The Challenges That Single Parented Students Face In Attaining Secondary Education

This study was designed to investigate the challenges that single parented students face in attaining secondary school education. The study was conducted in five government secondary schools in Kinondoni municipality. The study had three objectives with related tasks and questions. The study investigated the challenges encountered by single parented students in secondary school, how the challenges affected their education attainment and possible solution to the identified challenges. Qualitative approach was used. Data collection methods included interview, documentary analysis and focus group discussion. The sample of the study included 50 single parented secondary school students, 05 heads of secondary school and 05 secondary school teachers. Data were analysed thematically and presented in form of narrative. Findings revealed that challenges that single parented students face in attaining secondary education are not only multiple but also complex. They are complex because no single challenge that stand on its own and be able to explain the challenge without connecting to the other. Therefore the challenges revealed are economic hardship, lack of parental care, lack of supervision and monitoring, lack of guidance and counselling and socialization. It was also revealed that these have affected single parented students’ education attainment as they have poor academic performance, poor attendance, drop out of school, and engaging in bad behaviours. In the view of the findings it was recommended that single parent students who are living in economic hardship must be identified so as to be helped by the government in the payment of the fees. Also community, media, school administration are encouraged to offer guidance and counselling services to single parent students in order to encourage them to work hard and accept single parenthood and also to their parent on how best to rear these children,

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

The Open University of Tanzania

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Mrinde, Natujwa Josiah

• 370 Education

Language dc:language

en