Strategies for Addressing Teachers’ Workload under Fee-Free Basic Education in Tanzania: Special Focus on Students’ Social Development

Abstract

This study investigated the strategies for addressing the increased teachers’ workload to promote students’ social development after the introduction of fee-free education in Tanzania. The government of Tanzania’s vow to expand school places in secondary schools in 2015 increased the burden on teachers, as the expansion of enrolment was not supported by a corresponding recruitment of teachers. The objectives of the study were to explore school management's interpretation of teachers’ workload for students’ social development and to investigate the strategies adopted to address the increased teachers’ workload in relation to the social lives of students. Using the ethnographic design of a qualitative research approach, the study employed in-depth interviews with four heads of secondary schools, four academic unit heads and four discipline unit heads forming a school management team. Data were analysed using Roper and Shapira’s (2000) five stages of thematic analysis. The results presented the participants’ perspective, defining teachers’ role in students’ social lives as crucial and irreplaceable, irrespective of the class size. Further, the study established that the strategies for addressing teachers’ workload for students’ social aspects included enhancement of school and community-based strategies aimed at reinvigorating the students’ social development rather than relieving teachers of their natural role. It is concluded that the student’s social growth is not yet addressed properly due to the absence of objective standards for measuring attainment of social competencies as is the case with academics. The study therefore recommends the establishment of assessment criteria for ascertaining the fidelity of implementing social aspects.