Effects of School Feeding Programme on Education

Effects of School Feeding Programme on Education The government of Ghana has recognized basic education as a fundamental building block of the economy. This step is in line with goal two of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which seeks to achieving a universal primary education by the year 2015 (Ghana MDG Report, 2009). Also, in congruence with GPRS II (GPRS, 2006), Article 38 of the 1992 constitution enjoins government to provide access to Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (fCUBE) to all children of school going age (Constitution of Ghana, 1992). In pursuance of this requirement, a number of plans and programmes have been launched with the government embarking upon several educational reforms and instituting new policy measures toward making education more accessible to all. These include the fCUBE programme, education strategic plan, the capitation grant; which makes basic school free from any form of school fees and the NEPAD School Feeding Programme (SFP) (ESP, 2003). It is important to note that access to education is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. The end results of the education process is that it should translate into quality human capital/resource for the state as the GPRSII envisions, hence, the zeal of governments to invest in the education of their people. The capitation grant generally should result in higher enrolment and retention in schools. The school feeding program complements this by providing for the pupils nutritional needs and enhancing their learning capabilities. All these should translate into higher performance by pupils and for that matter, the production of quality human resource required for state development. It should be noted that, before the introduction of the governments school feeding programme, the Catholic Relief Service (CRS,) had already instituted the policy of feeding school children in the district. This aside, the institution of the Northern Scholarship Scheme had also been in place in the district since the late 1950s, taking care of the feeding cost of students in Senior High Schools in the district. These had made significant impact on education of the area. In fact, many professors and educated elites in the district owe their current status to these schemes (Nadowli District, 2008) THE PROBLEM STATEMENT The introduction of the government school feeding programme was to supplement other interventions such as free school uniform and capitation grants. It has since played a crucial role alongside the other interventions in improving both Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) in schools in Ghana. The Upper West Region in general, recorded GER increase of 74.1% from 1991/199 2002/2003, 77.3% from 2002/2003 2004/2005 and 81.1% 2004/2005 2005/2006 (RSER-UWR, 2006). Despite the increases in the enrolment figures, deprived areas in Ghana continue to encounter serious difficulties in attracting trained teachers; classroom accommodation continues to be a problem with access to teaching and learning materials remaining a headache to stakeholders. These negatively affect the quality of education in these areas including the Nadowli District. The rise in enrolment figures with no corresponding increase in the number of teachers usually lead to disproportionate Pupils-Teacher Ratio (PTR). Overcrowding in classrooms also becomes phenomenal of such situations with increased enrolment with little attention to the construction classrooms in response to the increasing numbers which does not only sometimes lead to the outbreak of diseases but also affects quality of teaching adversely. The study therefore seeks to investigate how the increasing enrolment figures affect the quality of primary education in the Nadowli District. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Main Question How has the school feeding programme affected primary school education in the Nadowli District? Sub-questions How has the SFP influenced primary school enrolment in the district? How has the SFP influenced pupil retention in schools in the district? What are the implications of the SFP on PTR? How has SFP affected classrooms activity and TLM? Are there lessons for policy formulations? Main objective To examine the effects of the school feeding programme on primary school education in Nadowli District Sub-objectives To determine how the SFP has influenced primary school enrolment in the district To assess the influence of SFP on pupils retention in school To examine the implications of the SFP on PTR To examine the effects of SFP on classrooms activity and TLMs To draw lessons from the study for policy formulation RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Data collection tools Both probability and non probability data collection tools will be employed in the collection of primary data in the study. Specifically, I will use surveys, semi-structured interviews and observations. The surveys will be used to solicit general information from the respondents on their views on the topic such as on the effects of the SFP on the rate of enrolment. The surveys will also yield quantitative data. The interviews will be used to generate qualitative, specific and in-depth facts about the study. The observation will be used gain first hand information on the study. Sources of data The study will collect data from teachers, parents, pupils, caterers of the programme, and staff from the district directorate of