Reintegrating adolescent mothers into secondary education: investigating the availability and effectiveness of support systems in Mbeya region, Tanzania
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Despite recent policy reforms, such as Education Circular No. 2 of
2021 and the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Programme
(SEQUIP) initiative, aimed at facilitating school re-entry, adolescent
mothers continue to face considerable emotional, financial, and
institutional challenges. This study examines availability and per
ceived effectiveness of support systems for adolescent mothers re-
admitted to secondary schools in the Mbeya region of Tanzania.
Guided by Lazarus’s Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory
(CMRT), this paper employed embedded single case study design
involving 20 purposively selected student mothers across five sec
ondary schools, through focus group discussions and open-ended
questionnaires. Findings revealed that while informal support exists,
formal and coordinated systems remain fragmented and insuffi
ciently responsive to student mothers’ lived realities. The paper
emphasizes the need for integrated psychosocial, financial, and insti
tutional interventions that are contextually grounded and emotion
ally supportive. These findings contribute new insights into how
adolescent student mothers perceive and interpret support, offering
understanding of re-entry contexts.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Adolescents, Support, Student mothers, Secondary schools, Tanzania, Re-entry
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2025.2552335