzed through content and thematic analysis. The study found teachers are burdened with several challenges, including but not limited to an unfriendly working environment, a shortage of teaching and learning materials, low achievement of students in science subjects, poor cooperation between parents and teachers, poor cooperation accorded by employers, a lack of overtime and/or housing allowances, and political influences on teaching and learning processes. The study concluded that teaching, apart from being a noble profession that prepares not only leaders but also champions of various fields, has grown to be forgotten. Thus, it is recommended that there are significant needs to shift priorities and attention towards the teaching profession. One key aspect highlighted is the need for better compensation and entitlements for teachers, including salaries, subsistence allowances, extra-time allowances, and access to teaching and learning materials. Moreover, addressing these challenges requires comprehensive support and tailored interventions from educational institutions, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the education sector.

Application of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in Formative and Summative Assessments of Kiswahili Language: A Case of Secondary Schools in Meru District Council

Currently, the educational field emphasizes on the teaching and learning that is competence based. This article examines how Bloom’s Taxonomy is applied in formative and summative assessments of Kiswahili language in secondary schools. The article is guided by Vygotsky’s Cognitive Development Theory. Data were collected through interview, documentary analysis and observation. Kiswahili language teachers were involved in data collection. The findings reveal that in assessment of Kiswahili language, the Lower Order Thinking skills is highly applied in formative assessment while the Higher Order Thinking skills is mostly included in summative assessment. The reason behind this is that many Kiswahili teachers lack enough skills on composing HOTs questions, as well as preparing LOTs and HOTs questions based on competence-based approach. Therefore, Kiswahili teachers need more trainings on Bloom’s Taxonomy application in line with competence-based approach; this could be done through workshops, sharing knowledge between teachers within the school, and interschool cooperation.

Contribution of the Tanzania Police Gender and Children Desk on Reduction of Gender-Based Violence in Meru District, Tanzania

This study assessed the contribution of the Tanzania Police Gender and Children Desk on reduction of gender-based violence in Meru District in Arusha Region, Tanzania. The objectives of this study were to examine community perceptions of the effectiveness of the Tanzania Police Gender and Children Desk in addressing gender-based violence, to determine the extent of incidences of gender-based violence resolved by the Tanzania Police Gender and Children Desk, and to analyze the influence of the police gender and children desk in addressing gender-based violence. A cross-sectional design was adopted, involving 120 respondents. Data were collected using a household self-administered questionnaire and key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression methods were used in analyzing the collected data. Results showed that the majority of the respondents (65.0%) perceived TPGCD as highly effective in addressing gender-based violence, 26.7%) perceived TPGCD as moderately effective in addressing gender-based violence, and 8.3% perceived TPGCD as lowly effective in meeting its objective of addressing gender-based violence, among others. Likewise, there was a substantial decrease in incidences of gender-based violence in the areas with TPGCD centers, indicating that the decline was due to the eminent effects of TPGCD. Further, the contributions of TPGCD included receiving and summoning resolutions of reported GBV cases, training police officers on GBV issues, and creating awareness among community members about GBV issues. The study concludes that there is a positive influence of TPGCD on the reduction of gender-based violence in the study area. Moreover, it is recommended based on this study that the government, through its Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, amicably extend PGCD throughout all institutions and ward authorities to enable all community members to get gender awareness and access services regarding incidences of GBV in their communities.

