RUAHA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

This paper examined the influence of institutional arrangements on the delivery of secondary school education in the Tandahimba and Mtwara districts in Tanzania. The study was grounded in Theory of Change and Principal-Agency Theory. Cross-sectional explanatory research employed a semi-structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data from 229 secondary school teachers and District Secondary Education Officers. Also, an interview guide was used to collect qualitative data from District Executive Directors (DEDs), and District Secondary Education Officers (DSEOs) as key informants, whereas a focus group discussion was used to collect data from teachers and parents. The quantitative data were analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0, whilst the qualitative data was analysed by using content analysis. The findings revealed that recruitment and curriculum development are not sufficiently decentralised to enable effective delivery of education. As a result, the schools do not have enough decision-making space. The study concludes that institutional arrangement influences the delivery of education and hence students’ academic performance. The paper recommends that the central government ensure complete and accurate decentralisation of power to lower levels of the government. Local government authorities should provide schools with sufficient decision-making space in the implementation of their educational plans.

Decentralisation, Decision-making Space, Institutional arrangements