A Gender Perspective of Selected Schools in Kinondoni Municipality

The selection of Kigogo and Hananasif Primary schools was achieved on 12^th October 2001, after a rigorous process that involved the assessment of 15 schools in the STEPS project area. The assessment was done by 6 Head Teachers, 5 WECs, and 1 Municipality Education Officer. The schools eligible for assessment were: Gilman Rutihinda Primary School;  Hananasif Primary School; Karume Primary School; Kigogo Primary School; Kinondoni Primary School; Magomeni Primary School; Nyerere Primary School; Mburahati Primary School; Mianzini Primary School; Mikumi Primary School; Muungano Primary School; Mwananyamala Primary School; Muongozo Primary School; Tandale Magharibi Primary School; and, Turiani Primary School. However, since the eligibility for selection was based on the presence of the respective School’s Head Teacher, only eight qualified (as shown in Table 4.1. below).

The selection process was based on criteria suggested and agreed upon by Head Teachers, WECs and Municipality Education representatives. The criteria included the following: number of pupils in the school; geographic location; immediate environment; socio-economic characteristics of the area; administrative location; academic performance; and, sex of the Head Teacher.

Table 1. Criteria for Selection of Gender Scoping Schools (November 2001).

School	Number of Pupils	Rank	Location	Environment	Rank in Economic Well being	Ward	Rank in Academic Performance	Sex of Head Teacher
Kigogo	1,750	7	Close	Good	8	Kigogo	6	Female
Karume	3,818	1	Close	Good	1	Makurumla	4	Female
Mwalimu Nyerere	3,200	3	Close	Good	2	Dugu	5	Female
Mburahati	2,900	4	Far	Good	3	Mburahati	2	Male
Muungano	1,824	6	Far	Fair	6	Mburahati	1	Female
Hananasif	3,462	2	Farthest	Unsatisfactory	4	Hananasif	3	Female
Turiani	2,500	5	Close	Unsatisfactory	5	Dugu	7	Female
Magomeni	1,584	8	Close	Unsatisfactory	7	Magomeni	8	Female

It was later agreed that selection be based on performance. Whether a school was deemed as performing above or below average.  Each of the 12 participants were requested to select one school to represent each side of the mentioned continuum. Hananasif Primary School was selected to represent the above average schools, while Kigogo Primary School was selected to represent the below average performing schools.

Key gender issues and areas of concern.  

As mentioned above, the gender scoping study was indeed a rigorous exercise that encompassed seven field based days (preceded by an orientation day). The process was based on extensive and comprehensive consultations with various stakeholders in the concerned area and respective school. These being: the School Committees; Teachers; Lower Grade pupils; Higher Graded pupils; and, parents. Each of these were awarded a half day to share their analyses on a myriad of factors that contribute to gender relations and other general school based problems as observed in their immediate academic environs. Where necessary, sex disaggregated focus groups were utilized in order to provide the concerned parties maximum comfort in sharing their views. Nevertheless, this was necessary only at Hananasif Primary School (especially because some of the stakeholders requested so).

The focus group members were thereafter requested to focus on the main problems that caused low or poor performance among girls in their primary school, urged to identify the main causes of these problems, as well as opportunities for solutions, before suggesting strategies to eliminate or minimize the factors. This was followed by a ranking process that created a list of priorities among the problems. The prioritization provided awareness on the locally based criteria for drawing out community perspectives on possibilities for various opportunities.

The data synthesis and analysis served to create consensus among the various stakeholders consulted through the gender scoping study.  The focus group based analysis in each of the selected schools dealt with the following issues: enrolment related problems for boys compared to girls, and drop out problems; performance related problems for boys compared to girls, at lower and higher grade; Teacher related problems, female compared to male teachers; School related problems, curriculum compared to teaching materials at lower vis-à-vis higher grades; and, management related problems from a gender perspective (whether gender is an issue in management at the  school level, the committee level, or the Municipality level).

A Gender Profile of Kigogo Primary School.    

