The Implications of Provision of Secondary Education through Public-Private Partnership to Equity of Access among Low- Income Households in Tanzania

This paper seeks to answer three research questions: (1) what kind of public-private partnerships exist in the provision of secondary education in Tanzania? (2) What are the implications of the existing kinds of public-private partnership for equity of access among low-income households? And (3) Are there mechanisms for ensuring equity of access to low-income households within the existing kinds of public-private partnership? The study employed a mixed methodology approach. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain a sample of 191 respondents in the Dar es Salaam region. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. The qualitative data were analysed using Miles and Hurberman’s model of qualitative data analysis, while the quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 19. The study produced three key findings: (1) the existing public-private partnership in the provision of secondary education in Tanzania is merely an invitation of the private sector into the provision of secondary education and that there is no specific, documented kind of public-private partnership; hence, the partnership arises due to default or despair rather than design: (2) the existing public-private partnerships have negative implications for equity of access among low-income households; and (3) there is a paucity of mechanisms for ensuring equity of access for students from low-income households. The paper recommends that it is necessary to review the existing public-private partnerships in education and devise strategies that may prove of benefit to less well-off students.