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Financial Management Practices of Senior
Financial Management Practices of Senior
Financial Management Practices of Senior
SAMUEL FRIMPONG
MBA (FINANCE)
Kumasi-Ghana
Email: frimps88@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The study specifically explored the sources of income and the application of cash in the senior
The study employed descriptive survey research design and it was a comparative study of private
and public senior high schools. The study was undertaken in two schools- one private and one
public. Data was collected from 4 respondents comprising of two (2) headmasters and two (2)
bursars. Moreover, the study relied mostly on the schools’ financial reports of the currents years
The study established that sources of income available to public school which include school
fees, Government grants, donations, PTA and HIPC funds are more than the funds available to
private school which only comprise of school fees, donations and PTA. Insufficient cash, huge
students debt, no support from government to private schools and little or not enough support for
public schools and many other challenges are impeding the achievement of efficient and
effective practices of financial management. The pattern of the schools’ spending is aided by
budgets for the schools however, due to some circumstances, the budget is sometimes neglected
by bursars when spending. In order for the schools to practice efficient financial management,
the government should come to the aid of the private schools in the form of grants.
Moreover, due to the principle of time value of money, government should release monies on
time to public schools so that they can escape price increment of commodities. Qualified
personnel should also be employed to control the lapses experience in the schools’ finances.
In education system throughout the world, financial management has become, and continues
important in all types of businesses, including banks and other financial institutions, as well
The opportunities in financial management range from making decisions regarding expansion
and choosing what types of securities to issue in financing expansion. Financial decisions
involve how much inventory a firm should carry, how much cash to keep on hand and how
much of the firms earning to plough back into the business versus payout as dividend.
With respect to education, financial management in senior High schools is no easy task.
According to the Auditor-General’s report (2008), the significant findings with respect to
senior high school financial management problems included failure to submit financial
statements for validation, failure to collect outstanding debts, failure to settle outstanding
irregularities.
Quite recently, there have been recurrent reports on financial management irregularities by
the increasing number of students, and many others that need to be probed.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament after considering the Auditor-
General's Report (for 2005, 2006 and 2007) on pre-university educational institutions decried
It noted that the huge debt owed by the students to the schools, some dating as far back as a
decade, did not augur well for the proper management and administration of national
resources.
Topping the list of offences, were non-deduction of taxes, purchases from non-VAT entities,
Interestingly, these problems were found with Senior High Schools (SHS) owned by the
government. One would ask, what about the private Senior High Schools, do not they have
Just recently on Ghana Television (GTV) News, the Government of Ghana (GoG) through
the president himself at a conference held by teachers and other stakeholders in the education
sector indicated that ⅓ of the national budget is spent on this sector, yet there are crisis
relating to resources management, efficient productivity and so on. (GTV news, 2014)
In most, if not all, senior high schools in Ghana, headmasters sit on the administration seat
and steer the affairs of their schools. Headmasters together with their bursars among other
things are responsible for the management of funds in their schools from cash, receivables
and inventory management without involving other stakeholders who may have the expertise
report (2008) indicated that significant findings with respect to the senior high school
financial management problems included failure to submit financial statements for
validation, failure to collect outstanding debts, failure to settle outstanding indebtedness, cash
irregularities, procurement irregularities, payroll irregularities and tax irregularities. This was
revealed in 2008 from the investigations conducted by the Public Accounts Committee
These revelations indicate that the practice of funds management in aspects such as cash
generation, cash disbursement and investment are not effective in most Senior High School
The researcher therefore seeks to find out what goes on in Senior High School management
as far as finance is concerned and to probably raise concerns about the challenges they face
RESEARCH FOCUS
Whiles most studies have been focused on the sources of income generation, the knowledge
of financial managers in senior high schools, little or no study have been done on income and
expenditure pattern of the schools. The general objective is to find out how senior high
However, the specific objectives for this study include the identification of the major sources
of income for the schools; again to find out the expenditure pattern of the schools or the
application of cash and finally to find out problems encountered when managing or
A recent study indicates that high cost of education is the predominant reason for children
not attending school. Funding of education by the government and other stakeholders is not
only desirable but also necessary. (Maronga et al, 2013, p.97) However, proper Financial
2003). Financing education has been and continues to be a burden to all countries and,
therefore, various sources should be sought to finance education (Oduog 2003, p.97).
administrators.
Karan (2005) observed that private schools tend to perform better compared to public
schools. He ascribed this to the fact that in private schools, parents are able to pay the fees
charged and therefore these schools have enough learning and teaching resources needed.
According to Ministry of Education (MoE), heads are supposed to ensure efficient and
principals in financial management may result from employing less qualified accounting staff
that maintain poor records and who fail to observe accounting procedures.
Ngaba (2003, p.67) established that there was a lack of professionalism in some areas as far
as management of schools’ finances is concerned and called for qualified personnel in the
business management goes beyond allocating cash items, but has to look at the school as an
investment which would in due time pay dividends to the government (Alomba 2003, p.90).
