Influence of Indigenous Attitudes on Secondary Education as an Investment: A Case Study of Tanga District, Tanzania

The objective of this study was to find out how the indigenous people perceive schooling as an investiment and its influence on secondary education in Tanga District, Tanga Region. In this study, qualitative research paradigm was mainly used for exploration and description of the data obtained. The sample for this study was divided into several categories namely head of selected public and private secondary schools, parents, and students. The data collection methods were questionnaires and interviews. In tracing the level of education on the parents, the findings showed that a small number of respondents possess secondary education, this implies that majority of them do not have good education foundation. However, most of the them are aware on the importance of secondary education to their children. On factors associated with the indigenous peoples’ attitude to invest in schooling, the findings revealed that it is necessary to include historical background, traditional economic problems as well as lack of motivation and poor learning environment. The study concluded that the privailing status of education can not be simply generalized from attitude of the indigenous people, rather, it is influenced by other intervening and interrelated variables such as socio-economic status of the family, school environment as well as lack of motivation among the parents to invest in schooling of their children.The study recommends the provision of community education from the grass root to be one of the possible measures that might be used to encounter the prevailing attitudes of indigenous people towards not investing in schooling