Contribution of Food Provision Strategy Employed By Heads of Public Secondary Schools in Enhancing Students’ Attendance in Sikonge District, Tanzania
Downloads
This study aimed to investigate the contribution of food provision strategy employed by heads of public secondary schools in enhancing students’ attendance in Sikonge District, Tanzania. A convergent design under a mixed methods approach was used. The target population included 21 secondary schools, 21 heads of schools, 543 teachers, 6418 parents, and 3209 students. A sample of 6 schools, 6 heads of schools, 54 teachers, 321 students, and 12 parents was obtained using probability and non-probability sampling techniques. Heads of schools were sampled through criterion purposive, parents through snowball, teachers and students through stratified random sampling. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for teachers and students, interview guides for heads of schools and parents, and document analysis guides. Validity was ensured by three experts from Educational Planning and Administration. A pilot test in one secondary school involved 40 respondents, who were excluded from the main study. Reliability of questionnaires was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha, yielding .930 for teachers and .747 for students. Trustworthiness of qualitative data was ensured through peer debriefing and triangulation. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 23, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Research ethics, including consent and confidentiality, were observed. Findings revealed that food provision strategy in public secondary schools positively influence students’ attendance and classroom concentration. However, the current strategy remains inadequate. The study concluded that the government should support parents in providing at least one meal daily and educate them on their responsibility in food contribution.
Downloads
1. World Conference on Education for All, & Meeting Basic Learning Needs. (1990). World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs. Inter-Agency Commission.
2. Lee, J., & Su, M. (2022). Centering whole-child development in global education reform. Routledge
3. Adipat, S., & Chotikapanich, R. (2022). Sustainable development goal 4: an education goal to achieve equitable quality education. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 11(6,174-183).
4. Kapur, D., Lewis, J. P., & Webb, R. C. (2011). The World Bank: its first half century (Vol. 1). Brookings Institution Press.
5. Canbolat, Y., Rutkowski, L., & Rutkowski, D. (2024). Empty Plates, Empty Seats: Food Insecurity and Student Absence in the US and across the Globe. Ed Working Paper No. 24-1106. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
6. Ogidi, M., Aromolaran, A., & Ugi Fredrick, B. (2025). School Feeding Program in Nigeria: Ethical Issues. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management (IJSRM), 13(02), 8436-8462.
7. Miya, B., Ochi, M., & Andanje, T. (2023). Factors contributing to student absenteeism in secondary schools. African Journal of Education Research, 15(4), 167-179.
8. Liguori, J., Osei-Kwasi, H. A., Savy, M., Nanema, S., Laar, A., & Holdsworth, M. (2024). How do publicly procured school meals programmes in sub-Saharan Africa improve nutritional outcomes for children and adolescents: a mixed-methods systematic review. Public Health Nutrition, 27(1), e213.
9. Rojas, M., Nizeyimana, J., & Murenzi, F. (2020). School absenteeism in Uganda: Barriers and solutions. Education Policy and Development, 7(4), 112-130.
10. Nizeyimana, J., Rojas, M., & Murenzi, F. (2021). Socio-economic challenges affecting school attendance in Rwanda. Education Policy Studies, 7(3), 189-201.
11. United Republic of Tanzania. (2023). Education and Training Policy (ETP), 2014 (Reviewed 2023). Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
12. United Republic of Tanzania (2023). The basic educational statistics.
13. United Republic of Tanzania. (2009). Basic Education Act (Revised 2019). Government Press.
14. United Republic of Tanzania. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (2023). National Guideline for the Management of Parent-Teacher Collaboration Activities in Pre-Primary and Primary Education in Mainland Tanzania. Dodoma, Tanzania: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
15. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (2016). Circular No. 3: Guidelines on student attendance in secondary schools. Ministry of Education, Tanzania
16. Kataga, Esther, and Prospery M. Mwila. "Strategies for Managing Truancy and Dropout Rates in Secondary Schools: A Study in Temeke Municipality, Tanzania." Contemporary Research Analysis Journal 1, no. 06 (2024): 188-194.