According to UNESCO (2000, p.107) the mismanagement of funds by principals often leads
a shortage of critical resources in schools as money is not available for the purchasing of
necessary books, equipment etc. they observe that such may result in underperformance of
things the finances of schools should be efficiently and effectively managed. This
emphasizes the need for a sound financial system. Reeder (1998) conserved that educational
investment should be well handled to ensure maximum production from it and that the little
funds available be well expended to ensure careful financial planning, control and
administration.
accounts receivable.
They further explained that cash management involves the management of cash flow into and
out of the firm; cash flow within the firm; and cash balances held by the firm at a point in
time. Panadey (1999, p.98) explained that the school should evolve strategies regarding: cash
planning, managing the cash flows, optimum cash level and investing surplus cash. The basic
objective in cash management is to keep investment in cash as low as possible while keeping
“Managing cash includes the following: management of cash collection which involves over
the counter collection of cash, pre-authorized arrangement, on line terminals, lock boxes, and
There is no single definition for school finance, however, generally, school finance is all
about the management of school financial resources; thus the income generation pattern,
expenditure pattern of the school, the laid down procedural steps to follow when embarking
on projects or investments, etc. School finance is complicated by how to identify and use the
proper mechanisms for resource distribution that will ensure that funds reach students and
schools (Emiliana et al 2012, p. 244). Moreover, they asserted that education funding has the
potential to improve education quality for all, and therefore school finance remains an area in
(1) school finance systems are responsible for providing the necessary resources to
(2) governments sometimes struggle to use education resources efficiently, although they
(3) the complex process of school finance involves a diverse set of actors and
stakeholders with different perspectives and motivations, but the system is rarely
examined holistically.
Clarke (2007, p.97) in his Handbook of school management identified planning, organizing,
leading and controlling as a major task to perform when managing school finances. Bush
(2004) attributed these tasks to the headmasters of schools who are to ensure proper school
administration (Mestry 2004, p.). Each of the aforementioned tasks will briefly be considered
(Motsamai 2011, p.97-98). According to Kruger (2005, p.97), planning of school finances
In business dictionary, budget is defined as a systematic plan for the expenditure of a usually
fixed resource, such as money or time, during a given period or an itemized summary of
estimated or intended expenditures for a given period along with proposals for financing
them. According to Bisschoff (1997, p.567), a budget is the mission statement of an
organization expressed in monetary terms. Clarke (2007, p.102) argues that budgeting is a
forward-looking process that must be guided by the vision of the school for the future and a
realistic assessment of the risks. Mckinney (1995, p.100) agrees with Clarke by stating that
budgeting is a dynamic and ongoing process. He identified planning, needs assessment and
priority settings as the major stages in budgeting. Emiliana et al (2012, p.244) believes that
school budget provides school administrators with an opportunity to justify the collection and
expenditure of school funds. The purpose of budget was abridged by Bisschoff (1997, p.567)
coordinating activities and communicating plans within the organization; motivating and
Organizing develops intentional patterns of relationships among staff and other resources in
organization (Kurt 2007, p.43). To achieve quality education simply means bring all the
inputs of stakeholders (that is staff, students, school board, PTA etc.) together as one unit and
ensuring that those input enhance the success of the school. In this respect, organizing of
school finances should include aspects such as drawing up a school financial policy; setting
up a structure within the school to handle administrative and financial matters; delegating
certain functions to clerks, class teachers and the treasurer; and coordinating activities
Organizations provide its managers with legitimate authority to lead, but there is no
assurance that they will be able to lead effectively. Organizations need strong leadership and
strong management for optimal effectiveness (Lunenburg, 2011). Kurt (2007, p. 48) believes
that leading occurs when managers initiate action. According to Bennis et al (1985),
leadership is mostly concerned with dealing with people. Leading depends on being able to
direct, motivate, and communicate with the staff for whom one is accountable (Kurt 2007, p.
