A school grant is the transfer of funds from the central level directly to schools to cover their running costs.
[Adapted from] Chimier, C.; Harang, C. 2018. Designing and implementing a school grant policy. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP.
The policy landscape in which school grant policies are designed and implemented varies from one country to another; however, in all four countries, these policies have been implemented to respond to the following policy objectives, more or less explicitly, as noted in the respective guidelines: contribute to equal access to school for all children, including the poorest, by reducing the cost barriers of schooling to parents; improve education quality in the beneficiary schools; improve school management and functioning through greater school autonomy; increase administrative efficiency (Lugaz and De Grauwe, 2016: 44-45).
Lugaz, C.; De Grauwe, A. 2016. Improving school financing: the use and usefulness of school grants; lessons from East Asia and the Pacific. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP.