Findings from developed countries demonstrate a
positive relationship between children’s educational outcomes and
parental perceptions of the value of education. However, little is
known about parental attitudes toward education in the context of
the least developed countries. A better understanding of this could
assist global efforts to increase educational attainment in the
world’s poorest countries. This study investigates the parental
perceptions of primary school education in the Iringa region of
Tanzania and whether these perceptions vary depending on
socio-economic status and urban/rural residence. It finds that
though schools face severe problems, parents of all backgrounds
have a generally positive perception of education as a necessity for
employment, independence and modernized farming. Nevertheless,
poverty overwhelmingly determines educational outcomes.