47). Bisschoff (1997, p.567) believes that leadership in financial administration involves
three aspects: sound relationships, communication with all stakeholders and internal as well
as external and motivation of all the people concerned with school finances. Niemann (1997,
p.374) added that communication is the basis for establishing relationships and for providing
motivation. Niemann (1997, p.377-378) again stated that financial activities are dealt with
most effectively when both the administrative and academic personnel are involved in the
process. Bisschoff (1997, p.568) argues that good communication will ensure that staff
members who are involved in school finances would be informed about authorizations for
various expenditures are knowledgably about the financial procedure for expending money,
and whom the results of the expenditure should be reported. Bisschoff (1997, p.568) again
emphasizes that all staff members should feel that they have a role to play in all of the
school’s activities, as this will motivate them to work hard and consequently achieve
The financial planning of school finances and its control are interdependent and closely
linked with each other (Kurt 2007, p.47). It can be assumed that there a similar relationship
existing between budget and control since a budget is a planning instrument (Bisschoff 1997,
p.568). This means that financial planning is about budgeting and in this regard. Ntseto
(2001, p.95) argues that a budget is a financial control technique as well as a plan. Kurt
(2007, p.48) identified four basic steps in controlling; thus setting standards, measuring
performance, comparing actual with expected results, and acting to correct deviation. Control
monitors input and output; it also monitors the processes or how work is done. (Kurt 2007,
p.47)
METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH
survey strategy allows a researcher to collect quantitative data, which can be analyze
quantitatively using descriptive statistics. In addition, the data collected using a survey
strategy can be used to suggest possible reasons for particular relationships between variables
and to produce models for the relationships. The survey design was further found appropriate
for use for this study because it looks at the phenomena under consideration accurately and
Since all headmasters and bursars were involved in the study, the purposive sampling
technique was adopted. This is because of the possibility that the researcher will at best be
able to address his research questions and meet his objectives (Saunders et al 2009).
Data Analysis
The study used both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires were administered to four
respondents to solicit for their opinions on some issues. Moreover, the current financial
report (2013) of the schools were also used to analyse the income and expenditure patterns.
The collected data were analysed using Microsoft Excel. To aid in easy and quick
interpretation of data, all the responses to the close-ended questions were fed into the MS-
Excel software for data processing and analysis. The system then presented the analyzed data
(output) in the form of frequency tables and figures. The above approach was adopted
because of its suitability in appropriately elucidating the findings in order to enable the
researcher come out with very concrete and relevant observations, conclusions and
recommendations.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The presentation and discussion of the findings were focused on the following areas:
The purpose of the study is to find out how spending officers spend cash in the school and
identify the pattern of expenditure as well. The study revealed that the total income for
sampled schools was GH¢5,825,183.63; and the ratio of AGASS income to KESDASS is
83%:17%. Likewise, the total expenditure of both schools was GH¢5,725,124.75 and a ratio
with larger income has as well the higher expenditure. This is as a result of the more revenue
sources that are available to AGASS. AGASS had government grants and HIPC funds to
support their school fess whereas KESDASS only had school fees to run their activities.
HIPC fund and government grants formed 2.72% and 52.46% of the total expenditure
With respect to expenditure, the schools almost have the same items they expend on. Similar
expenditure made by the schools include food, utilities, travels, repair and maintenance,
However, expenses like workers’ salaries and insurance contribution are only associated with
the study revealed earlier, 44.37% of KESDASS was spent on workers’ salaries and about
3% was on insurance contributions. This suggest that even though AGASS spends more in
Furthermore, service activity like training, seminar and conference was performed by
AGASS and about 0.67% (GH¢32.553.40) was expended on them. Such expenses were not
AGASS again expended 0.62% (GH¢29,872.00) of total income obtained on special service
Additionally, both schools expended on some investment activities. The total cost of
investment for both schools as at 2013 stood at GH¢860,352.01 which is about 14.8% of the
total income the schools obtained. A ratio of 3.9%:96.1% of the total investment cost
As revealed in the comparative analysis, the obvious differences in expenditures between the
schools were workers’ salaries, insurance contribution which were bored by KESDASS and
special service like anniversary by AGASS in the year 2013; apart from these both schools
almost expended on the same items. This is because of the fact that they are both educational
Since every activity comes with its own challenges, the researcher thought it was imperative
to know the challenges bursars and headmasters face when managing funds in their
respective schools. Respondents were asked to select from the options given, the challenges
It was revealed that when it comes to challenges of financial management in senior high
schools, the problems seem to be the same everywhere. The following responses were the
procurement irregularities
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The survey also revealed that the use of funds or expenditure pattern of the schools is
similar since they have almost the same characteristics. The public school expended on
the following activities: personnel emolument, repair and maintenance, travel and
transport, utilities, office consumable, materials consumables etc. whiles the private
school expended on workers’ salaries, allowance, travel, repairs and maintenance, office
expenses etc. of which office expenses and salaries took greater part of the income. Both
expenses took 41% and 37% respectively from the income generated.
Based on the findings and conclusions made, the researcher deemed it necessary to make
to meet their budget and also carry out their activities and achieve the desired
results. Also he should release monies on time to the public schools to be able to
members in managing funds. Staff members should help in the collection of fees
school. Officers who bid for quality and affordable products in order to reduce
cost.
help procurement officers or committee to know the best materials to buy and at
5. Government should make an effort to pay the absorbed fees to the public schools
so that they will be able to meet their objectives. Government’s inability to pay
absorbed fees crumbles the efforts of school administrators in meeting their
budgets.
6. Finally, there should be collaboration between the schools and West African
candidates after their exams have been written. This will help reduce huge
students’ debts. Moreover, bursars should be able to bargain for longer credit
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APPENDIXES