PhD Viva Voce

Qualifications Attained:

Mr. Humphrey Ngonyani is a Ph.D candidate (by Thesis) in the Department of Educational Foundations Management and Lifelong Learning (EFMLL) at the School of Education, University of Dar es Salaam. He obtained Bachelor Degree (Bachelor of Arts with Education) from the University of Dar Es Salaam in 2014 and Master Degree (Master of Education in Administration, Planning and Policy Studies) in 2018 from the Open University of Tanzania. Currently, he is a secondary school teacher at Chalinze District Council. He also works as a freelance tutor teaching courses in educational management, policy and leadership. Focused on qualitative research, Mr. Humphrey is particularly interested in exploring how civil society organizations, philanthropic initiatives and voluntary action contribute to improving access to quality education and advocating for inclusive educational policies. Other research areas of interest include educational policies implementation and community participation in education management.

Abstract:

Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) are widely recognized as essential actors in promoting education development. Based on this recognition, this thesis investigated the various ways and means in which NGOs contribute to the improvement of learning environment in public secondary schools in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania. The study addressed four research objectives, which were to: explore NGOs’ support towards improvement of infrastructure, learning equipment and instructional materials; to investigate capacity building programmes (CBPs) provided by NGOs to enhance teachers’ management of learning environment; to examine NGOs’ influence towards development of policies that enhance learning environment and; to investigate how NGOs’ research activities contribute to improving learning environment. The study was informed by public goods, contract failure and interdependence theoretical perspectives and further employed qualitative research approach using a case study design. The sample size for the study consisted of 67 participants including 7 NGOs officials, 5 heads of schools, 5 academic masters/mistresses and 50 teachers selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focused group discussions, non-participant observation and documentary review and were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that NGOs contributed in diverse ways to improve both physical and psychosocial learning environment. In addition to providing financial, material and technical assistance to develop physical learning environment, the study found that NGOs offered different kinds of CBPs, including workshops and seminars, to enhance teachers’ competence in managing learning environment. They also participated in the policy development process through setting the agenda, implementing and evaluating policies affecting learning environment. Regarding NGOs’ involvement in research activities, the findings showed that it contributed to the discovery of innovative strategies for promoting effective learning environment and identification of barriers hindering achievement of effective learning environment. On the whole, the study concluded that the current state of learning environment in public secondary schools was achieved not only through government efforts but also through the extensive support provided by NGOs. These achievements notwithstanding, the findings indicated that NGOs’ activities were also constrained by numerous challenges, including limited support from other education stakeholders including the government and lack of adequate funding, which caused them to rely on funding from donors and member contributions. To expedite realisation of effective learning environment, the study recommends enhancement of partnership frameworks between NGOs, the government and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation, transfer, and sustainability of NGO projects. It further stresses the importance of diversifying NGOs’ income sources to achieve financial stability and overcome dependence.