FINAL REPORT ASSESSMENT OF LOW-COST PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN FtF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA November 11, 2019 This report was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by the USAID/WA ASSESS Project. FINAL REPORT ASSESSMENT OF LOW-COST PRIVATE SCHOOLS (LCPSs) IN THE FEED THE FUTURE (FtF) /RESILIENCY IN NORTHERN GHANA (RING II) DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA Prepared by: USAID/WA Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems (ASSESS) Submitted by: Mr. Fedelis Dadzie, Chief of Party, USAID/WA ASSESS Team of Experts: Dr. Leslie Casely-Hayford, Team Leader Dr. Samuel Awinkene Atintono, EGRA/EGMA Learning Specialist Mrs. Millicent Kaleem, Private Sector Specialist Mr. Jones Agyapong Frimpong, Data Collection and Analysis Expert DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. ii | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA CONTENTS CONTENTS iii TABLES v FIGURES v ACRONYMS vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 5 1.1 BACKGROUND 5 1.2 PURPOSE 5 2.0 METHODOLOGY 7 2.1 GENERAL ASSESSMENT APPROACH 7 2.2 LIMITATIONS 9 3.0 KEY FINDINGS 11 3.1 SUPPLY AND DEMAND TRENDS FOR LCPSs IN NORTHERN GHANA 11 3.1.1 Supply Trends 11 3.1.2 Demand Trends 13 3.2 EFFECTIVENESS OF LCPSs IN THE FTF/RING II DISTRICTS 16 3.2.1 Management and Leadership of LCPSs 16 3.2.2 Business Model and Sustainability of LCPSs 19 3.2.2.1 Business Models 19 3.2.2.2 Sustainability of LCPSs 24 3.2.3 Infrastructure 26 3.2.4 Learning Achievement 27 4.0 CONCLUSION 30 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 32 BIBLIOGRAPHY 35 ANNEXES 38 ANNEX 1: SOW Assessment of Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPSs) in Feed the Future (FtF)/Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) II Districts in Northern Ghana 38 ANNEX 2: List of Sampled Low-Cost Private Schools 50 ANNEX 3: Survey Instruments 53 iii | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA ANNEX 4: Enrollment 55 ANNEX 5: Locality and Waiting List 58 ANNEX 6: Excerpts from the FGDS 59 ANNEX 7: Correlational Analysis on School-Level Policies 62 ANNEX 8: Primary Pupil-Trained Teacher Ratio 63 ANNEX 9: Other Determinants of LCPS Participation and Demand 64 ANNEX 10. Proportion of Schools with Adequate Facilities by Region and District 69 ANNEX 11. EGRA and EGMA Distribution 70 ANNEX 12: Business Annexes 82 ANNEX 13: Samples Achieved 90 iv | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA TABLES Table 1: Annual school fee threshold used to identify low-cost private schools ............................................... 7 Table 2: Supply of LCPSs in the 17 districts .............................................................................................................. 11 Table 3 : Kindergarten and primary enrollment trends in the 17FTF/RING II districts ................................. 14 Table 4: Enrollment within sampled households (children ages 6-11 years) ..................................................... 14 Table 5: Educational Level of Household Head and School Preference ............................................................. 15 Table 6: LCPS Teaching Staff Qualifications .............................................................................................................. 18 Table 7: Monthly Average Salaries of Teachers by Educational level .................................................................. 21 Table 8: LCPS enrollment level and average revenue (GHS) per student per term ....................................... 22 Table 9: Average Annual Profitability Margins for LCPSs ..................................................................................... 23 Table 10: Business advisory services fee range ........................................................................................................ 25 Table 11: Business service providers that assist LCPSs with services ................................................................ 25 Table 12: EGRA zero scores for public schools and LCPSs .................................................................................. 28 Table 13: EGMA zero scores for LCPSs and public schools ................................................................................. 28 FIGURES Figure 1: Number of LCPSs established in the 17 target districts ............................................................. 12 Figure 2: Average percent change in the number of public and private primary schools from 2013–2018 .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 3: LCPS proprietors’ responses on beneficiaries of LCPSs ............................................................. 13 Figure 4: Perceived child academic performance by school type ............................................................... 15 Figure 5: LCPSs with Waiting Lists by Locality ........................................................................................... 16 Figure 6: Management Structure of LCPSs ................................................................................................. 16 Figure 7: Supervision and Management Practices ....................................................................................... 17 Figure 8: School Level Policies .................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 9: Business Registration ................................................................................................................... 20 Figure 10: Cost structure of LCPSs ............................................................................................................ 21 Figure 11: Sources of Revenue for LCPSs .................................................................................................. 22 Figure 12: LCPS business stage by locality .................................................................................................. 23 Figure 13: Profitability of LCPSs by location ............................................................................................... 24 v | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA ACRONYMS BAC Business Advisory Centers CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy CSO Civil Society Organizations CTR Class Teacher Ratio DEO District Education Officer EG Economic Growth EGMA Early Grade Mathematics Assessment EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment EMIS Education Management Information System ESPR Education Sector Progress Report FGD Focus Group Discussion FtF Feed the Future GES Ghana Education Service GLSS Ghana Living Standard Survey GNAPS Ghana National Association of Private Schools HND Higher National Diploma JHS Junior High School KG Kindergarten KII Key Informant Interviews LCPS Low-Cost Private School LCPSs Low-Cost Private Schools MIS Management Information Systems MoE Ministry of Education NBSSI National Board for Small Scale Industries NEAU National Education Assessment Unit NGO Non-Governmental Organization NPM Net Profit Margin PSG Parent Support Group PTA Parent Teacher Association P2 Primary 2 PTR Pupil-Teacher Ratio vi | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA PTTR Pupil-Trained-Teacher Ratio RING Resilience in Northern Ghana SHS Senior High School SMC School Management Committees SSA Sub-Saharan Africa SSCE Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination TLM Teaching and Learning Materials UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USAID United States Agency for International Development VSLA Village Savings and Loan Association vii | REPORT - ASSESSMENT OF LCPS IN 17 FTF/RING II DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPSs) are emerging as a viable option in countries that cannot meet the demand for quality primary education (IDP Foundation, 2016). Global evidence from the World Bank suggests there is a growing surge of private, low-cost schooling, particularly in low-income countries, evidenced in the doubling of pupil enrollment from 11 percent to 22 percent (World Bank 2015). In Ghana, despite rapid expansion in access to basic education over the last 20 years, the goal of providing every Ghanaian child with quality basic education poses a significant challenge. This is due primarily to poor quality instruction, low time on task, and the inability of government to deploy trained teachers to remote areas of the country. Studies over the last 20 years have shown poor learning efficiency, poor management accountability, high absenteeism, and low teacher time on task as the main challenges facing Ghana’s education system (World Bank, 2018; 2010). Within the Ghanaian context, LCPSs have emerged as a viable model to provide schooling options for working-class and marginalized families that desire a higher quality education for their children but cannot afford medium and higher-cost private education. The LCPSs Assessment in Northern Ghana investigated the supply and demand trends of LCPSs across 17 districts targeted for inclusion in the Feed the Future and Resiliency in Northern Ghana II (FtF/RING II) program1 The study aimed at informing USAID/Ghana’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020-2025 with a specific focus on addressing the empowerment of