Journal of Education Research and Behavioral Sciences Vol. 2(11), pp. 177-183, November, 2013
Available online at http://www.apexjournal.org
ISSN 2315-8735© 2013 Apex Journal International
Full Length Research
Exploring status of female student- male teacher sexual
relationship and its perceived effects in secondary
schools in Tanzania: Experiences from Moshi
Municipality, Kilimanjaro Region
Bryson D. Kinyaduka*, and Joyce F. Kiwara
Department of Educational Foundations and Teaching Management, Mzumbe University, Morogoro, Tanzania.
Accepted 28 October, 2013
The purpose of this paper is to: explore the prevalence of female student-male teacher sexual
relationship in Kilimajaro region, specifically Moshi municipality; establish perceived effects of female
student-male teacher sexual relationship and finally articulate solutions for the incident. This study
adopted a survey research design. A sample size 0f 125 subjects was drawn. Questionnaire and
observation were methods used to collect data from respondents. It was found that 59.2 percent of
teacher respondents said that they were approached by their male teachers at the time they schooled at
secondary education. Over eighteen percent of female student respondents said that they were
approached by their male teachers. It was found that female student poor academic performance was
the major perceived effect of the vice by both female student and teacher respondents. Moreover,
enacting a law was perceived as the best solution towards efforts to end the vice. This study
recommends the MoEVT to develop student-teacher relationship policy among others. The study
concludes that there is high degree of female student- male teacher sexual relationship in Tanzania.
Key words: sexual relationship, female student, male teacher, effects, secondary schools.
INTRODUCTION
For years, the world over, it has been reported that
teachers in one way or another having sexual relationship
with their students regardless of their sex. In most cases,
it is said that sexual relationship between a student and a
teacher is not based on love, but rather because a
teacher has power over a student (Win, 1994 in Zindi,
1994). This is to say female students succumb to sexual
relationship with their teachers even if they do not want
for fear of authority which may side on part of the culprits
(Zindi, 1994). It was further reported that students did
agree to have relationship in order to gain favours and
that they did not fear to have relationship with their
university teachers who were married, but they feared to
be labeled by their colleagues (Zindi, 1994. p. 183).
As it is, in Tanzania, it is strictly prohibited for students
*Corresponding author. Email: kinyadukabry@yahoo.com
to have love relationship among themselves (Mlyakado,
2013) and yet sexual relationship among students today
is on the rise. If students have sexual relationship among
themselves, it is therefore likely that some students have
sexual relationship with their male or female teachers.
For years it has been established that, it is men who
usually have sexual relationship with their female
students; however, in recent years even women have
been named as sex offenders, particularly with high
school male students (Justice Programmes, 2007). It is
further reported that three percent of respondents
experienced sexual abuse from professionals like priests,
teachers, religious leaders and case workers (Justice
Programmes, 2007 P.21). This indicates that the issue of
sexual relationship is pervasive even among persons
perceived as credible.
Indeed, in South Africa, for instance, it is has been
further reported that sexual harassment is a phenomenon
that begins from elementary schools and increases in its
intensity as one moves to higher levels of education (Smit