Secondary School Administration Strategies for Promoting Students Welfare in Public Secondary Schools in Kibondo District in Kigoma, Tanzania
Keywords:
school administration, students’ welfare, guidance and counselling, public secondary schools, school leadership.Abstract
Students’ welfare is increasingly recognized as a prerequisite for quality education because it influences learners’ well-being, participation, and academic achievement. However, public secondary schools in rural Tanzania continue to face challenges in implementing effective welfare programmes. This study examined the strategies employed by school administrators in promoting students’ welfare in public secondary schools in Kibondo District, Tanzania. Guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. A sample of 150 respondents, comprising 12 school administrators, 38 teachers, and 100 students, was selected using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Quantitative data were collected through structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews. The internal consistence of was 0.954 as the Cronbach Alpha obtained for the questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that the overall implementation of students’ welfare strategies was moderate. Guidance and counselling, discussion of welfare issues during staff meetings, teacher involvement in welfare-related decision-making, and responsiveness to students’ concerns were the most commonly implemented strategies. However, weak welfare monitoring systems, inadequate health-related support services, insufficient learning resources, and limited parental involvement constrained effective welfare promotion. The study concludes that strengthening welfare policies, improving resource allocation, enhancing guidance and counselling services, and fostering stronger collaboration among schools, parents, and community stakeholders are essential for improving students’ welfare and academic achievement in public secondary schools. The findings provide evidence to inform educational policy and strengthen school leadership practices in Tanzania.
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