The grant may be limited but students, teachers, and the greater community alike are seeing the impressive outcomes from the Tonga School Grants Program (TSGP).
The Tonga School Grants Program (TSGP) is a component of the Tonga Education Support Program (TESP).
A five year program established in 2005, TESP is designed to improve the quality of primary and secondary education in Tonga, as well as strengthening management, policy-making, monitoring and evaluation, and the delivery of services and resources.
August 3, 2009 — More textbooks, pens and exercise books. Additional resources. Greater access to computers. Building repairs. Improved water and power supplies. Students, teachers, and the greater community alike are seeing impressive outcomes from the Tonga School Grants Program (TSGP). The second grant payment was made in June 2008, totalling just over half a million US dollars. Working with the Ministry of Education, the funds were distributed to schools across the country, allowing principals to collaborate with their local Parent Teachers Association (PTA) in order to determine the areas where the greatest financial needs lay. Grant size per school was determined by the number of students enrolled. Now, a year later, the results of their spending are showcasing a much enhanced education system.
The program consists of six key areas of spending, providing a basic framework as to how funds should be allocated. These include:
teacher materials
student materials
minor repairs and maintenance
PTA support
fixed assets
grant administration
The TSGP evaluation process found that 53 percent of grants had been spent on teacher and student materials. This large figure demonstrates the high level of investment schools are placing in curriculum implementation. Further, schools expressed their deep appreciation for having the opportunity to purchase items which encouraged their students to continue attending. For instance, due to financial reasons, buying a sufficient amount of stationery for the school year was not always possible for all parents. Now, through the TSGP, schools have been able to absorb these kinds of costs, as well as providing a larger quantity of textbooks for their classes.
53 percent of grants was spent on teacher and student materials, demonstrating the high level of investment schools are placing in curriculum implementation.
This program has not been simply about funding though. TSGP has allowed for more local participation in the school decision-making process. Through workshops and training sessions run by national consultants, principals, teachers and parents have been able to build up their skills in preparing short and long term plans for the school, making budgets, and keeping financial records. Principals have been mentored and guided in the processes of the TSGP in order to ensure a thorough understanding of the program. The aim here has been to get principals to really see the program as an integral part of the school management process. The high level of compliance and the effective use of funds demonstrated during the evaluation process indicate that this has indeed been the case, and that schools are now gaining confidence in implementing and following the TSGP process.
Tonga now has minimum service standards for basic education. There has been a positive change in the government's relationship with its schools. The TSGP has altered the way that schools in the country are funded, allowing for a higher quality education for students. And best of all, the program is now being implemented directly by Tongans. Looking forward, the emphasis will be on providing further training and continuing to strengthen relationships between principals, teachers and the PTA.
RSS