Extensiveness of Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project on Ensuring Girls' Access to Secondary Education in Alternative Education Pathway Learning Centres in Mwanza Region, Tanzania
Keywords:
Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project, Alternative Education Pathway Learning Centres, girls' education, girls' access to secondary educationAbstract
Girls' access to secondary education remains a global challenge, especially in developing countries where socio-economic and cultural barriers persist. This study assessed the reach of the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQUIP) in providing girls with access to secondary education through Alternative Education Pathway Learning Centres (AEPLCs) in Mwanza Region, Tanzania. Guided by the CIPP Model developed by Daniel Stufflebeam (1971), the evaluation used a convergent mixed-methods design, allowing for the simultaneous collection and integration of qualitative and quantitative data. The target population comprised 531 individuals from eight district councils, with a total sample of 304 participants selected through a combination of probability and non-probability sampling methods. Data were gathered using questionnaires and interviews, with instruments validated by three education assessment and evaluation experts. Reliability coefficients for the questionnaires were .914 for students and .715 for project facilitators. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 27, employing descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings indicated that, to a significant extent, SEQUIP improved girls' access to AEPLCs through fee abolition and community sensitisation, with grand mean scores of 3.46 for students and 3.70 for facilitators. The study concluded that SEQUIP enhanced girls' enrolment opportunities, although ongoing challenges such as the limited number of learning centres in some wards and geographical barriers remain. The evaluation recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and partners, intensify awareness campaigns and invest in facilities and transport to improve access to a very high extent.
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