<<Print>>

The Government has released GH�8.59 million as Capitation Grant for the first term of this current academic year, under the fee-free policy for all pupils in public basic schools nation-wide. Each pupil is allotted GH�4.50 to cover the payment of sports, culture and internal development fees. Previously each pupil had GH�3 which was disbursed as follows: culture � 60Gp, Sports � 30Gp and internal development � GH�2.10. the Director of Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Education, Jonathan Afranie, made this know to the Times in Accra on Monday. �the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in a letter dated November 30, 2009 authorized the release of the money to cater for the Capitation Grant for the first term of the 2009/2010 academic year which begun in September�. �The money is ready and being processed by the sector ministry for onward released to the schools, he told the Time. Mr Afranie said the Ghana Education Service had directed the Comptroller and Accountant General�s Department to transfer the money to the various bank accounts of the district education directorates for distribution to the schools. �As has been the practice, the money is not disbursed directly to the ministry but released through the district directorates to the schools and deductions in respect of culture, sports and internal development fees made at the district level,� he explained. The Government has earmarked GH�24,177 million under the grant for this academic year as against GH�23.527 million disbursed last year. The grant was introduced in the 2004/2005 academic year and initially piloted in 40 districts nation-wide, with a World Bank fund. A year later (2005/2006), it was extended to cover all basic schools in the country with government providing the funds.