Ghana: Assessing education delivery: the community scorecard project

National civil society organisations used community scorecards in Ghana to track education budgets, with the aim of strengthening accountability and transparency in service delivery.

The community scorecard project determined the outcome of resources allocated to primary education. Budget information relating to allocations and expenditure on textbooks and other learning materials were used to monitor school budgets. The project has worked to improve the flow of information  between stakeholders. The findings have provided parents and children with the opportunity to raise their concerns over aspects of service delivery in their communities, and enabled them assess the performance of education officials, teachers and school management committees.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Built capacity of communities to monitor education service delivery

• Conducted a community scorecard project to examine education expenditure

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Exposed ‘hidden costs’ of education, despite a policy of free primary education

• Increased parental participation in school governance

FACTORS OF SUCCESS

• Community ownership of the scorecard project

• Provided a platform for communities to voice concerns, and to interact with service providers

Community Scorecard Project – Seven Step Process

Step 1: Preparatory Work

Action

• Create awareness of the project among service providers

• Collect supply-side information

• Select participating communities

• Train facilitators

Stakeholders

• Ministry of Local Governance and Rural Affairs, MoE, Ghana

Education Service

Step 2: Community Interventions: First Meeting

Action

• Community members identify themes and indicators

Stakeholders

• PTAs, SMCs, circuit supervisors, district education directorate

officials, district assembly members

Step 3: Community Interventions: Focus Groups

Action

• Establish focus groups

• Scores according to indicators – create input tracking card

Stakeholders

• Head teachers, teachers

Step 4: Community Interventions: Interface Meeting

Action

• Focus group presents scorecards to service providers

• Potential solutions discussed

Stakeholders

• PTAs, SMCs and circuit supervisors

Step 5: Synthesis Workshop

Action

• Compile results

• Plan District-Level Multi-Stakeholder Forum

Stakeholders

• Focus Groups, beneficiaries, PTAs, SMCs

Step 6: District-Level Multi-Stakeholder Forum

Action

• Presentation of scorecard findings

• Reactions from service providers

Stakeholders

• Ghana Education Service officials, district education

directorate officials, beneficiaries

Step 7: Dissemination and Advocacy

Action

• Publish report on scorecard results

• Disseminate to media

• Feed results into policy and advocacy processes

Read more: CEF Making the Budget Work for Education: Experiences, achievements and lessons from civil society budget work