Kigogo Primary School consists of 1,761 pupils (50.25% female), and 31 Teachers (80.6% female). The school is situated in Kigogo Ward, and is headed by a female Head Teacher. It comprises of  21 streams of classes, whereas five each are for Standards I and II; three streams for Standard III; and two streams each for Standards IV,V,VI, and VII. Girls dominate marginally in Standards IV (53.7%), V (51.1%), VI (50.6%) and VII (56.4%), while boys dominate in Standards I (52.3%), II (52%) and III (51.8%).

Table 2. Total Enrolment at Kigogo Primary School (November 2001).

Class/Sex	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Standard I	198	196	394	47.7%
Standard II	235	217	452	48%
Standard III	135	126	261	48.2%
Standard IV	92	107	199	53.7%
Standard V	86	90	176	51.1%
Standard VI	73	75	148	50.6%
Standard VII	57	74	131	56.4%
Total:	876	885	1761	50.2%

Information from the Kigogo’s school management shows that the total number of pupils to have dropped out from the school between 1996 and 2000 is 127. Boys made a larger proportion of the drop outs (67%), than girls (33%). Main reasons for dropping out were mainly: poor level of education among the parents; poverty; corporal punishment given by teachers; and, unwanted pregnancies; and, cultural customs that encourage girls to leave school for marriage. A closer scrutiny on drop out rates in standard 7, also reveals that the drop out rate for boys is still higher (62%), than that for girls (38%).

Reasons for dropping out at this grade are similar to those mentioned above for the whole school in general. In regards to daily school attendance, figures from standard 6 in 2001, show that in average a range of 81% to 90% of the girls in Standard VI attended regularly up to September 2001, as compared to a range of 75% to 90% for the boys. As regards performance in internal examinations, statistics provided by the Head Teacher (Table 4.3 below), show that in the Standard IV examinations, 82.6% of boys scored in the A,B,C categories, as compared to 71.4% of the girls.  A higher proportion of girls (28.6%), under-performed or scored in the D and E categories in comparison to boys (17.2%).

Table 3. Performance of Boys and Girls in Internal Standard IV Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1996 (180)	5	0	15	20	47	54	13	16	0	10
1997 (206)	8	2	20	23	42	53	14	30	6	8
1998 (204)	9	5	18	14	53	50	15	31	4	5
1999 (172)	12	7	25	21	35	45	10	13	2	2
2000 (179)	10	8	30	20	40	30	11	20	2	8
Total  (Boys:Girls)	44	22	108	98	217	237	63	110	14	33
% of total boys or girls	9.8%	4.4%	24.2%	19.6%	48.6%	47.4%	14.1%	22.0%	31.3%	6.6%
Total (946)	66		206		454		173		47
As % of All	6.9%		21.7 %		47.9%		18.2%		4.9%

The ratio for boys compared to girls in performance in the categories A to C was about 1:1.15 in favour of boys. This could be read as, for each girl who passed, there were nearly one a quarter boys who did so. While on the under performance side the ratio was 1.66 in favour of girls. In other words for each boy who underperformed, there were nearly one and half more girls who did so. In total, more than 946 pupils (500 girls and 446 boys), have sat for their internal examinations at the school between 1996 and 2000.

As of the external standard 4 examinations, statistics provided were only those for year 2000. These figures show that 54% of the boys scored above C, compared to 55% of the girls. In other words, girls slightly outperformed boys by a single percentage point in the mentioned year. In total, 192 pupils (104 girls and 88 boys), sat for the external standard 4 examinations at the school  2000.

Table 4. Performance of Boys and Girls in External Standard IV Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
2000 (192)	0	0	17	17	31	41	34	33	6	13
Total  (Boys:Girls)	0	0	17	17	31	41	34	33	6	13
% of total boys or girls	0%	0%	19%	16%	35%	39%	38%	31%	7%	12%
Total (192)	0		34		72		67		19
As % of All	0%		17.7 %		37.5%		34.8%		9.8%

As concerns the internal Standard VII examinations, a total, 621 pupils (366 girls and 255 boys), sat for their internal Standard VII examinations at the school between 1996 and 2000. In all, 68.4% of the boys scored in the A,B,C categories compared to 64.6% of the girls. However, the main difference is in the A category, where the ratio is 1:2.65 between boys and girls, meaning that for each girl in this category there are nearly 3 boys.

