NGOs’ role in improving girl students’ learning environment: perspectives from teacher mentors in NGO-supported public secondary schools

As development actors, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have played a crucial role in expanding educational opportunities for girls, thereby making a significant contribution towards addressing gender disparities in education. In Tanzania, enrolment and progression rates in basic education are now nearly equivalent for both boys and girls, with girls' enrolment surpassing that of boys in certain education levels. However, the current challenge lies in ensuring that girls are able to achieve adequate retention and educational outcomes as merely enrolling them in schools is not sufficient to guarantee their education achievement. Drawing from the perspectives of teacher mentors, this paper examines the role of NGOs in improving learning environment for girl students which is considered to have substantial influence on girls’ educational achievement. The study uses a qualitative approach and multiple-case study design. To obtain data, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 teacher mentors from 5 public secondary schools in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania. The findings indicate that NGOs play significant role in enhancing physical and psychosocial learning environments for girls. In addition to equipping schools with appropriate infrastructure and facilities to cater to girls' unique and sensitive needs, NGOs were found to undertake various measures to promote gender-responsive classroom practices and eradicate harmful gender stereotypes. To expedite realization of effective learning environments for girls, it is recommended that NGOs actively engage with local communities and other stakeholders to identify innovative and efficient strategies for addressing the challenges related to girls' learning environment.