The Challenges of Managing Extracurricular Activities for Pre-Primary Children's Physical Development in Meru District Council-Arusha

Globally, extracurricular activities promote children's readiness to master their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. This study assessed the challenges in managing extracurricular activities toward children's physical development. The Administrative management theory by Henry Fayol and Froebel's Play Theory was employed in this study. The study employed semi-structured interviews with five pre-primary teachers, five head teachers and five sports teachers. The findings suggest the existence of the following challenges: the shortage of playing facilities in schools, a lack of some children's interest in participating in extracurricular activities, a lack of in-service training on handling extracurricular activities which promote children's physical development, tight school timetables and schedules with no space for extracurricular the participants also shortage of funds to run extracurricular activities. To address the challenges, schools started small projects for fundraising, promoting teachers' mentorship and collaboration among schools to share knowledge and skills on how extracurricular activities encourage children's physical development. Schools frequently meet with parents to emphasise the importance of extracurricular activities to their children's physical development. The study recommended that the school management team educate parents on the importance of extracurricular activities. Further, research needs to be done on the influence of physical development on a child's academic achievement.

The application of language games in teaching and learning the English language in lower secondary schools: a case of the Meru district council (Tanzania)

Language games are one of the significant techniques appropriate for teaching and learning a foreign language. This paper examines how language games are applied in teaching and learning the English language in lower secondary schools: a case of Meru District Council (Tanzania). The paper is guided by the Communicative Language Teaching Approach. This study was qualitative; hence, data were collected from eight secondary schools through interviews and observations and then analysed thematically. Thirteen English language teachers were involved in data collection. The findings show that the majority of English language teachers do not use language games in language classes. The reasons for this are that many such teachers have had little exposure to a variety of games and lack awareness of language game instruction being among the techniques for teaching and learning the English language; hence, they lack the knowledge, skills, and competencies to apply such games in the language class. This study recommends that capacity building for English language teachers is needed, particularly in the language games technique.

Seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis and associated risk factors among smallholder dairy cattle farmers in Hai and Meru District Councils Northern Tanzania.

Seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis and associated risk factors among smallholder dairy cattle farmers in Hai and Meru District Councils Northern Tanzania.

Effects of Sexual Violence on Girls’ and Women’s Well-Being in Meru District Council

This study examined the effects of sexual violence on girls’ and women’s wellbeing. It was conducted at Meru District Council. It used a sample size of 154 girls and women obtained by using simple random sampling technique. Cross-sectional research design was used in which quantitative data were collected. They were collected using questionnaire with a Likert Scale where statement(s) like highest, high, average, low and very low were used to show the level of sexual violence effects to the respondent(s). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics in which frequencies and percentages were produced with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) ver.20. The study found that sexual transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies are the most sexual violence effects to women and girls. This paper concludes that sexual transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies are the most sexual violence effects noticed in the study area at the rate of 81.8% and 78.5% respectively. These effects affect the well-being of girls and women which encompasses various aspects of their lives, including physical health, mental and emotional well-being, social connections, and access to opportunities. It is recommended that community, civil society organizations and the government should play their vital role to ensure sexual violence practices in the study area are reduced and eventually completely abolished.

Electronic Governance System Implementation and Its Influence on Public Secondary School Management: A Case Study of Meru District, Tanzania

This study aimed to assess the application of electronic governance systems and their influence on the governance of public secondary schools in Meru district. The following were the objectives: determine the extent of applicability of electronic governance systems in school management and their influence on the management of public secondary schools, and to investigate the challenges faced by heads of schools in executing electronic governance systems. Theory of acceptance and use of technology developed by Venkatesh guided the study. Convergent mixed design was adopted, targeting 72 participants, including 44 school heads, 26 WEOs, DSEO and DITO. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Questionnaires, observation checklists, and interview guides used to collect data were validated through the use of experts. Cronbach alpha was used to estimate the reliability of instruments yielding satisfactory results of HoSQ =0.78 and WEOsQ = 0.82. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis coding to identify patterns and themesData were analyzed using tables, frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and thematic coding. The findings indicated a positive trend in the application of electronic governance systems in public secondary schools’ management. In conclusion, despite the challenges, electronic governance systems are still applied in the management of public secondary schools in Meru district. Recommendations were made for heads of schools to address the identified challenges, for ward education officers to provide support and guidance, and for policy makers and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to formulate policies and allocate resources to promote the application of electronic governance systems in schools.

