Candidate Name:

Patroba Evarist

Registration Number:

2017-07-00149

Institution:

University of Dar es Salaam,

School of Education

Qualifications Attained:

Mr. Patroba Evarist is a PhD candidate in the Department of Educational Foundations, Management and Lifelong Learning (EFMLL), School of Education, at the University of Dar es Salaam. He completed a Diploma in Education at Butimba Teachers College in 2006. He started a Bachelors Degree in Arts with Education at the University of Dodoma (UDOM) in 2008 and completed in 2011. He then pursued a Masters Degree in Education Management and Planning (MEMP) at the Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) and completed in 2014. He is currently an Assistant Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Education and Mathematics, Faculty of Informatics and Technical Education (FITE) at the National Institute of Transport, Tanzania. He is a Certified Trainer of Trainers by NACTVET and teaches courses in education including Educational Management and School Administration, School Governance and Philosophy of Education. His research interests include Governance of Public Education, Educational Policies, Efficiency of Education Systems, Economics of Education, Educational Leadership and Management, and School Administration.

Title of Thesis:

The Impact of Decentralisation by Devolotion in Improving the Efficiency of Government Secondary Schools in Simiyu Region, Tanzania

Date of Viva Voce:

2^nd May, 2024

Venue:

Board Room SoED

Time:

10:00 a.m

Supervisors:

Dr. Patrick Manyengo & Dr. Benjamin Mbughi

Abstract:

This study investigated the impact of Decentralisation by Devolution (D by D) on improving the efficiency of government secondary schools in Simiyu region. Four research objectives guided the study: to determine the effect of decentralisation on improving the internal efficiency of government secondary schools in Simiyu region; to examine the effect of decentralisation on improving school cohorts’ survival rates in government secondary schools in Simiyu region; to examine the effect of decentralisation on improving schools’ national examination Grade Point Average (GPA) scores; and to determine the effect of decentralisation on improving technical efficiency of government secondary schools in Simiyu region. Kurt Lewin’s model of change management theoretical orientations guided this study. The study adopted quantitative research, particularly Time Series Cross-Sectional (TSCS) design to organise the research process. The study used Decentralised Decisions Rating Scales (DDRS) to establish indices of the dimensions of decentralisation. The checklists aided in collecting data on school enrollments and national assessment GPAs to calibrate efficiency indicators and outputs. A simple random sampling strategy helped to establish a sample of 20 secondary schools from Bariadi town and Busega district councils, whereas purposive sampling aided to obtain a sample of 30 participants involving two District Education Officers (DEOs), 13 Heads of Schools (HoS), seven assistant HoS and eight school statisticians. SPSS 25, Stata 15.0, and Smart PLS 4.0 statistical packages aided the estimation of test statistics. Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) regression analysis using Kenward and Rogers correction for small sample bias and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) aided the estimation of results. The results indicate that fiscal decentralisation indirectly decreased schools’ internal efficiency by 0.2, 0.7 and 0.9 percent due to Socio-Economic Status (SES) of the districts, school background factors and resources-student ratios respectively. On the other hand, the results indicate that decentralisation indirectly increased survival rates by 38.3 percent due to interaction between political decentralisation and school background factors. Moreover, the results indicate that decentralisation had both direct and indirect effects on school GPAs: Administrative decentralisation directly increased school GPAs by 17.8 percent but indirectly increased GPAs by 8.8 and 0.6 percent due to school background factors and SES. Similarly, political decentralisation directly increased school GPAs by 15.3 percent but indirectly increased GPAs by 8.4 and 0.7 percent due to school background factos and SES. Furthermore, the results indicate that decentralisation had both direct and indirect effects on schools’ technical efficiency: Administrative decentralisation directly increased technical efficiency by 0.34 percent, whereas fiscal decentralisation directly decreased technical efficiency by 1.7 percent. Similarly, the results indicate that political decentralisation indirectly increased technical efficiency by 0.4 percent due to school background factors. Therefore, policy makers should devise mechanisms to strengthen decentralisation for authorities at the grassroots level to affect school inadequacies.

Panel Members

No

Name

Designation

Rank

Unit

Prof. Abel Ishumi

Chairperson

Professor

Emeritus

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Hillary Dachi

Representing External Examiner

S/Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Ahadi Anania

Internal Examiner

Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Benjamin Mbughi

Candidate’s Supervisor

Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Nkanileka Mgonda

Head of the relevant department (or his/her appointee)

S/Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Fortunatha Matiba

Co-opted Member (appointed by College/School/Institute

S/Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Geness Shirima

Co-opted Member (appointed by College/School/Institute

S/Lecturer

SoED-EFMLL

Dr. Perpetua Urio

Appointee of the Principal for PhD only)

S/Lecturer

DUCE-EFMLL