The Capitation Grant: Impact on enrollment of pupils in the Basic Education Schools in Ghana:A Case Study of some selected Junior High Schools in Sunyani Municipality.

No Thumbnail Available
Date
2011
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study provides an assessment of the impact of the capitation grant on the enrollment of pupils in the basic education schools in Ghana. It provides an empirical platform for assessing how the capitation grant is contributing to the enrollment of pupils in the basic schools in Ghana more especially in the Sunyani Municipality. It used a survey to assess the opinion of head teachers, teachers and other stakeholders of education regarding the impact of the capitation grant policy on pupils’ enrollment in the municipality. A survey of hundred (100) respondents within 20 selected schools captured questions on staff demographics, capitation grant and pupils’ enrollment, capitation grant and pupils’ performance, and capitation grant and its challenges. The findings of the study revealed that the capitation grant has actually led to increase in the enrollment of pupils in the basic schools. However, it notes that given a rise in enrollment year after year with the introduction of the capitation grant, the amount of the grant as a percentage of unit cost per primary child represents a minute rise, and this raises concerns about the ability of the policy to enhance educational quality. The paper argues that capitation grant provides an opportunity to increase quality and suggests the need to link capitation grant to classroom-based policies such as pupil-teacher ratio, performance, drop-out and irregular attendance in order to impact on quality. Besides, the researcher recommended complementary education programmes help serve the most disadvantaged or remote areas. The paper provides three key policy messages: increase in capitation grant should target disadvantage groups. Again there could be provision of incentives to schools with good record of progression and completion and effort should go towards the shortening of the capitation grant delivery chain.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters in Business Administration,
Keywords
Citation