Essay On School Dropout Rate

The report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) also shows that Uganda has the highest school dropout rate for females in East Africa. The rate shoots up to claim roughly half the class before the girls finish primary school due to lack of interest, pregnancy, early marriages, hidden costs at school, and family responsibilities which have driven thousands out of school (Vranish, 2011).

1.1.3 Educational policies and dropout in Tanzania

Tanzania similarly has been confronted by the problem of high school dropout rate, leading to a substantial number of secondary school children failing to complete years of secondary school life cycle (World Bank, 2004). The statistics for 2003 to 2008 in the table

For instance, in 2008 the total dropout was 521 and increased to 896 in 2012. The government of Tanzania has enacted legislation and adopted policies such as the National Education Act No. 25 of 1978 (NEA) and the Education and Training Policy (ETP) of 1995. However, the dropout cases continue soaring year after year. A good system of education must be effective not only qualitatively but also on the quantitative aspect specifically ensuring access and retention of students in schools (MoEC, 1995). Therefore, with reference to policy statements as well as previous studies and Basic Education Statistics in Tanzania (BEST) from the MoVET, it is imperative to find out the educational policies’ statements, relevance of these policies and identify the gap existing between policies and practices when it comes to dealing with the school dropout dilemma.

1.2 Statement of the problem

The government of Tanzania through various educational policies is committed to improving access to quality secondary school education in the country by reducing the dropout rate and ensuring that all enrolled students are completing four years education cycle. In fact, the 1978 Education Act No.25