Table 5. Performance of Boys and Girls in Internal Standard VII Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1996 (82)	4	2	5	13	15	15	10	10	5	3
1997 (128)	7	4	13	8	25	30	11	15	6	9
1998 (98)	5	3	9	5	10	42	4	13	3	4
1999 150()	7	4	10	12	20	40	9	30	8	10
2000 (163)	3	1	9	16	33	42	20	27	4	8
Total  (Boys:Girls)	26	14	46	54	103	169	54	95	26	34
% of total boys or girls	10.1%	3.8%	18.0%	14.7%	40.3%	46.1%	21.1%	25.9%	10.1%	9.2%
Total (621)	40		100		272		149		60
As % of All	6.4%		16.1 %		43.8%		23.9%		9.6%

As regards under performance, 31.2% of the boys under performed compared to 35.1% of the girls. The proportion of girls who failed completely was slightly less than that for boys. In regards to the external Standard VII examinations, a total, of 541 pupils (313 girls and 228 boys), sat for their external examinations at the school between 1996 and 2000. Of these pupils, 67.4% of the boys and 43.6% of the girls passed their examinations by scoring in the A, B, C categories. The ratio here is 1:1.54, meaning that for each girl who passes, there are nearly one and a half boys doing so.

Table 6. Performance of Boys and Girls in External Standard VII Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1996 (89)	2	0	11	2	7	9	14	25	8	11
1997 86()	5	0	15	8	11	22	6	15	0	4
1998 (125)	5	3	12	6	22	30	10	27	2	8
1999 (131)	2	0	17	7	19	26	10	39	0	11
2000 (110)	3	1	5	3	18	20	20	30	4	6
Total  (Boys:Girls)	17	4	60	26	77	107	60	136	14	40
% of total boys or girls	7.4%	1.2%	26.3%	8.3%	33.7%	34.1%	26.3%	43.4%	6.1%	12.7%
Total (541)	21		86		184		196		54
As % of All	3.8%		15.8 %		34.0%		36.2%		9.9%

It is interesting to note that, girls generally perform better in internal examinations within the school than in the external versions. This obviously points towards gender related issues as regards their psychological and perhaps social-cultural induced fear for foreign invigilators and other supervisors during the external examinations. The number of Teachers at the school is 31, with 80.6% being female. Female teachers dominate throughout. However, more of the male teachers (67%), are Grade IIIA compared to the female teachers (56%).

Table 7. Qualifications held by Teachers (November 2001).

Grade/Sex	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Grade IIIA	0	0	0	0%
Grade IIIB	4	14	18	77.7%
Grade IIIC	2	11	13	84.6%
Total:	6	25	31	80.6%

Female teachers dominate as subject teachers in Maths (76%), English (88%), Natural Science (72%), Social Science (66%), Kiswahili (80%), and Art (76%). 

Table 8. Selected Subjects taught by Male and Female Teachers (November 2001).

Subject/Sex	Teacher
	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Maths	3	10	13	76.9%
English	1	8	9	88.8%
Natural Science	3	8	11	72.7%
Social Science	2	4	6	66.6%
Kiswahili	2	8	10	80%
Art	3	10	13	76.9%

On positions held, female teachers hold most of the top positions. In a way, this school appears to be a conducive area for fostering female leadership.

Table 9. Positions held by Male and Female Teachers (November 2001).

Subject/Sex	Teacher
	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Academic Teachers	1	1	2	50%
Subject Coordinators	5	7	12	58.3%
Environmental Teachers	2	1	3	33.3%
Class Teachers	2	14	16	87.5%
Discipline Teachers/Pupils	2	2	4	50%
Discipline Teachers	1	2	3	66.6%
Secretary	1	1	2	50%

Concerning the composition of the school committee, it was revealed that 33% of the committee members (4 out of 12), were female. The number of female school prefects was 44.7% (17 out of 38), while there was a 50-50 balance as regards the number of pupils in the pupil’s School Baraza, and that of class monitors. Overall it could be concluded that the above statistics show that Kigogo Primary School, being an urban based school, is relatively gender balanced in all levels. The main weaknesses observed were in the academic performance of girls in especially external examinations.

Gender issues and areas of concern at Kigogo Primary School.  

