Reliable and continuous Capitation grants to schools improve the quality of education

Providing reliable funds to schools through aapitation grants remains an important aspect of the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) Programme. Financing secondary schools through capitation grants over the years has been key in removing the burden of registration fees for learners and parents, reducing the cost of education, and encouraging families to send their children– both girls and boys, and children with disabilities to school. The capitation grants also allow schools to develop appropriate and contextually inclusive initiatives to encourage learners with disabilities to enrol and for those already in school to be comfortable. Capitation grants are funds made available to all not-for-profit schools to help supplement running costs and improve the learning environment.

Since the commencement of GESS over 10 years ago, capitation grants have been allocated to schools based on the number of learners enrolled; it is a per capita allocation of financial resources to schools. The grants are given after schools meet a set creteria, including presenting  school development plan and budget. The Programme has continued to register the positive impact of the capitation grants across the country, and today we bring a story of such impact from Central Equatoria State.

Bridge Academy Secondary School is a community school in the suburbs of Juba, Central Equatoria State, established in 2016 as an Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) centre to educate the demobilized child soldiers aged 10-18 years to complete their secondary education. “Classes (at Bridge Academy) were conducted in temporary structures agreed upon by the community. Learners were taught in the afternoon or evening. And up to 1,228 students progressed out of the ALP programme by 2018,” John Deng Chieng, Headteacher. The capitation grants have been key in helping the school to operate.

A section of Bridge Academy Secondary School before renovation

Like many schools across South Sudan, Bridge Academy faced challenges in operations due to a lack of funds to implement the school development plans as it continued to operate. “By the end of 2018, a sharp decline in enrolment and attendance
was recorded, and some teachers moved to teach in the nearby schools. In the following year 2019, we closed the evening classes and started to operate a regular secondary school,”  Mr. John Deng Chieng, Chairperson, Board of Governors, (BoG) stated.

Mr Deng went on to say, “Before 2019 and when we didn’t receive capitation grants, the school’s situation was unwelcoming, classes were dusty, students were sitting on logs with few on plastic chairs, local materials such as bamboo and unburnt bricks were used to build the classroom walls, the Headteacher and teachers’ offices were poorly furnished, no school supplies, and latrines and classrooms were very limited, but determined, we moved on and started the secondary section”.

In March 2024, GESS released capitation grants to secondary schools and Bridge Academy Secondary School received a total of 5,996,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) motivating the school to improve the learning facilities, focusing on the school latrines. The school has been a beneficiary of the grants since 2019 and has continued to improve its status yearly. With the funds, the school management body ensures the money is spent on cost items as laid out in their annual school development plan and associated budget.

The consistent funding (2019 to 2024) by the donors through GESS has led to visible improvement in the school’s environment and infrastructural development. Coupled with the removal of registration fees, the grants have led to a rapid increase in enrolment for instance, in 2019, the enrolment was 436 (M-320 and F-116) and in 2024, the enrolment has increased to 778 (M-414 & F-364).

“The introduction of capitation grants and removal of registration fees has helped children from humble backgrounds to go to school. This has reduced social exclusion as children from poor households can now afford to attend school” Ms Aida Tabu, a female Teacher explained. “In 2024, we renovated six classrooms to semi-permanent structures, now
we have concrete floors with plastered and painted walls through funds from the capitation grants supplemented with school development funds. Five classrooms furnished with wooden desks acquired a file cabinet and 2 lockable drawers.” the Headteacher explained.

A section of Bridge Academy Secondary School after renovation

The GESS School Officer for Juba County confirmed the improvements made in thelearning facilities during his school visits. “The school has acquired 95 copies of the South Sudan curriculum books and other reference books through funds from the capitation grants, procured sanitary materials to make them available to girls during emergencies and to support the disadvantaged students”.

Robina Araba, the Director for Gender, Equity and Inclusive Education at the State Ministry of General Education and Instruction (SMoGEI) in her remarks about the importance of funding to schools stated, “The government should work to uplift the budget of capitation grants. Secondly, ensure timely delivery of these grants because every plan is bound to the right time. And thirdly, the State Ministry in collaboration with the State Anchor should continue to strengthen the monitoring and accountability of these grants,” she concluded.

Bridge Academy Secondary School is an example of what continuous support to schools can do. Apart from the increase in enrolment, the quality of learning has improved.

Capitation grants to secondary schools are funded through UK aid from the UK Government, the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, the European Union (EU), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), whilst primary schools’ funds are paid for by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) through the ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI).

Read about GESS Capitation grants here: https://girlseducationsouthsudan.org/activity/capitation-grants

Categorised in: Capitation Grants, Disability Inclusion, Girls' Education, Human Interest Story