education and suppliers of food these schools. Secondary sources of data such as newspapers, article and internet sources will be made use of. Records of enrolment before and during the SFP will also be used for comparisons. Sampling techniques and sampling units I will use purposive sampling to collect data from officials of the district education directorate (the district director, the officer in charge of statistics, the planning officer, director of human resource and a circuit supervisor), caterers, head teachers, school prefects, PTA chairpersons, and suppliers of food to the schools. Sampling size A sample size of 38 will be surveyed. This will be made of: 8 head teachers, 8 school prefects, 8 PTA chairpersons, 8 caterers, 5 officials of the district education directorate and 1 supplier of food to the schools in the district. Data analysis and presentation Qualitative data collected will be summarized into themes, analyzed and interpreted by the use of descriptive techniques. Quantitative data analysis will be done using computer programmes like the SPSS. Tables, charts and graphs would be used to illustrate and present findings for easier understanding and interpretation. RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY Through findings of the study, stakeholders will be well informed of the relevance or otherwise of the SFP on primary education in the district. Positive outcome will get them committed to success and sustainace of the programme. Also, negative effects of the programme if found will also be addressed. Aside serving as base data for further research work on the topic, findings of the study will help in policy formulation on the programme. ORGANIZATION OF THE RESEARCH REPORT The study report will be organized into six chapters as follows for clear presentation. The general introduction of the study as well as the problem statement and the research questions will go into chapter one. This chapter will also contain the research objectives, justification of the study and a brief profile of the study area. Chapter two is the review of literature on the topic. It will try conceptualizing and defining issues that relate to the study and put them in perspective. It will try to explore and fill gaps in existing literature available on the study. Chapter three will examine the methodology employed in the study for the collection of data. How data collected is analyzed and presented will also be made clear in this chapter. Findings of the study and the discussions on it will be presented in chapter four of the report. This will also take care of secondary data analysis on the study. Illustrations with tables, figures charts and diagrams will be made for easier understanding and interpretation of findings. Summaries of findings, conclusion and recommendations will be presented in the fifth and last chapter of the report. LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review aims at exploring for areas of agreements and disagreements on the topic. From this, exiting gaps will be identified and efforts made to fill them. The review will cover areas like: impact of education related interventions in Ghana, the history of school feeding in Ghana, Ghana education policy framework, recent education related interventions in Ghana and the SFP (arguments and against). See a sample review below. Impact of education related interventions in Ghana Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been exploring ways of improving their education systems in order to achieve their commitment to education for all. Ensuring that children have access to free, compulsory and good quality primary education is receiving considerable attention from governments and aid agencies alike as is given a consideration in the (GPRS II, 2006). Two main systems through which certain governments are using to achieve this aim are the abolition of school fees and the School Feeding Programme. Studies have proven that these interventions are making significant impact in the area of education in the country (ISSER, 2009). The history of school feeding in Ghana The issue of school feeding dates back to the 1950s when the CPP government instituted the Northern Scholarship Scheme to cater for the feeding cost of students in the northern part of the country. The Catholic Relief Services also introduced a feeding scheme in basic schools in the north. Both schemes were meant to motivate students to get educated. The most recent of these schemes is the SFP which is being piloted in all districts in the country. Education Policy Framework in Ghana The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana under Article 25 (1) guarantees the right of all persons to equal educational opportunities and facilities by ensuring free, compulsory and universal basic education. Functional literacy is also ensured under the constitution and provision is made for resourcing schools at all levels with adequate facilities. Aside the constitutional provisions, the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II recognizes education as the key to moving the country towards a middle income status by 2015 and as a result identifies the development of human capital as one the three thematic areas of the plan. Aside aiming to meet goal 2 of the MDGs, the GPRS II also aims to strengthen the quality of education especially at the basic level, improve the quality and efficiency in the delivery of education services and bridge the gender gap in terms of education access in