Bridging access and quality: community perceptions of educational excellence under Tanzania's fee- free secondary education policy
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Date
2026-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Empirical Research
Abstract
Community perceptions play a critical role in the effective implementation of educational policies, particularly in resource-constrained urban contexts such as Tanzania, where rapid policy expansion can strain institutional capacity. Guided by socio-ecological theory and informed by the human capital perspective, this study examined multilevel factors shaping community
perceptions of the Fee-Free Education Policy (FFEP) and its influence on perceived educational quality in public secondary schools in urban Tanzania. The socioecological framework conceptualizes educational outcomes as interactions among individual,
relational, institutional, and community-level factors. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative
data from 239 students analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with qualitative insights
from 20 semi-structured interviews with head teachers and academic staff. The measurement model demonstrated strong reliability
and validity, while the structural model explained 26.1% of the variance in perceived educational quality (R² = 0.261). The results
revealed that parental involvement (β = 0.322, p < 0.001) and community material contributions (β = 0.252, p < 0.001) were the
strongest predictors of perceived educational quality, highlighting the central role of relational and organizational dynamics. In
contrast, socioeconomic status (β = 0.110, p = 0.252) and policy awareness (β = 0.092, p = 0.116) did not show significant direct
effects. Qualitative findings contextualized and extended these results through four key themes: the access quality paradox,
socioeconomic constraints as structural mediators of parental involvement, leadership variability as a critical implementation
moderator, and the unmet expectations narrative reflecting gaps between policy promises and implementation realities. These
insights reveal that socioeconomic conditions influence educational quality indirectly through parental engagement and resource
contributions, while leadership practices and resource constraints shape the effectiveness of policy implementation. The study
concludes that improving educational quality under the FFEP requires moving beyond policy awareness toward strengthening
community engagement mechanisms, enhancing resource mobilization, and addressing systemic capacity constraints. Building
adaptive school leadership, aligning policy communication with implementation realities, and establishing continuous monitoring
systems are essential for sustaining both equity and quality. The findings underscore the importance of participatory, system-oriented
approaches that integrate community involvement into school-level governance to support sustainable educational outcomes in
rapidly expanding education systems.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Community Perceptions, Educational Quality, Fee-Free Education Policy, Mixed-Methods Research, Policy Implementation, Stakeholder Engagement, Secondary Schools, Tanania
Citation
Semindu, O., Kadigi, M., & Kenya, N. (2026). Bridging access and quality: Community perceptions of educational excellence under Tanzania’s fee-free secondary education policy. African Journal of Empirical Research, 7(1), 1432-1449. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.1.121