Community participation in education provision in Bontrase Circuit, Awutu Senya District, Ghana

The study explored community participation in the provision of education at the Junior High School level in the Bontrase Circuit in Awutu Senya District in the Central Region of Ghana. Specifically, it explored the barriers to community participation in education provision in the Circuit as well as the strategies that could be employed to promote the community’s participation in such efforts. The study was qualitative and employed a case study design. A sample of twenty-four (24) participants, comprising 10 headteachers, 5 teachers, 4 School Management Committee members and 5 Parent Teacher Executives was selected using the maximal variation sampling technique for a semi-structured interview. This was followed by a Focus Group Discussion with 10 participants, who participated in the initial face-to-face interviews. The data sets collected were analyzed thematically. It emerged that the barriers to community participation in the study area were student, teacher, management, and community-related. The study, theretofore, concluded, among others, that several factors, including teacher professionalism and parents’ reluctance to attend meetings organized by the schools to engage teachers, served as barriers to school community participation in the administration of the schools. To promote greater community participation in the school’s administration, the study recommended that the authorities of the Ghana Education Service, especially the School Improvement Support Officers and the Training Officer in the Circuit, should collaborate with schools to re-orient the key stakeholders on community participation. The education authorities should also organize sensitization and education programmes that focus on the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders for greater participation in the administration of the schools.

Key Words: Community, Participation, Headteacher, Basic School, Administration, Stakeholder