Public Primary Schools Committee Strategies for Soliciting Stakeholders’ Contributions to Enhance Food Availability in Moshi District, Tanzania

Abstract

The study examined the implementation of public primary schools committee strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to enhance food availability in Moshi District, Tanzania. The issue of food availability is of paramount importance, particularly in the context of primary schools, as it directly impacts the well-being and education of the pupils. Effective strategies to engage stakeholders in this endeavor are crucial for sustainable and comprehensive solutions. The Public Primary Schools Committee recognizes the significance of collaboration and engagement with various stakeholders to address the challenge of food availability. The study utilized a convergent design under a mixed research approach. The target population consisted of 2061 population and the sample was 306 including public primary schools, meal coordinators, head teachers, chairperson of the school committee and pupils. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23, employing methods such as sorting, frequency, percentages, and means. Qualitative data underwent transcribing and contextual analysis. The findings revealed that school committees demonstrated a moderate agreement on the strategies for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools. The study concluded that school committees have promising strategies like announcing parent meetings, connecting parents to online platforms via What’s Up where announcements regarding food contributions can be made, implementing self-reliance activities to add nutrition to the food, collaborating with stakeholders including community-based organizations among others for soliciting stakeholders’ contributions to ensure food availability in public primary schools in Moshi district. The study recommended that school administrators should strengthen the role of school committees to encourage teamwork and oversee food- feeding programs through official education policies.