Hearing Impairment; Barrier to Social Participation for Secondary School Students in Meru District-Arusha

This study assessed barriers to social participation for secondary school students with hearing impairment in Meru District, Arusha. The study was guided by the Social Disability theory. Qualitative (descriptive) research design were applied whereby a total of 143 respondents were included in the study. Data were collected through focus group discussion (FGDs), interview and classroom observation. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The findings revealed that lack of sign language interpreters and discrimination of people with HI in the community leads to their poor participation in the community. This study concluded that there is a need to create awareness among community members that hearing impairment is a medical condition that can be handled. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the government of Tanzania should introduce sign language lesson from primary schools to tertiary institutions basically to enhance interaction between learners with hearing impairment and other people in the society.

Sexual Violence Prevalence Against Girls and Women: A Case of Meru District Council

Despite efforts made by governments, communities, and development groups, sexual assault against girls and women has been rising globally. For instance, the Sexual Offences Special Provisions Act of 1998, which specifies actions to be taken when sexual violence is reported, is in effect in Tanzania. This paper on sexual violence prevalent against girls and women is aimed at determining the extent to which sexual violence prevails in the study area. It used a sample size of 399 respondents, which included girls and women, who were obtained by using a simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire and a documentary review were used to collect data. The questionnaire was designed in such a way that the number of sexual violence occurrences could be determined. A scale interval of 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, and over 8 cases per month was used to determine the number of sexual violence occurrences and, consequently, sexual violence prevalence. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze data in which frequencies and percentages were produced and presented in tabular forms. The study found that sexual harassment was the most prevalent form of sexual violence (22.1%), followed by child abuse (16.2%). These findings indicate that community members should be ready to unveil all actions that contribute to sexual violence practices and abandon cultural practices that give men the power to do whatever they wish to do to women and girls.

Adequacy of Human Resources on the Implementation of Early Childhood Education in Public Pre-Primary Schools in Meru District, Tanzania

This study was conducted to assess the adequacy of human resources on the implementation of early childhood education in public pre-primary schools in Meru District Tanzania. The study was guided by the system theory developed by Ludwig Bertalafy in 1971. The study employed a convergent mixed method research design whereby probability and non- probability sampling techniques were used to select the study sample which consists of 1 DPEO, 4 WEO’s, 30 head teachers of pre-primary schools and 30 pre-primary teachers. The questionnaire, interview guide and observation guide were used in data collection. The content validity of the research instruments was determined by two research experts, one expert in assessment and evaluation and the second in Management and Planning in from MWECAU, while the reliability coefficient of 0.962 was calculated by using Cronbach’s Alpha. Quantitative data were analysed by using means, frequencies, and percentages and presented in table form with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 software while the qualitative data were summarised, coded, analyzed, and presented in narration form according to the themes created from the research questions. The findings revealed that human resources are adequate to implement ECE; most of the teachers were competent in various areas included: early childhood classroom management, communication with pupils in pre-primary classes, ability to identify and respond to the individual needs of pre-primary children. Moreover, the study exposed that most of the teacher’s lack frequently training on how to implement a preschool curriculum. On top of that the teachers, as well as heads teachers complained about the teacher-students’ ratio which revealed that most of the classes were overpopulated and the ratio of teacher-student did not comply with the government guide of 25 students per teacher. The study concluded that most of the public pre-primary schools have adequacy teaching staffs that are competent in their field for implementation of early childhood education. The study recommends that, there is a great need for the government to increase employment opportunities of ECE teachers as well as to build more classrooms in pre-primary schools

Approaches Taken to Ensure Intellectually Impaired Pupils Receive Basic Primary Education at Patandi Primary School Meru District, Arusha Tanzania

