A qualitative cross-sectional study on the impacts of truancy on girls’ performance in community secondary schools of Msalala district council, Tanzania.

Background. As discussed, truancy was a major educational problem in community secondary schools, where much attention had to be paid. This study examined the impact of truancy on girls’ performance in community secondary schools of the Msalala District Council, Tanzania. Methodology. The study employed a cross-sectional design, using a qualitative approach. The targeted population consists of all heads of community secondary schools, teachers, and their students. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study participants. Interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and documentary analysis methods were used to collect the data. Qualitative data was analyzed by transcripts of information based on the search instruments used in data collection in the field. Results. 52% of the participants were males, and 75% of the respondents identified as head of school. Students have lost interest in learning due to high use of corporal punishment, “If a student is late for only five minutes and identified by the teacher on duty, will be stricken a lot of sticks directed anywhere even if lateness was due to good reasons”, it was revealed that students walk an average of 7km to15km to reach the school in the morning, school administration and teachers were highly condemned as contributing factor to truancy due to their cruelty, absenteeism and inconsistency in dealing with students. Conclusion. The study extracted factors that influenced students’ truancy in community-based secondary schools, these were corporal punishment, peer group, home-school distance, household poverty, a school environment, understaffing, as well as lack of learning and teaching resources. Recommendations. Schools should not be built very far from the villages, and the establishment of the Hostels program in community secondary schools should be considered to ensure that girls stay at school.