Vol.:(0123456789) SN Soc Sci (2023) 3:99 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00690-y ORIGINAL PAPER NGOs’ role in improving girl students’ learning environment: perspectives from teacher mentors in NGO‑supported public secondary schools Humphrey Ngonyani 1  · Amina Nasibu Kamando 1 Received: 13 March 2023 / Accepted: 1 June 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 Abstract As development actors, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have played a cru- cial role in expanding educational opportunities for girls, thereby making a signif- cant 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 edu- cation 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 sufcient to guarantee their education achievement. Drawing from the perspectives of teacher mentors, this paper examines the role of NGOs in improv- ing learning environment for girl students which is considered to have substantial infuence 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 fndings indicate that NGOs play signifcant role in enhanc- ing physical and psychosocial learning environments for girls. In addition to equip- ping 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 efective learning environments for girls, it is recommended that NGOs actively engage with local communities and other stakeholders to iden- tify innovative and efcient strategies for addressing the challenges related to girls’ learning environment. Keywords Nongovernmental organisations · Girl students · Learning environment · Public secondary schools · Teacher mentors Extended author information available on the last page of the article