The Reasons for Special Talented Secondary School Remoteness Towards Student’s Academic Performance: Case Study; Urban District at Zanzibar

This paper sought to investigate the reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness towards students’ academic performance; a case study of Urban District Council in Zanzibar. Specific objectives were: to determine reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness in Urban district at Zanzibar, and to find out the strategies for improving students’ academic performance in special talented secondary school remoteness in Zanzibar. This article employed a mixed approach research method and is centered and guided by social capital theory propounded by Robert Putnam in 1993. A sample of 151 respondents including 1 DEO, 6 head of schools, 36 teachers, 84 students and 24 parents were used. Simple random sampling techniques were used in selection of ordinary teachers and students while purposive sampling technique was used in selection of the head of schools, DEO and parents in the area of study. Questionnaires, interviews, and documentary reviews were used in data collections. The findings identified reasons for special talented secondary school remoteness in Urban District Council at Zanzibar include limited financial support, nomadic lifestyle, community's negative attitudes towards education, lack of open spaces for constructions of schools, geographical dispersion and unfriendly transport infrastructure. Lastly, the study proposed which can be used to improve students’ academic performance in special talented secondary schools are construction of hostels, introduction of food programs, provision of transport facilities and clear policies on school locations