the country. In 2003, the Education Strategic plan (ESP) based on the Poverty Reduction Strategy came into force and it covered the period 2003-2005. The Strategic Plan operated within the f ramework of a sector wide approach (SWAp) for education and this was situated partly within the multi-donor budgetary support (MDBS) framework (ISSER, 2009). The ESP which provided the framework or roadmap for achieving the education related MDGs was based on four key areas: equitable access, education management and Science and technology and Vocational education. There were ten policy goals to the ESP and this covered increasing access to and participation in education and training, improving the quality of teaching and learning for enhanced pupil/student (ISSER, 2009). The SFP is one of the interventions that is considered under the policy framework. Recent Education Related Interventions in Ghana Ghana has been able to make some strides in its education system through certain policy initiatives. These initiatives have goals that have been expressed in policy frameworks and reports like the GPRS I II and the Education Strategic Plan (ESP). The governments commitment towards achieving the educational goal is reflected in these policy frameworks. In accordance with these frameworks, certain policy strategies like the capitation grant and the school feeding program, early childhood development and gender parity have been adopted (ISSER, 2009). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter examines the methodology that will be employed in the study for the collection of data. Data analysis techniques and the mode of presentation of findings are both treated here. Data collection tools Both probability and non probability data collection tools will be employed in the collection of primary data in the study. Specifically, I will use surveys, semi-structured interviews and observations. The surveys will be used to solicit general information from the respondents on their views on the topic such as on the effects of the SFP on the rate of enrolment. The surveys will also yield quantitative data. The interviews will be used to generate qualitative, specific and in-depth facts about the study. The observation will be used gain first hand information on the study. Sources of data The study will collect data from teachers, parents, pupils, caterers of the programme, and staff from the district directorate of education. Secondary sources of data such as newspapers, article and internet sources will be made use of. Records of enrolment before and during the SFP will also be used for comparisons. Sampling techniques The simple random sampling technique will be applied to the list of the primary schools in the district to select seven of them for the study. This technique will ensure that biases are minimized as much as possible in the selection of the schools. The same technique will be used for the selection of teachers and pupils for the study. Questionnaires of the surveys will be administered to 100 teachers, 20 pupils and 30 parents in the district. I will also use purposive sampling to collect data from five officials of the district education directorate (the district director, the officer in charge of statistics, the planning officer, director of human resource and a circuit supervisor). Seven caterers will also be surveyed. In all, 162 questionnaires will be administered. The education officials, caterers and some of the teacher will also be interviewed after the surveys. Data analysis and presentation Qualitative data collected will be summarized into themes, analyzed and interpreted by the use of descriptive techniques. Quantitative data analysis will be done using computer programmes like the SPSS. Tables, charts and graphs would be used to illustrate and present findings for easier understanding and interpretation. TIME FRAME A maximum of 11 months will be used for the entire research work as indicated in the table below. ACTIVITY TIME PERIOD Literature review July and August, 2010 Designing questionnaires September,2010 Data collection October to December, 2010 Data analysis January and February, 2011 Report writing March and April, 2011 Binding and submission May, 2011 BUDGET An estimated amount of One Thousand, One Hundred Ghana Cedis will be required for the research activity. See breakdown in the table below. ACTIVITY COST (GHà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ µ) Using the internet and buying of relevant materials for literature review 60.00 Typing and printing questionnaire 20.00 Data collection 50.00 Transportation 100.00 Communication 50.00 Printing and binding of report 820.00 TOTAL 1,100.00

Education in the Classroom, or in the Real World

