Synergy Between Governance and Capitation Grant on Academic Performance in Primary Schools in Morogoro Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Primary education, accounting for over 40% of the national education budget from 2008/09 to 2012/2013 under decentralised school governance, was the first most funded sector in Tanzania with expectations that it would give intended outcomes. However, there are reports of declining pass–rates in the Primary School Leaving Examinations. Nonetheless, there is not enough empirical evidence to support the effect of school governance and capitation grant, as important school system components, on education outcomes. Hence, based on this problem, the study was conducted in Morogoro Region from August, 2014 to November, 2014 and used hierarchical linear regression to examine the effect of school system components on pupils’ pass–rate in Primary School Leaving Examination. It was found, from the regression results, that the combination of the capitation grant and other selected school system components, excluding school governance, had a significant effect on pass–rate, while the combination of school governance and other selected school system components had no significant effect on pass–rate. However, school governance improved Teacher Pupil Ratio prediction. The findings of the study demonstrate the need for the Government to devise strategies to adequately implement the Capitation Grant Policy, enhance community–based monitoring in primary schools and improve learning in primary schools.

Keywords: Capitation grant, education, school governance