Teacher’s Views on Gender Problems.

The first group to identify gender issues and concerns was that of Teachers[1] from the school.  Nine teachers were selected for the focus group session, of whom only two were male.  The first factor they assessed was the trend line on the enrolment and performance of boys and girls at Kigogo Primary School. According to the trends observed, the enrolment of boys has always been higher than that of boys between 1995 and 2001. While the performance of girls and boys has varied over the years. The first three of problems ranked by the Teachers were infra-structure related problems (e.g., inadequate number of classrooms; shortage of desks, chairs, tables and bookshelves; poor drainage in the school compound), rather than gender related problems.

The gender related problems mentioned were not ranked even among the top 6 problems (e.g., truancy; domination of pupils from single parent homes; girls dropping out or skipping school after initiation ceremonies). This might imply that teachers see more urgency in the infra-structural deficiencies (which might have gender related impact), rather than the direct gender related problems. Shortage of classrooms, toilets and offices, was therefore the problem that teachers at the school suggested to be addressed first. Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of classrooms included: increasing the number of buildings in relation to number of pupils enrolled; rehabilitation and improvement of existing buildings; mobilization of community members to engage in income generating activities; government assisting in building more classrooms; government assisting in removing the depression in the school through a land fill scheme; construction of storied classrooms; the Municipality assisting in seeking donors; and, parents using the school committee to seek donors.

School Committee’s Views on Gender Problems.  

The second group to identify gender related problems and solutions at Kigogo PS was the school committee. Five members of the committee (one male), attended the focus group session[2]. Similar to the teachers, this group also identified more infra-structural related deficiencies (e.g., excessive contributions; shortage of desks; poor drainage), and some socio-economic related problems (e.g., poor income among the community members; poor cooperation between teachers and parents; and, parents under-rating the teacher’s qualifications), while the only directly gender related problem was the poor proportions between girls and boys selected for secondary school.

 In the ranking process, the first ranked problem was shortage of desks; followed by poor drainage and third was the problem of parents under-rating the qualifications of teachers at the school.   Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of desks included: mobilization of community members on contributing towards desks; increasing the number of classrooms in relation to pupil enrolment; government to assist in provision of desks; government to improve small loans to community members to reduce poverty; and, the government assisting in getting donors.

Lower Grade Pupil’s Views on Gender Problems.

The third group comprised of lower grade pupils. A total of 15 pupils (8 girls), were selected for this focus group session. Eight of the pupils were from Standard III[3] and the remainder from Standard IV[4]. The children identified a total of 17 problems. Gender problems mentioned were: girls being faced with excessive enticements; some girl and boy pupils being uncommitted to their education; truancy by especially boys; and, inadequate availability of playing fields for boys.

Other problems identified by the group included: absence of water in the toilets; inadequate number of toilets; and fetching water from home. Like the other groups, they also identified infra-structural related problems such as: shortage of desks; inadequate number of classrooms; poor drainage during the rainy season; worn out classes; absence of sports equipment; teachers withholding confiscated goods from pupils; a poor quality bell; some teachers not being diligent in their teaching; absence of food in the school compound; and, lack of clean and safe water.  The pupils ranked shortage of desks as the first problem; followed by some pupils neglecting their studies; and third was, inadequate number of classrooms.

Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of children neglecting their education, included: parents being sensitized to address the problem immediately; establishing closer cooperation between teachers and parents; preventing pupils from going to school with too much money; parents being more active in follow-up of their children’s education through letters; and, holding teacher-parent meetings to discuss pupil education and development matters.

Higher Grade Pupil’s Views on Gender Problems.    

A total of 15 higher grades boys (8 boys), and girls (7 girls), participated in the focus group session. Seven of the pupils came from Standard V[5] and the remainder from Standard VI[6]. Together they identified 20 problems.  These ranged from: truancy; teachers not being attentive to problems; low number of pupils selected to Form I; Inadequate rest time; teachers forcing pupils to remedial classes; teachers giving errands during classes; teachers not teaching well –especially, English; teachers being unable to give examples during classes; shortage of water at the school; shortage of teachers; shortage of desks; shortage of books; lack of permission to play sports; shortage of classrooms; shortage of teaching utilities; unsatisfactory toilet hygiene; poor drainage; and, worn out classrooms. None of the problems mentioned were direct gender problems, but most seemed to have gender related implications. The problem ranking showed shortage of desks as their first concern, followed by shortage of books, and third was lack of clean and safe water in the school compound. 