Oscar Wilde and Lord Brougham have different ideas about the education system. Wilde states â€Å"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. † This means that education does not teach a person every thing they need to know, a person learns from doing things outside of school. Lord Brougham says â€Å"Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave. † This means Brougham sees education as the tool, which creates free thinkers. Wilde has a better idea about education because he seems to believe that there are many ways to learn things. People are not taught in school how to deal with accidents, how to be trusted, and how to be a good friend to someone. Accidents are unexpected happenings that can be caused by chance. Accidents happen in many different ways and different places. Dealing with an accident isn't something that teachers explain it is something that a person learns first hand. When a person is in an accident there is a lot to deal with. Depending on the type of accident. For example I was in an accident, my truck rolled. The first thing I had to deal with is talking to the police officer. Dealing with the police is scary no matter what the situation is, not to mention a near death situation. The cop went over what happened, who was driving and of course who was drinking. After that was established the next thing to deal with was dad. A parental unit is hard to explain something like this to. There isn†t a teacher who can teach a student how to explain to their father that they just rolled their pick up. Some parents are very strict and not very understanding, and some parents are easy going and don't care. It would be hard for teachers to know what kind of an accident the student was in, and what the student is feeling after the accident therefore it would be hard to teach the student how to deal with an accident they just have to learn it for themselves. There is no teacher that can tech a person thing that are learn by being taught. People have to earn some ones trust they just don†t automatically trust some one. Teachers can't say their looks like a good person, they have on nice clothes, and they can be trusted. It don't work that way, trust has to be built. It can be built by returning something someone dropped or by listening when a friend is having a bad day, and not turning around blabbing what she just said. Sharing secrets helps build trust. A person has to learn who they can and can't trust, sometimes they may get burned and hurt, when they tell a secret and go to school the next day to find out the whole school body knows what the little secret was. They learned that they couldn†t trust that person, even if that person was dressed in nice clothes, and looked like a good person. Sharing secrets and knowing who that person is build trust. No teacher can tech a person to trust anyone they don't know. To be a good friend a person has to be there to listen to problems. Not only listening but willing to give advice. The old saying â€Å"If all your friends jumped off a cliff would you? † A true friend would say no, because they would be at the bottom, to catch their friends. A true friend would get up in the middle of the night to listen a dream that just couldn't wait until tomorrow. Teachers can't teach a person how to be a good friend or for that matter, teachers can't teach you how to be a good friend. If a person cares about another person they can be friends because they will be will to go out of their way to help the other person. If people didn't care about people they wouldn't help each other out, and they wouldn't be friends. People can be nice to people but that don't make them friends. Teachers can teach people how to be nice to people, also called manners. Friends are something that just comes natural. To know and to learn are two different things. Know how to wreak a truck or to wreak a friendship can only be taught by them. No teacher can tech a person how to roll a truck or how to gain the trust of a good friend. Only a person can tech them selves and still learn by the mistakes that where given, during the time that a person was taught.

The Origins Of The First World War - 1792 Words

The Origins of the First World War The Road To War Is Paved With Good Alliances Did a failure in alliance cause World War 1? Who’s who? Great Britain had a very large empire mostly in Africa and Asia. Britain was choosing to keep out of all matters in Europe that didn t concern them, this policy was called Splendid Isolation and for some time, it was very splendid for Britain, they were once the top for industrial and maritime industrial. Because of Splendid Isolation, it was very hard for anybody to know where Britain stood on matters (Splendid Isolation. History BlogSpot). They needed to protect their overseas empire, so the British had a very large navy. The French had a well-trained army, however France was behind Britain and German in economic wealth, it made less steel and coal than the other two countries. France and Germany had already had conflicts in the past when France lost Alsace and Lorraine to Germany back in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 and they wanted it back, however they were just no match for Germany. For now, France had to wait Russia was the biggest, but poorest country in Europe that Tsar Nicholas ruled, however he had a very odd way of leading his country, violently stopping unpopular opinions and allowing people he liked to have a say in Russia’s policy making. Russia had a big army but they were behind on new technology. The rest of Russia’s people were simple farmers, with over 80% of the population doing some kind of land related job.Show MoreRelatedOrigins of the First World War1435 Words   |  6 PagesThe First World War was an international conflict which erupted in July 1914 involving various nations across the world. Many historians and those who have studied the Great War tend to give varied opinions as to what initially sparked the outbreak. 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The History and Geography of Iceland