17. Masenya, S. I. (2023). Analysis of Issues Related to Truancy Among Students in Community Secondary Schools: A Case of Buhigwe District Council, Kigoma in Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation, The Open University of Tanzania).
18. Pezzulo, C., Alegana, V., Christensen, A., Bakari, O., & Tatem, A. (2022). Understanding factors associated with attending secondary school in Tanzania using household survey data. PLoS ONE, 17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263734
19. Kitambazi, A., & Lyamuya, R. (2022). Effects of child labour on school attendance in Muheza district, Tanzania. East African Journal of Education Studies, 5(4), 1-19.
20. Misinde, S. (2020). The Role of Food Programme in Reducing Truancy in Community Secondary Schools in Tanzania: The Case of Musoma District Council (Doctoral dissertation, The Open University of Tanzania)
21. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
22. Ozherelev, N. (2025). The Progressive Human Motivation and Needs
23. Shrestha, L., Parmar, A., Kulig, B., Hensel, O., & Sturm, B. (2020). Feeding practices of pre‐school children and associated factors in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 33(2), 241-251.
24. Tamiru, Y., Mulugeta, A., Ayelign, A., Jara, D., Melaku, E., & Gebremedhin, S. (2024). Perceived benefits and challenges of school feeding program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a qualitative study. Journal of Nutritional Science, 13, e32.
25. De Dieu, H. J., Theogene, H., Emmanuel, N., Faustin, M., Abdou, M., Emmanuel, N., & Ke, Z. (2023). School Feeding Programme Effectiveness and its Challenges in Basic Education Schools in Rwanda. African Educational Research Journal, 11(3), 338-350.
26. Roothaert, R., Mpogole, H., Hunter, D., Ochieng, J., & Kejo, D. (2021). Policies, multi stakeholder approaches and home-grown school feeding programs for improving quality, equity and sustainability of school meals in northern Tanzania. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, 621608
27. Mabula, P., Mkulu, D. G., & Tangi, F. (2023). Effectiveness of School Feeling Program on Enhancing Students' Learning in Public Secondary Schools: A Case of Misungwi District. International Journal of Research in Education and Psychology (IJREP), 9(4) https://doi.org/10.54513/IJREP.2023.9403
28. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
29. Vasileou, K., Barnett, J., Thoepe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterizing and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview- based studies: a systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15- year period. BMC Medical Research methodology,18, 148.https://dpo.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7
30. Taherdoost, H. (2019). What is the best response scale for survey and questionnaire design; review of different lengths of rating scale/attitude scale/Likert scale. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 8.
31. Hutchinson, D., & Chyung, S. Y. (2023). Evidence-based survey design: adding “moderately” or “somewhat” to Likert scale options agree and disagree to get interval-like data. Performance Improvement, 62(1), 17-24.
32. Acquah, J. N. E. (2023). The Impact of School Feeding Programme on Pupils’ Enrolment, Attendance and Retention in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Coast).
33. Appiah, K. (2024). Impact of School Feeding Programs on Student Attendance and Performance in Ghana. African Journal of Education and Practice, 9(2), 23-24.
34. Myende, P. E., & Nhlumayo, B. S. (2022). Enhancing parent–teacher collaboration in rural schools: parents’ voices and implications for schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 25(3), 490-514.
35. Sitali, C. (2021). Opportunities and Challenges of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme: A Case of Western Province, Zambia. International Journal of Research Granthaalayah.https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v9.i9.2021.4268.
36. Marcelline, M., & Andala, H.O. (2021). School Feeding Program and Students’ School Attendance in 12 Years Basic Education in Rwanda. Journal of Education, 5(3), 83-92. https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t50114
Copyright (c) 2025 Assumpta Revocatus, Rev. Dr. Eugene Lyamtane, Sr. Dr. Catherine Muteti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
