The Impact of Decentralization on Public Participation in Secondary Education Service Delivery in Tanzania: a Case of Kagera Region
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The University of Dodoma University of Dodoma Institutional Repository http://repository.udom.ac.tz Education Doctoral Theses 2017 The impact of decentralization on public participation in secondary education service delivery in Tanzania: A case of Kagera region Mwemezi, Peter The University of Dodoma Mwemezi, P. (2017). The impact of decentralization on public participation in secondary education service delivery in Tanzania: A case of Kagera region, The University of Dodoma, Dodoma. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/2420 Downloaded from UDOM Institutional Repository at The University of Dodoma, an open access institutional repository. THE IMPACT OF DECENTRALIZATION ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN SECONDARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY IN TANZANIA: A CASE OF KAGERA REGION PETER MWEMEZI DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA OCTOBER, 2017 THE IMPACT OF DECENTRALIZATION ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN SECONDARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY IN TANZANIA: A CASE OF KAGERA REGION By Peter Mwemezi A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Dodoma The University of Dodoma October, 2017 CERTIFICATION The undersigned certify that they have read and hereby recommend for acceptance by the University of Dodoma a thesis entitled: “The Impact of Decentralization on Public Participation in Secondary Education Service Delivery in Tanzania: A Case of Kagera Region” in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Dodoma. ................................................................................ Prof. Peter Kopoka (SUPERVISOR) Date.............................................................. ................................................................................ Dr. Ajali Mustafa (SUPERVISOR) Date.............................................................. i DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT I, Peter Mwemezi, declare that this thesis is my own original work and that it has not been presented and will not be presented to any other University for similar or any other degree award. Signature..................................................... No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the author or the University of Dodoma. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It seems unbelievable, but I was escaping writing this page, I was afraid not to know how to thank so many people on such an important journey like this, as it comes to an end. I would, however, like to begin with thanking God Almighty for giving me the strength to get here. Then I would like to thank my supervisors Prof. Peter Kopoka and Dr. Ajali Mustafa for their inspiration, mentoring and guidance which have been indispensable in the creation of this thesis. The researcher also acknowledges the contribution of the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies of the University of Dodoma for procedural support and technical guidance in accordance to UDOM in-house academic requirements. Thanks go to all supporting staff and particularly Dr. M. I. Hamisi for her efforts to enable me attain my long-term dream becomes true. Special thanks are also due to all individuals whose comments helped to improve this study. Thanks to Prof. A. Ame, Prof. A. Anangwe, Prof. D. Mwamfupe, Prof. A. Kaswamila, Prof. L. Mselle, Prof. A. Tenge, Prof. G. Mpangala, Dr. Nelson Ishengoma, Dr. Rehema Kilonzo, Dr. I. Kombo, Mr. Aman Mwakalapuka, Dr. V. George, Dr. P. Sengati, Mr. Haji Chang‟a, Mr. Romulus Msunga and Ms. S. I. Sawasawa, to mention but a few. My parents John Petro and Zeulia Petro had to sacrifice a lot to make me what I am today. They gave me the best they could offer. They will always be remembered. Finally, my wife Beath Christopher and my son and daughter, Francis and Flaviana had been always patient with me. My professional life made me unavailable to them on many occasions. I am extremely grateful to them. For any errors that may remain in this work, of course, the responsibility is entirely my own. iii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the loving memory of my beloved father, the late Mr. John Petro, my mother Zeulia Petro and also my late sister Devota John for laying my academic aspiration. iv ABSTRACT Local governments are the nearest tier of governments to the citizens and therefore represent instruments of responsibility and accountability to local communities, and constitute a means for delivering public policies and public services more efficiently because they are more aware of local problems and the policies needed to resolve them. The history of local government in Tanzania mainland has been on and off due to daunting and difficult adventure. This is to say, it was introduced soon after independence, abolished in 1972 and reintroduced in 1982 when the rural councils and rural authorities were re-established. The current Decentralization by Devolution (D-by-D) was introduced in 1990 after the re-introduction of local government authorities in 1983. It became operational in 1984 after the election of the councilors. This study focused on examining the nature of decentralization by devolution on public participation in secondary education delivery in Tanzania. The conceptual framework that guided the study was based on effective local governance that emphasized the need for public voice in decisions making, information sharing, recognition of these interests of participants and active responsibility. Rondinelli and Cheema (1983) attempted to explain decentralization as governance and an organizational arrangement and this insight critically informed the theoretical foundation of the study. The study employed a mixed approach, comprising qualitative and quantitative research with the qualitative paradigm being dominant. The study was undertaken under a descriptive research design under which a cross-sectional survey was used to collect hold of detailed information from Kagera Region. The evidence obtained indicates that decentralized education governance offers meaningful and potential v outcomes between community members and local governments in terms of improved delivery of services. However, the study also observes that the local government agencies attempted little to organize participation and responsiveness to local needs particularly in decision-making. But there are reasons to believe that given the opportunity to continue institutionalize local government over a long period, and following the decentralization reform route, decentralization by devolution will gradually bring about better results. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATION ........................................................................................................ i DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT ....................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ iii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. xiv LIST OF APPENDICES ......................................................................................... xvii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................... xviii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ....................................... 1 1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background to the Problem ................................................................................... 2 1.3 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 18 1.4 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................ 20 1.4.1 Broad Objective ................................................................................................ 20 1.4.2 Specific Objectives ........................................................................................... 21 1.5 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 21 1.6 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 22 1.7 Limitation of the Study ........................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................... 24 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 24 2.2 Definition of Key Terms ...................................................................................... 24 2.2.1 Decentralization ................................................................................................ 24 2.2.2 Governance ....................................................................................................... 26 2.2.3 Public Participation ..........................................................................................