Parent’s Views on Gender Problems.  

The last group to identify gender related problems and solutions were 8 male and 4 female parents[7]. These identified 14 problems in three main categories: infra-structure based (e.g., shortage of teaching equipment, absence of a school library, poor drainage, shortage of classrooms, and poor school environment); teacher based (e.g., teachers being unmotivated to teach, teachers forcing pupils to pay tuition fees, poor cooperation between teachers and parents on enforcement of good values and norms, absence of parent-teacher meetings, and, teachers not preparing teaching notes); and pupil based (e.g., few pupils being selected to Form I, pupils being punished for not having money for tuition,  and truancy). The ranking process selected the following problems as the key issues: few pupils being selected for Form I; secondly, teachers being unmotivated in teaching and instead being inclined more for tuition fees; and, thirdly, shortage of teaching equipment at the school. The group designed a range of strategies for addressing the problem of few pupils being selected for Form I.

Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of low number of pupils being selected for Form I, included:  increased cooperation between teachers and parents; teachers improving their teaching instructions; parents taking education insurance for their children (making monthly savings);  government should assist community members with loans; government should assist with teaching utilities; teacher employment should be based on qualifications (and teachers should develop themselves); the government and other agencies should assist in providing food at the school; parents should trust teachers; parents should be reminded of their responsibilities and rights at school; and, government and other responsible agencies should settle disputes in schools immediately.

Consensus on Gender Problems.

At the end of the week, all participants from each focus group were invited to a joint feedback meeting where they had an opportunity to observe the problems and solutions suggested by other focus groups. The debriefing meeting was called in order to enable all focus group members share in the most common gender related problems in their concerned school.  The meeting therefore enabled them to select which was the most common gender related problem and well as solution among the focus groups. Thereafter, the participants were urged to agree on the best way forward for the school. After consensus was achieved, the meeting was concluded therewith.

Table 10. Consensus on Problems.

Focus Group	Number of Members		Problem
	Male Members	Female Members
Teachers.	2	7	Shortage of classrooms.
School Committee	1	4	Shortage of desks.
Class 3&4 Pupils.	7	8	Children neglecting their studies.
Class 5&6 Pupils.	8	7	Shortage of Learning and Teaching Materials (Books).
Parents.	8	4	Low number of pupils being selected to secondary school.

A Gender Profile of Hananasif Primary School.   

Hananasif Primary School consists of 3,486 pupils (49.94% female), and 66 Teachers (81.8% female). The school is situated in Hananasif Ward, and is headed by a female Head Teacher, Ms. Esther Mwakalinga, assisted by 4 Deputy Head Teachers (2 being female). The school comprises of 31 streams of classes, whereas six each are for Standards I and II; four streams for Standard III to Standard VI; and three streams for Standards VII. Girls dominate marginally in Standards II (51%), III (53%), and V (51%), while boys dominate in standards I (51%), IV (52%), VI (52%), and VII (51%).

Table 11. Total Enrolment at Hananasif Primary School (November 2001).

Class/Sex	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Standard I	323	339	662	49%
Standard II	363	354	717	51%
Standard III	289	257	546	53%
Standard IV	181	196	377	48%
Standard V	211	201	412	51%
Standard VI	182	194	376	48%
Standard VII	196	200	396	49%
Total:	1745	1741	3486	49.9%

The total number of pupils to have dropped out from the school between 1996 and 2000 is 157. Boys made a larger proportion of the drop outs (53%), than girls (47%). Main reasons for dropping out were mainly: truancy, death and, unwanted pregnancies. A closer scrutiny on drop out rates in Standards I-VII, also reveals that, out of the 71 girl drop outs, most of the girls dropped out during Standards III (18.3%), IV (14.0%) and VII (45%), while out of the 83 boys drop outs, they dropped out increasingly from Standard III (13.2%), Standard IV (18%), Standard V (16.8%), Standard VI (21.6%),  and progressively so towards Standard VII (22.8%). Reasons for dropping out were again similar as those mentioned above for the whole school in general. As concerns daily school attendance, figures from the school, show that in average a range of 64.1% to 88.8% of the girls in the school attended regularly up to December 2000, as compared to a range of 56.2% to 85.8% for the boys.

