Achieving universal primary education is one of the Millennium Development and Goals (MDGs) and has been one of Ghana’s top commitments. Providing quality basic education in Ghana has witnessed relative progress on several fronts. Over the last few years, there has been substantial budgetary and financial commitment by government and donors towards the attainment of universal access to basic education and ensuring the provision of quality education by increasing education expenditures.  The purpose of this paper is to highlight the important roles School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) play in ensuring efficient use of education resources at the school level.

These increases contributed to the rise in Gross Enrollment Ratio at the primary level, making Ghana one of the few developing countries that are likely to meet the MDGs 2 on achieving Universal Primary Education by 2015. Yet, concerns regarding effective governance and efficient management of education sector resources have risen.

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development with support from the Results for Development, conducted three Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) to analyze the extent to which educational resources reach their intended beneficiaries. The first survey tracked teacher absence in 30 public primary schools. The second survey tracked the disbursement and use of the capitation grant from the Ghana Education Service. The third survey tracked possible leakages in the supply and distribution of textbooks.