The study focused on formative evaluation on Approaches Taken to Ensure Intellectually Impaired Pupils Receive Basic Primary Education at Patandi Primary School Meru District, Arusha Tanzania. This study was guided one evaluation question. This study employed case study design under qualitative research approach where non-Probability sampling techniques were employed. The evaluation study seeks to evaluate the approaches taken to ensure that intellectually impaired pupils receive basic primary education at Patandi primary school. The respondents of this question are the District Education Officer, the ward education officer, the project coordinator and teachers who teach the intellectual impaired pupils at Patandi Primary School. The instruments of collecting data included, Interview guide for teachers, Interview guide to the project coordinator, Interview guide for the District Education Officer (DEO), Interview guide for ward educational officer and observation guide for pupils. Document analysis guide was used to obtain more information about the school. The data was collected and coded, organized, analysed under qualitative approach, then the relevant information was extracted, interpreted and discussed. The evaluator provided the instruments to two lecturers of Mwenge Catholic University who are experts of evaluation from education field to check the extent to which the instruments reflect the evaluation questions and the problem ad their recommendations were considered. The evaluator employed triangulation method for all evaluation instruments to ensure consistence of the information provided by the respondents by making comparison of the information that will be provided. Piloting of instruments carried out in one primary school which offers special education for intellectually impaired pupils in Moshi Municipality. The respondents of the theme under question one are; District education officer, ward education officer, project coordinator and the all 4 teachers who teaches pupils with intellectual impairment. The approaches including announcements and assessment of a child individually and registering a child as a pupil of Patandi Special Education primary school in stage one, stage two or Autism. The conclusion of this study showed that the youngsters with mental disabilities should be enrolled to school to acquire education on basic knowledge that could help them in their daily life. The recommendations showed that Parents/Guardians should be educated on Intellectual impairments that is not caused by superstitions but it is health/intellectual problem of a child. The government should increase number of Special Needs Educational Teachers and motivate them.

Employees’ Perspectives on the Role of Informal Communication on Organizational Performance in Tanzania: A Case of Selected Higher Education Institutions in Meru District-Arusha

Though it may have various senses to different organizations- interaction, relationship, exchange, influence, control, power and community; in its application, informal communication typically occurs outside of customary official channels. It is not only a significant part of the communication networks of an organization but also has an important influence on it. This form of communication does not follow the ordinary stipulations because it is based on personal connections of the organization’s members, since it moulds, mainly, personal or group interests. Various studies on this area stress on the fact that many managers overlook the importance of informal communication as they rely solely on formal channels of information flow. In this line of argument, the current paper investigates the place of informal communication in two selected Universities in Meru District- Arusha region. Specially, the present study was guided by two objectives which were intended to identify and determine: (i) forms of informal communication which are common in the researched institutions and (ii) the importance of informal communication in organizational performance. The researcher targeted both academic and administrative staff with the later involving top management personnel, necessitating the use of stratified and purposive to select a total of 54 respondents. The research sought to collect qualitative data, thereby, using qualitative research approach. Qualitative research approach was employed in order to collect qualitative data concurrently through scaled-items questionnaire and open-ended interviews, and analyse them separately, but merge the results during analysis and interpretation. Analysis of data from questionnaires involved simple calculations on excel while thematic analysis was applied regarding interview data. Interpretation and eventual discussion based on side-by-side comparison of the two forms of data. Generally, findings from the field revealed that most top management in the researched Universities do not treat informal messages with the required importance. Chief forms of informal flow of information were found to be casual talks during tea/ lunch break (rumour and gossip), walk and talk as well as single strand network. On the other hand, the findings show that informal messages are indispensable, quicker and plenty, may increase sense of job satisfaction and aid in workers’ emotional relief; thereby making informal communication very crucial in organizational performance. The researcher eventually recommends for a well-developed policy for information flow to avoid negative effects of rumour and gossip. Managers are advised to take informal messages seriously so as to utilize their positive feedback and get rid of the negative ones. The researcher also recommends for further studies on the best practices on handling flow of informal messages, how to fully utilize the potentials of informal communication and comparison between the positive and negative feedback of informal communication in organisational settings to mention but a few.

