Free basic education strategy development volume 5: Survey of parental contributions in basic education

The Survey of Parent Contributions to Basic Education was required as a deliverable of ACDP 6, Free Basic Education Strategy. Its draft methodology and instruments were approved as a part of the project's Inception Report. Documents outlining the survey's methodology and instruments are provided as Appendices 1 - 8. The sample size of the survey, as proposed in the Inception Report, was to include 4,032 parents from 336 schools/madrasahs in 14 districts/cities. Budgetary constrains resulted in the sample having to be reduced to 2,781 parents in 228 schools/madrasahs in 10 districts/cities. The study was carried out to establish the education-related costs borne by parents of children in basic education. In addition, data gathered from the schools/madrasahs in the sample included information about their total budgets and total contributions received from parents during the 2010/2011 school year, as well as information about how these funds were used. By utilising data from the Education and Social Module of the National Economic and Social Survey (Susenas), the study was also able to analyse the trends in parental contributions over time, and the effect of the provision of School Operational Funding (BOS) on parents’ expenditure in educating their children. The Education and Social Module is administered every three years, with the most recent one administered in 2009. Data for years 2003, 2006, and 2009 were analysed to determine overall trends in parents’ contributions over time including an analysis of the change in sub-sets of the expenses such as fees, uniforms, snacks and transport.