2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 22
Available Online: 31 October 2026
Author/s:
Ngassa, Sell*
Open University of Tanzania, Tanzania (sellngassad@gmail.com)
Karoli, Mrema
Open University of Tanzania, Tanzania (Karoli.mrema26@gmail.com)
Abstract:
This study examined participants’ perceptions of strategies for strengthening school heads’ supervisory competencies and accountability practices in managing construction projects in public primary schools in Handeni District Council, Tanzania. Guided by Principal–Agent Theory and informed by a pragmatic paradigm, the study employed a convergent mixed-methods design. The target population comprised 214 stakeholders, of whom 166 provided usable questionnaire responses, representing a response rate of 77.6%. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, while qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and documentary review were analysed thematically. The findings revealed consistently strong support for all six strategies examined. Professional development and mentorship programmes attracted the highest level of agreement (94.6%), followed by government guidelines, monitoring and regular audits (94.0%). Regular training and workshops on project supervision received 92.2% agreement, while strengthening transparency and accountability systems and enforcing ethical practices each received 90.4%. District financial and technical support received 89.2%. Qualitative evidence explained these patterns by highlighting gaps in practical construction-management experience, budgeting, procurement, technical interpretation, quality assurance, documentation and financial accountability. The findings suggest that accountability in decentralised school construction is not adequately secured through oversight mechanisms alone. Rather, effective accountability depends on aligning delegated responsibility with individual competence, professional support, reliable information systems and credible institutional controls. The study contributes to the literature by reframing school-level construction accountability as a capacity-and-governance problem: monitoring can constrain inappropriate behaviour, but training, mentorship and technical support enable responsible performance in the first place.
Keywords: accountability, construction management, decentralization, public infrastructure, supervisory competency, Tanzania
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26420
Cite this article:
Ngassa, S., & Karoli, M. (2026). Supervisory competency and accountability in public school construction management: An empirical study of decentralised infrastructure delivery in Handeni District Council, Tanzania. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(22), 143-156. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26420
* Corresponding Author