Iceland, officially called the Republic of Iceland, is an island nation located in the North Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle. A large part of Iceland is covered with glaciers and snowfields and most of the countrys inhabitants live in the coastal areas because those are the most fertile regions on the island. They also have a milder climate than other areas. Iceland is highly active volcanically and had a volcanic eruption under a glacier in April 2010. The ash from the eruption caused disruptions all over the world. Fast Facts Official Name: Republic of IcelandCapital: Reykjavik  Population: 343,518 (2018)Official Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, GermanCurrency: Icelandic kronur (ISK)Form of Government: Unitary parliamentary republic  Climate: Temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers  Total Area: 39,768 square miles (103,000 square kilometers)Highest Point: Hvannadalshnukur (at Vatnajokull Glacier) at 6,923 feet (2,110 meters)Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet (0 meters) History of Iceland Iceland was first inhabited in the late 9th and 10th centuries. The Norse were the main migrants to move to the island, and in 930 CE, Icelands governing body created a constitution and an assembly. The assembly was called the Althingi. Following the creation of its constitution, Iceland was independent until 1262. In that year it signed a treaty that created a union between itself and Norway. When Norway and Denmark created a union in the 14th century, Iceland became a part of Denmark. In 1874, Denmark gave Iceland some limited independent ruling powers, and in 1904 after a constitutional revision in 1903, this independence was expanded. In 1918, the Act of Union was signed with Denmark, which officially made Iceland an autonomous nation that was united with Denmark under the same king. Germany then occupied Denmark during World War II and in 1940, communications between Iceland and Denmark ended and Iceland attempted to independently control all of its lands. In May 1940 though, British forces entered Iceland and in 1941, the United States entered the island and took over defensive powers. Shortly thereafter, a vote took place and Iceland became an independent republic on June 17, 1944. In 1946, Iceland and the U.S. decided to end U.S. responsibility for maintaining Icelands defense but the U.S. kept some military bases on the island. In 1949, Iceland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and with the start of the Korean War in 1950, the U.S. again became responsible for defending Iceland militarily. Today, the U.S. is still Icelands main defensive partner but there are no military personnel stationed on the island. According to the U.S. Department of State, Iceland is the only member of NATO with no standing military. Government of Iceland Today, Iceland is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliament called the Althingi. Iceland also has an executive branch with a chief of state and head of government. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court called Haestirettur, which has justices who are appointed for life, and eight district courts for each of the countrys eight administrative divisions. Economics and Land Use in Iceland Iceland features a strong social-market economy typical of Scandinavian countries. This means its economy is capitalistic with free-market principles, but it also has a large welfare system for its citizens. Icelands main industries are fish processing, aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power, and hydropower. Tourism is also a growing industry in the country and the associated service-sector jobs are growing. In addition, despite its high latitude, Iceland has a relatively mild climate due to the Gulf Stream, which allows its people to practice agriculture in the fertile coastal regions. The largest agricultural industries in Iceland are potatoes and green vegetables. Mutton, chicken, pork, beef, dairy products, and fishing also contribute considerably to the economy. Geography and Climate of Iceland Iceland has a varied topography but it is one of the most volcanic regions in the world. Because of this, Iceland has a rugged landscape dotted with hot springs, sulfur beds, geysers, lava fields, canyons, and waterfalls. There are approximately 200 volcanoes in Iceland, most of which are active. Iceland is a volcanic island primarily because of its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the North American and Eurasian Earth plates. This causes the island to be active geologically, as the plates are constantly moving away from each other. In addition, Iceland lies on a hotspot (like Hawaii) called the Iceland Plume, which formed the island millions of years ago. As a result, Iceland is prone to volcanic eruptions and features the aforementioned geologic features such as hot springs and geysers. The interior portion of Iceland is mostly an elevated plateau with small areas of forest, but it has little land thats suitable for agriculture. In the north, however, there are extensive grasslands that are used by grazing animals such as sheep and cattle. Most of Icelands agriculture is practiced along the coast. Icelands climate is temperate because of the Gulf Stream. Winters are usually mild and windy and summers are wet and cool. References Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - The World Factbook - Iceland.Helgason, Gudjonand Jill Lawless. Iceland Evacuates Hundreds as Volcano Erupts Again. Associated Press,14 April 2010.Infoplease. Iceland: History, Geography Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.ï » ¿United States Department of State. Iceland.