Northern headteachers accused of mismanaging capitation grant

Tamale, Nov. 21, GNA - Mrs. Elizabeth De-Souza, Northern Regional Director of Education, has alleged that some headteachers of basic schools in the Region were not properly disbursing the Capitation Grant and were using it for their personal development.

She claimed that some teachers, undertaking distance education, were using the grant for the payment of school fees.

Mrs. De-Souza made the accusation at a workshop organised by the Ghana Education Service and sponsored by the Alliance for Change in Education-IBIS, for headteachers and circuit supervisors in the West Mamprusi District in the Region, to discuss teacher absenteeism and management of the Grant, at Walewale on Friday.

She said some headteachers failed to disburse the grant in accordance with the Capitation Grant School Performance Improvement Plan and did not submit financial reports to District Directors of Education. Mrs. De-Souza expressed worry about teacher absenteeism and poor supervision of schools, which according to her has resulted in poor performance of students in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Region. Mr. Charles Adama, Accountant of the Regional Ghana Education Service, said that although government continued to increase the grant, educational standards in schools had fallen due to its mismanagement. He cited that in 2007, 2,700 out of 4,000 girls who sat for the BECE in the Region failed, in 2,008, 5,300 out of 7,900 girls failed and in 2009 8,000 out of 9,700 girls were not successful. Mr Adam said payment of fees except sports fees had been abolished in schools, and warned that no child should be sent home for failure to pay any fees. He asked headteachers to make available accounts on the grant to district assemblies, school management committees and other stakeholders in education.