Exploring factors contributing to girls' dropout in public secondary schools in Tanzania : a qualitative case study of Longido District, Tanzania

Abstract

Girls' education is one of the most valuable investments a society can make, but in some settings, girls leave school before completing even their basic education. Scholars often describe school dropout as the discontinuation of schooling before a learner graduate from an expected cycle of schooling due to various factors. However, in pastoralist districts like Longido in Tanzania, the specific ways these issues meet and how different stakeholders respond are not mapped in detail. The researcher decided to focus on this topic because, even with the government's Fee-Free Basic Education Policy, girls' attrition remains at higher rates, and their day-to-day experiences, along with the views of people around them, have rarely been examined in depth. Therefore, this research aims to explore how girls' dropping out of public secondary schools is actually experienced, understood, and addressed. A single-case embedded qualitative case study was employed in this research. Longido District was the case with two public secondary schools as embedded units of analysis. The research data were collected from ten participants, including three young women who had left secondary school, three parents, two school principals, and two community leaders, through semi-structured online WhatsApp interviews and document analysis. Data were analyzed and interpreted through reflexive thematic analysis, and Quirkos software supported that process. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner's (1986) Ecological Systems Theory, which emphasizes that human development is influenced by many interrelated factors rather than a single one. Findings show that the stakeholders have varied, multidimensional views about girls' attrition, seeing it both as a serious community-wide issue and also a deeply personal and emotional experience for the girls themselves. In addition, girls' choice to leave school is formed from a mix of socio-cultural processes, like gender bias, teenage pregnancy, and early marriage, along with socio-economic pressures such as poverty, child labor, and the general perception that education has low economic value. There are also school-based issues, namely, long distances and inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities. Schools and communities responded by providing school materials and parental awareness meetings. Nevertheless, these efforts were reactive and hindered by cultural beliefs and limited collaboration between schools and families. Finally, the study does more than only expose the lived realities of girls' dropout; it also provides useful context-specific information for policymakers, school administrators, and societies focused on improving female students' retention in secondary education. It also brings practical recommendations for strengthening policy enforcement, enhancing school support structures, and improving community involvement to reduce girls' dropout in Longido District and similar settings across Tanzania.