Community Participation in Community Secondary School Construction Projects in Kibaha District Council, Tanzania

Abstract

The centrality of participatory practices in recording development objectives is widely acknowledged. However, limited information exists on the factors that motivate community participation in the construction of community secondary schools. This article mends the said gap by exploring the factors that motivate community participation in community secondary school construction in Kibaha, Tanzania. The study utilised a descriptive research design, garnering primary data through 118 household surveys and 2 key informant interviews. The study also collected data through documentary reviews meant to triangulate the data gathered through interviews to deepen discussions and check primary data. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics software with simple frequency analyses presented in tables and discussed descriptively. Atlas ti was used to process qualitative data that eventually underwent content analysis and descriptive discussion. The study unveils that community participation in community secondary school construction is positively impacted by accumulated knowledge on participation, community secondary school benefits, transparency on income and expenditure, quality leadership, decentralisation of decision-making at low levels of governance, and local people empowerment. Conversely, the absence of these motivating factors has negative motivational effects on community participation in such projects. Hence, it is imperative to make concerted efforts to reinforce the positive motivational factors.  These efforts should include enhancing community awareness of participation, empowering community members to actively participate, fostering a culture of good governance, particularly in matters of financial transparency, and involving the community in decision-making throughout the implementation of development projects. Furthermore, clear explanations of the benefits accruing to communities from the construction of community secondary schools are essential.