MOE to decentralise school capitation grants

Kumasi, Aug. 16, GNA - The Ministry of Education and Sports (MOE), is to delegate the management of school capitation grants and selection of basic education school textbooks to schools as part of its decentralisation of education delivery services in the country. Mr Ato Essuman, Chief Director of the MOE, who announced this said with the districts handling a large proportion of the nation's expenditure on education, it was important to strengthen and develop systems of transparency and accountability.

These were contained in an address read on his behalf at the opening of a five-day District Financial and Operations Capacity Building Training Workshop for District Education Office Management teams in Kumasi on Monday.

Mr Essuman reiterated the MOE's preparedness to encourage district assemblies, civil society, parents and the people to play greater roles in holding education service providers, especially teachers and administrators accountable for resource use and quality services. He said the Ghana Education Service (GES) would hold its officers accountable and take firm action against all serious cases where public resources were found to have been misused.

The Chief Director mentioned teacher recruitment, retention, motivation and personal emoluments, school capitation and textbooks as the three core areas of resource management where major changes were in progress and on which the training would focus.