Households’ financing of public primary education in Tanzania mainland: the case of Moshi Rural District

The purpose of the study was to examine the households’ contributions to the financing of Public Primary Education with a specific reference to Moshi Rural District in Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania. Three specific objectives guided the study: (1) Assessing households’ direct financial contributions to public primary education (2) Determining households’ indirect financial contributions to public primary education from households whose children attend primary schools (3) Assessing other households’ contributions to public primary education as part of community initiative(s). It was found out that the majority of the households cannot meet all school expenses such as pupils’ direct expenses and other schooling expenses. However, the study found out that households incur the mean costs of 139435/= Tshs a year on their children education. The amount is beyond their yearly earnings. The findings show that opportunity costs among the families varied depending on the number of children of different sexes in the family. Furthermore, the findings show that poor households with older’ children of different age groups had less opportunity costs as compared to families with fewer children. The findings also show that households and community at large provided mandatory contributions for the school development. It was further found out that households’ volunteered materials, time, labour and tools. In conclusion, the study noted that there is a need to: (i) Reduce households direct cost related to transport and meals. (ii) Reduce opportunity costs of schooling related to distance to school. (iii) Reduce cost of schooling to extremely poor households. The study also recommends a similar study on social economic status (SES) using a large sample.