Overcrowded Classrooms: Effect on Teaching and Learning Process in Public Secondary Schools in Ilemela Municipality, Tanzania

With parents, teachers, and policymakers, reducing class size is a favoured education policy approach. Cursory studies had suggested that overcrowded classroom results in relatively modest in students’ academic achievement. Underpinned by the Social Cognitive Theory, this study assessed how overcrowded classrooms affect the teaching and learning process in Ilemela Municipality, Mwanza -Tanzania. The study adopted a mixed research approach and convergent parallel research design. The sample consisted of 110 respondents including 1 MSEO, 1 Quality Assurance, 8 heads of school 40 teachers and 60 students. Structured questionnaires and interview guide were used as research instruments. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The synthesis of the findings revealed that classrooms in Ilemela municipality are overcrowded –against the access bargain of 45 students per class; students exceeded 90 within a single stream. On the basis of the findings it was concluded that overcrowded classrooms has an effect on the teaching and learning process, since it limits the application and implementation of competence based curriculum and supportive classroom management practices which aid effectiveness of teaching and learning process. The study recommends that there is a need to enforce the policy on classroom size and to construct more classroom school so as to remedy the situation.