The document evaluates the school capitation grant scheme in Ghana, which aims to reduce educational costs and increase access to basic education. While significant progress has been made in eliminating official tuition fees, concerns remain regarding additional levies, enrollment rates, and overall quality of education. The report recommends improving timely access to funds and reducing bureaucratic hurdles to enhance the scheme's effectiveness.

1. Citizens’ Assessment of the
School Capitation Grant Scheme
Nana Opare-Djan, Deputy Director,
M&E Division, NDPC
EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY-MAKING AND
IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
ERINVALE ESTATE HOTEL & SPA, SOMERSET WEST
Tuesday, October 25, 2016

2. Outline
Background
Study Objectives
Methodology
Findings
Recommendations

3. Outline extended
1) Brief description of the work
2) How the policy process was initiated
3) A summary of the assessment of how the
department uses evidence
4) An overview of the stakeholders and different
motivations/interests were at play
5) An overview of the types of evidence used
6) Details of some of the challenges
7) Lessons for public sector officials working on
evidence-based processes

4. School Capitation Grant (CG)
Implementation Progress -
Description
 Piloted in 2004 and scaled up in 2005 nationwide
 Mechanism to lessen the burden of paying school levies
and to realize the long-term policy objective of increasing
equitable access to, and participation in education at all
levels
 Several concerns have been raised over the years about;
increasing enrolment levels and the effect on
infrastructure, personnel, and teaching material (World
Bank, 2011).
 Also concerns over the quality of education obtained by
pupils (World Bank, 2011).

5. 2 key challenges
1. Number of levies and fees charged at the basic school level.
The result of a study undertaken by the Ghana Education Service (GES) in
2004 showed that 76 different types of levies, fees and charges existed in
schools.
2. This was further corroborated by the result of a study by UNICEF which
showed that about 40% of children between 6 and 11 years of school going
age remained out of school as of 2003 largely due to the inability of parents
to pay levies imposed by the schools (UNICEF, 2007).

6. Objectives of Study
Study sought to answer the question:
►Whether the CG policy achieved its goal of increasing access to and
participation in education at the basic level? and also to obtain feedback from
citizens about the extent to which they perceive the CG policy to meet its
objectives.
Specific objectives :
►Whether the CG had eliminated the payment of special levies, fees and
charges in public basic schools?
►Whether the CG improved enrolment and retention in public basic schools?
►Whether the CG improved equitable access to education?
►To what extent is CG sustainable under the
current arrangement?

7. Methodology
 Nationally representative survey of 2,165 households
 440 schools (Across the whole country)
 20 Community-based FGDs (2 in each region; average of
15 members per group)
 10 FGDs with Teachers (1 in each region; average of 10
members per group)
 10 In-depth Interviews with Heads of basic schools.
 10 In-depth Interviews with directors of education (and
other officers where present)

8. Key findings

9. 1. Impact on the payment of school fees and
levies
CG has eliminated the payment of official tuition fees in public basic schools.
However, a number of levies still exist:
Examination fees,
Extra-classes
PTA levies
Collection
Sports and culture,
Computer (ICT) fees,
Capital development levies
Utility bills (water and electricity)

10. Presentation titlePage 10
Figure 1: Percentage of schools that charged various levies by urban
and rural areas (2013/14)

11. Presentation titlePage 11
Figure 2: Proportion of households who paid and those who did not
pay levies (2013/14)

12. Presentation titlePage 12
Figure 3: Average per capita amount paid as levies in public Primary by
region (GHC) for the academic year 2013/2014

13. Presentation titlePage 13
Figure 4: Per capita amount paid as levies in public Primary schools
by locality and socioeconomic status (GHC) for the academic year
(2013/2014)

14. Presentation titlePage 14
• On average, special levies and fees per capita paid by parents
are 6 and a half times the CG per child in a primary school
Figure 5: Per capita CG as a proportion of amount paid as levies per
child in Primary school by region - 2013/14 (%)

