Tracking Instructional Materials Distribution in Public Primary schools in Ghana

1. Tracking Instructional Materials Distribution in Public Primary schools in Ghana

2. Project Rationale Recognition that access to textbook and other materials improve education quality. Huge Investment in the Provision of Textbook in Ghana (85% of Ministry of Education (MoE) Procurements). Fragmented and often contradictory data on textbook supplied to Public Schools. Disparities in access between rural/urban, endowed/deprived and North/South of the country. Policy formulation and promoting accountability and transparency in the use of public funds in the sector.

3. Research Questions • What is the level of textbook and other instructional materials access in deprived and endowed districts/communities. • What has accounted for the discrepancies in the levels of access to textbook and other instructional materials? • What factors explain the leakages in the distribution of textbooks and other instructional materials from Ghana Education Service (GES) to the District Education Directorates (DEDs) and from DEDs to Schools? • What is the extent of access to textbooks and other instructional materials among pupils for in and out of classroom activities?

4. Research Questions [Contd.] • What is the nature of the existing tracking and monitoring systems in the Schools, DEDs and GES for textbook distribution and storage? • What has been the impact of these leakages on the quality of education in the selected districts? • What capacity and knowledge does schools, DEDs, Parent Teacher Associations/School Management Committee (PTA/SMCs) and Parents have to ensure that educational policies such as the textbook and other instructional materials distribution achieve its intended objectives and reach its targeted beneficiaries? • What measures can be put in place to track and eliminate leakages in the distribution system?

5. Long Term Objectives • Promotion of transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of education resources. • Promotion of best-practice and capacity-building on transparency and accountability in the use of education sector resources. • Stimulating public debate on the management and use of public sector resources. • Promoting policy advocacy to improve the management and use of public resources through evidence-based research. • Promoting the use of modern information technology to track the management, disbursement and use of public sector resources.

6. Distribution Channels for Textbooks Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning Budget Allocation Ghana Education Service (GES) Headquarters GES Supplies and Logistics Procurement Books sent to DEO District Education Office (DEO) Books sent Basic schools receive books and instructional materials from Central government

7. Methodology • Techniques: • Quantitative • Qualitative • Data Sources • Desk Reviews/ • budget and expenditure records of GES/MOE • Primary data collection • Sample Plan/selection • Multistage stratified sampling • National • District • Circuit • Schools • Sample Frame • 2009/10 Public Primary school List • Study instruments • Questionnaire • Interview guide • Step 1: Selection of region (Central region) • Step 2: Districts Distribution of sampled schools.(Random selection) • 6 districts • 3 Endowed • 3 Deprived • Step 3: 2 Circuits per district in accordance with GES classifications • Allocation of a number of public primary schools • Random Selection of public primary schools from district school list

8. Table 2: Number of schools assigned to selected circuits in deprived districts

9. Table 3: Number of schools assigned to selected circuits in endowed districts

10. Table : List of target respondents