Relating to performance in internal examinations, statistics provided by the Head Teacher (Table 4.12 below), shows that 978 pupils (50.8% girls), sat for the internal Standard IV examinations between 1998 and 2000. Only 3.8% of the girls and 8.1% of the boys scored in the C category. A higher proportion of girls (96.2%), under-performed or scored in the D and E categories in comparison to boys (91.9%). As a matter of fact, for every boy that passes his examinations, 0.46 girls also pass. As of the external Standard IV examinations, statistics were not provided. 

Table 12. Performance of Boys and Girls in Internal Standard IV Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1998 (311)	0	0	0	0	7	5	76	105	60	58
1999 (283)	0	0	0	0	7	5	50	46	86	89
2000 (384)	0	0	0	0	25	9	105	131	65	49
Total  (Boys:Girls)	0	0	0	0	39	19	231	282	211	196
% of total boys or girls	0%	0%	0%	0%	8.1%	3.8%	48.0%	56.7%	43.8%	39.4%
Total (978)	0		0		58		513		407
As % of All	0%		0%		5.9%		52.4%		41.6%

As concerns the internal Standard VII examinations,  a total, 536 pupils (309 girls and 227 boys), sat for their internal Standard VII examinations at the school between 1999 and 2000. In all, 54.5% of the boys scored in the A,B,C categories compared to 45.2% of the girls. However, the main difference is in the A category, where the ratio is 1:0.82 between boys and girls, meaning that for each boy in this category there are only 0.82 girls.

Table 13. Performance of Boys and Girls in Internal Standard VII Examinations.

Year/Pass Grade	Grade A		Grade B		Grade C		Grade D		Grade E
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1999 (203)	3	0	15	29	19	34	31	44	14	14
2000 (333)	3	0	38	8	46	69	48	91	10	20
Total  (Boys:Girls)	6	0	53	37	65	103	79	135	24	34
% of total boys or girls	2.6%	0%	23.3%	11.9%	28.6%	33.3%	34.8%	43.6%	10.5%	11.0%
Total (536)	6		90		168		214		58
As % of All	1.1%		16.7%		31.3%		39.9%		10.8%

As regards under performance, 45.5% of the boys under performed compared to 54.8% of the girls. The proportion of girls who failed completely was slightly more than that for boys (e.g., 11.0% as compared to 10.5%). In regards to the external Standard VII examinations, no statistics were made available. The number of Teachers at the school is 66, with 81.8% being female. Female teachers dominate. However, more of the male teachers (58%), posses Diploma and Grade IIIA qualifications, compared to the female teachers (39.8%).

Table 14. Qualifications held by Teachers (November 2001).

Grade/Sex	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Diploma	2	1	3	33%
Grade IIIA	5	21	26	80.7%
Grade IIIB	-	-	-	-%
Grade IIIC	5	32	37	86.4%
Total:	12	54	66	81.8%

Female teachers again dominate as subject teachers in Maths (85%), English (88%), and Kiswahili (92%). 

Table 15. Selected Subjects taught by Male and Female Teachers (November 2001).

Subject/Sex	Teacher
	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Maths	4	23	27	85.1%
English	3	23	26	88.4%
Kiswahili	2	24	26	92.3%

On positions held, female teachers hold most of the top positions. In a way, this school appears to be a conducive area for fostering female leadership.

Table 16. Positions held by Male and Female Teachers  (November 2001).

Subject/Sex	Teacher
	Male	Female	Total	% Female
Head Teachers	0	1	1	100%
Assistant Head Teacher	1	3	4	75%
Academic Teachers	3	7	10	70%
Subject Coordinators	0	0	0	0%
Store Keepers	0	3	3	100%

Regarding the composition of the school committee, it was revealed that only 25% of the committee members (3 out of 12), were female. The number of female school prefects was 54.5% (12 out of 22). There is a clear balance as regards the number of school monitors, as well as regards the number of pupils in the pupil’s School Baraza. Overall, statistics show that Hananasif Primary School, as being relatively gender balanced. The main weaknesses observed, as was in the Kigogo Primary School situation, concerns academic performance of girls, in especially examinations.

