Parental Involvement on Students’ Academic Activities in Community Secondary Schools (CSS’s) in Tanzania

The main objective of the research was to assess parental involvement in their children’s (students’) academic activities in community secondary schools in Tanzania. The study was conducted at Kilosa District in Morogoro Region. The study employed quantitative and qualitative research methods in collecting and analyzing data, whereby questionnaires, interviews and documentary review were used to collect data. The total sample size was 175 respondents. The documentary guides assisted the researcher to determine the extent of parental involvement in community secondary schools. Findings revealed that, 67% parents of registered students in community secondary schools were not effectively involved in their children’s academic activities such as guiding students in attempting homework, checking daily students’ work, tracking students’ attendance, volunteering in school activities, communicating with teachers and other school personnel including heads of schools. The study also identified that majority of parents with students in community secondary schools were challenged by limited formal education, poverty in their families, limited time and resources among parents and teachers, weak students’ readiness to learn and the distance from home to school that hinder parents from attending meetings. These conditions negatively affected students’ academic performance. On the basis of the findings, the study suggests and recommends that the government and other stakeholders in education should educate school community members to allow parents develop awareness of the need to get involved in academic activities of their children and education policy makers should prepare parental involvement policy which describes specific roles that parents of students in community secondary schools must fulfill