Willingness to HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening and its predictors among women attending outpatient clinics in Meru District, Arusha Region, Northern Tanzania.

The ability for women to self-collect human papillomavirus (HPV) samples can potentially reduce the risk of cervical cancer and increase screening coverage. To assess the willingness to HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening and its predictors among women attending outpatient clinics in Arusha region, northern Tanzania. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 706 women aged 18-55 years in Meru District Hospital and Usa River Health Centre from March to April 2019. Face-to-face intervies were conducted using a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Stata version 14.0. The log-binomial regression was used to determine factors associated with willingness to self-collection of HPV samples. Majority (70%) of the women were willing to self-collection of HPV samples for cervical cancer screening and was associated with attending Meru District hospital (PR=2.02, 95%CI 1.77-2.31); good knowledge about cervical cancer warning signs (PR=1.11, 95%CI 1.01-1.22), prevention (PR=1.13, 95%CI 1.04-1.20), and symptoms (PR=1.61, 95%CI 1.33-1.93); and having formal employment (PR=1.22, 95%CI 1.07-1.37). The majority of women were willing to self-collect HPV samples for cervical cancer screening. Self-collection is, therefore, an acceptable and viable means of screening for cervical cancer, which has great implications for Tanzania from a health policy perspective.

Teachers' Participation in Decision Making and Work Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Meru District Council in Arusha Tanzania

Teachers' participation in decision-making plays a significant in their work performance. In Tanzania, the idea of participation in decision-making emerged from decentralization policy and was adopted in the field of education through the Education and Training Policy of 1995. The theme was to emphasize that school administrators involve teachers in decision-making to improve school work performance. This study sought to find out the relationship between teachers' participation in decision-making and their work performance and identified the factors affecting teachers' participation in decision-making to work performance in secondary schools. Also, the study anchored on Transformational Leadership Theory developed by Mac Gregory Burns in 1978. Moreover, the study adopted a mixed research approach specifically convergent parallel to collate data from teachers, heads of schools, WEOs, and DEO for secondary schools. Validity and reliability of quantitative instruments were tested through content and appearance whereby 0.82 correlation coefficients were obtained to indicate the instruments were valid and reliable. Likewise, the reliability of qualitative tools was obtained through a triangulation system. Quantitative data were analyzed through a computer software program known as SPSS version 20 while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis methods which involved assigning data into themes, categories, and summarization. The findings demonstrated that there is a relationship between teachers' participation in decision making as it increases efficiency, commitment, accountability and enhances students' performance. Also, the study indicated that teachers' participation in decision-making was affected by inadequate time for participation, financial challenges, facilities, transparency, and lack of leadership training. These factors led to poor academic performance in schools.

Information Management Needs among Small holder Farmers: The Case of Poultry Famers in Arusha of Tanzania

Thirty-seven (37) smallholder poultry farmers from four Arusha and Meru districts villages in the Arusha region were interviewed to gather insight into their farms’ information management needs and challenges. The farmers were interviewed to obtain information regarding their farming system, mobile phone usage and record-keeping behaviour. The primary aim was to acquire the smallholder poultry farmer’s needs regarding information management and gather the possible requirements to assist in the system development process. The farmers interviewed kept 300 to 1000 chickens for either meat or egg production. The interviews revealed that 30% of the farmers kept records of varying quality in farm logbooks. The main interest in record-keeping was on three farm production, sales, health, and finances. All farmers owned at least one mobile phone and used its primary communication function to run their businesses, and 75% of the farmers kept their records in diaries and notebooks for a short period. None of the farmers used the cell phone to record detailed information on the farm, although some used the calendar for vaccination reminders and mobile money transactions. With observed farmers’ information management needs, the system that will help them record their data and manage the information, give back analyses reports, and register their farms is required by the farmers to satisfy the needs.