Gender issues and areas of concern in Hananasif Primary School. 

The first group to identify gender issues and concerns was that of Teachers from the school.  The first factor they assessed was the trend line on the enrolment and performance of boys and girls at Hananasif Primary School. According to the trends observed, the enrolment of girls has always been higher than that of boys between 1995 and 2001. The performance of girls and boys has varied over the years.

Teacher’s Views on Gender Problems.

The Teachers were separated into a mixed male/female group and an entirely female focus group. Problems ranked by the female Teachers included: physical infra-structure related problems (e.g., presence of two schools, and shortage of classrooms), gender related problems (e.g., girl children being overworked at home; and, most children coming from divorce afflicted homes): and, teacher and pupil performance related problems (e.g., weak commitment to education; parents being indifferent to giving contributions to the school; parents being choosy about schools; the school failing to send more pupils to Form I; and, some parents failing to provide birth certificates). The three top ranked problems were: parents failing to provide contributions to the school; poor commitment to education; most children coming from divorce prone houses; parents being choosy about schools; and, girl children being overworked at home.

The male/female mixed focus group of teachers identified and ranked the following problems: un-conducive social environment at home; girl children being overworked at home; girl children being taken away for initiation ceremonies; the female physiology; over confidence, and shortage of desks. A number of strategies were suggested for addressing the various problems identified by the teachers, these included:  introduction of remedial classes; parents being sensitized on the importance of remedial classes for their children; teachers being given on-the-job training; re-introduction of teaching allowances; increased availability of teaching materials; provision of food at school; and, increasing the number of teachers and classrooms.

School Committee’s Views on Gender Problems.  

The second group to identify gender related problems and solutions at Hananasif Primary School were the school committee. This group identified a whole range of problems, from infra-structural and school related deficiencies (e.g., shortage of teaching equipment; absence of a fence, inadequate number of toilets, and desks; inadequate number of teachers – ratio being 1:120; frequent changes in leadership; restriction of enrolment by linking to number of places available), and some socio-economic related problems (e.g., large contributions for enrolment; government circular on abolishing tuition;  illegal street based tuition classes; government circular restricting contributions; parents not cooperating with teachers; parents being unconcerned with education of their children; and, the immediate community surrounding the school being morally bankrupt), and directly gender related problems (e.g., the low enrolment of boys due to petty businesses; truancy; naughty boys; fathers being indifferent to the education of their children; and, the female parents being closer to their daughters than sons). The ranking process, ranked shortage of teaching and learning materials/equipment; government circular restricting tuition; shortage of teachers; and, the morally bankrupt immediate community surrounding the school, as their main problems.

Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of teaching utilities included:  government should give priority to the education budget;  promoting income generating activities in communities; promoting family planning; increasing number of classrooms, toilets, teachers and desks; the school committee should create objectives and guidelines for its activities; prices and quality of teaching materials be screened; policy statements should be consistent; schools should take care and protect their teaching materials; and, government should improve collection of taxes.

Lower Grade Pupil’s Views on Gender Problems.

The third group comprised of lower grade pupils. These were divided into a girls only and a boys only focus group. The girls identified a total of 10 problems, since they were requested to mention problems that were caused by boys, the gender problems mentioned were therefore: boys being un-cooperative; boys being excessively naughty; boys lacking discipline; truancy; boys disliking education; and, the life skills subject being too male biased .  Non gender based infra-structural related problems included: shortage of study sides; insufficient number of toilets; and, shortage of classrooms.

The boys focus group also concentrated on identifying gender based problems among girls. The problems identified were: girls not performing well academically because they play in the classroom and at home; girls giving up on difficult subjects; most girls not having sufficient equipment to study with; boys dominating leadership in discussion groups; and, boys skipping classes more than girls. The girls’ focus group also mentioned infra-structural related problems such as: inadequate supply of study utilities; shortage of desks; absence of water; and, inadequate number of toilets. The boys ranked shortage of study utilities as the first problem; while girls ranked absence of water as their first problem.

Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of water by the boys focus group included:  DAWASA re-connecting water to the school; the school paying all water bills; parents and teachers collecting money for paying the water bills; and, the school engaging income generating activities. On the shortage of learning materials, the girls suggested that: the existing learning materials should be taken care of; rehabilitating or repairing broken equipment; increasing the ratio on number of books per pupil; parents giving contributions for buying books; and, parents getting into business so as to buy learning materials for their children.

Higher Grade Pupil’s Views on Gender Problems.    

The higher grades boys and girls also formed sex disaggregated focus groups. participated in the focus group session. The girls identified about 23 problems. The gender based problems identified by girls ranged from: parents giving more preference to educating boys rather than girls; boys promoted to take lead in their households; boys harassing girls academically; male teachers running after girl pupils –and punishing them if rejected; excessive extra curricula work for girls – such as cooking tea; girls being unmotivated academically; teachers using boys in their businesses; and, some of the girls joining street gangs. The problem ranking showed lack of fence as the first problem; followed by: shortage of desks; male teachers going after girl pupils; girls being given extra-curricula activities; and, corporal punishment.

On the boy’s focus group, they identified 21 problems. The gender based problems were:  boys skipping school; girls being married off earlier; boys involving themselves with evil things such as smoking bhang; and, pupils getting involved with gangs. Infra-structural based problems included: overcrowding in the classrooms; dilapidated buildings; shortage of buildings; shortage of desks; inadequate number of toilets; insufficient number of teaching utilities;  shortage of water; absence of a fence; absence of a clean place for selling food.  Socio-cultural problems involved the hereunder: parents being un-concerned about their children’s education; teachers discriminating in the classroom; absence of tuition classes for Standard IV and VI; poor understanding of the Life Skills subject; overloading of subjects –such as Mathematics, English and Kiswahili;  and, teachers using proceedings from the school garden without informing the pupils. The focus group ranked discriminatory teaching as their first problem, followed by shortage of teaching utilities.

Strategies suggested for addressing the problem of shortage of books by the boys focus group included: parents who can afford it should buy books for their children; books should not be locked in offices; books should be distributed without discrimination; constructing bookshelves in classrooms; supervising printing costs and book prices; and, the government providing at least one book for every four pupils. On the school lacking a fence, the girls suggested that: parents should be mobilized to cooperate with teachers; contributions to be reduced; the school leadership should nurture good relations with parents; the school committee should make follow-up on problems in the school; the community should be mobilized to assist the school; teachers should be open to pupils; and, contributions to the school should be retained in helping improving the school. 

Consensus on Gender Problems.

At the end of the week, all participants from each focus group were invited to a joint feedback meeting where they were given an opportunity to observe problems and solutions suggested by other focus groups. This debriefing meeting was called in order to enable all focus group members share in the most common gender related problems in their concerned school. The meeting therefore enabled them to select which was the most common gender related problem as well as the solutions from among the focus groups. Thereafter, the participants were urged to agree on the best way forward for the school. After consensus was achieved, the meeting was concluded therewith.

Table 17. Consensus on Problems.

Focus Group	Number of Members		Problem	Votes & (Ranking)
	Male Members	Female Members
Male Teachers.	6	0	Poor teaching skills.	12 (6)
Female Teachers.	0	10	Girl pupils being overworked at home.	3 (7)
School Committee	7	2	Shortage of teaching utilities.	46 (1)
Class 3&4 Pupils.	12	0	Shortage of water.	21 (4)
Class 3&4 Pupils.	0	12	Shortage of teaching utilities.	Not voted upon because it is similar to the one above
Class 5&6 Pupils.	12	0	Discriminatory teaching by teachers.	14 (5)
Class 5&6 Pupils.	0	12	Absence of a fence around the school.	28 (3)
Parents.	n.a.	n.a.	Overcrowding in the classrooms.	37 (2)

[Extracted from a report titled “STEPS Gender Scoping Study Report. Kinondoni and Morogoro Rural Municipalities: A Gender Perspective of Selected Schools in Kinondoni Municipality.” By Edward H. Mhina. March 2002.]

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