15. 2. Impact on School attendance and enrolment
Attendance
Community members note that children of school-going age are
no more seen loitering about during school hours.
To them, it is an indication of improvement in enrolment and
school attendance.
They however noted that, due to difficulties some parents face in
terms of inability to pay levies pupils absent from school and many
others being denied participation in terminal examinations

16. Table 1: Reasons for child absenteeism (%)

17. Presentation titlePage 17
Figure 6: Households with at least a child absenting from school for at
least a day

18. Presentation titlePage 18
Enrolment
Figure 7: Enrolment Rates for Boys and Girls in Primary schools (%)

19. Presentation titlePage 19
Figure 8: Enrolment Rates for Boys and Girls in JHS (%)

20. 3. Impact on quality education
 Households: 50+% (urban & rural) think the CG has had no
impact on the quality of education.
 40% households says it has had a positive impact
 70% schools positive impact of CG as it contributes about
40% of school’s total expenditures
 Concerns about class size: 32% and 25% head-teachers in
rural and urban areas respectively think the CG has had a
negative impact on management of class sizes.

21. Presentation titlePage 21
Figure 9: Pupil-Teacher Ratio in public basic schools in Ghana

22. Presentation titlePage 22
4. Management of the capitation grant

23. • The process is far from this orderly process
 A head-teacher fills about 10 different forms
 Call meetings with teachers and SMC a number of times
 Travel to the district office a number of times and to the bank to
check balance
 “……this is not good because it affects teaching and learning” (Interview
with a Head-teacher of a JHS). Head-teachers have a number of
concerns:
 Inconsistencies in the vetting process of the SPIP creating considerable
frustrations.
 No clarity on what proportion of the grant should be spent on what item
or activity
(Box 1: Interview with a head-teacher of a three stream basic school)

24. Presentation titlePage 24

25.  Absence of an implementation manual to guide – head-teachers, staff, and SMC
members
 Delays: across the country, the grant is on the average about a year behind all
schools’ SPIPs
 Antedated receipts are not accepted in discharging grant money received for passed
terms
 High transaction cost of assessing the money – reducing the effective amount drawn
by schools
◦ The amount is woefully inadequate for a school’s activities (considering the number
of other levies paid, and timing of release)

26. Coping strategies:
Head-teachers adopt two main coping strategies essentially to get the schools
running whilst waiting for the capitation grant money, avoid receipts being rejected
and also to minimise the high transaction cost:
 Rely on PTA support and also levies to run schools.
 Make purchases from these resources but ask for receipts to be signed undated. Such
receipts are then later dated to account for the expenditure of the capitation grant
money.
 Some head-teachers, especially those in rural schools, leave the money in their school
account to accumulate for about two or three tranches and then go for it as a lump sum.

27. Presentation titlePage 27
Figure 10: Parents' perception of the relevance of the capitation grant, by
type of locality of residence (%)
5. Relevance of the policy and the counterfactual

28. Presentation titlePage 28
What can be done additionally to improve the quality of basic
school education
Figure 11: Head-teachers’ suggestions how to improve the quality of basic
education

29. Presentation titlePage 29
How to improve access to basic school education
Figure 12: Head-teachers’ suggestions to help more pupils to have access
to basic education (%)

30. Conclusion
 There are considerable positives to the scheme.
 However, citizens are not satisfied with the implementation.
 They are concerned that, they are still made to pay some levies such as
examination fees, extra-classes, collection, and sports and culture
levies.

31. Recommendations
The continuous relevance of the policy depends largely on timely release of grant
amount to the schools.
At the governmental level, the MoE & the GES must:
Find a way of facilitating a quicker release of the grant to
the schools at the beginning of the school academic year.
Parents and heads of schools make two appeals; 1) an
increase of the amount, and 2) the use of a base amount
given to all schools according to need in addition to the
grant per a child

32. Policy recommendations at the low level:
Find a way to reduce the transaction cost associated with accessing the money.
Let the Capitation grant utilization manuals get down to the school level and not
remain only with the accountants or circuit supervisors.
There must be a way of vetting and accepting antedated receipts bearing in mind
that whilst head-teachers are waiting for the grant the schools have to be ran.

33. Thank you