Tracking conditional cash transfer beneficiaries using grades and enrollment rate

Abstract

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have been touted to reduce poverty in developing countries. Various methods have been used to assess the effectiveness of CCT programs but little attention has been devoted to finding out whether the grantees had benefited on an individual level. This study aimed to determine the enrollment status and academic performance of the pioneer beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a human development program of the Philippine national government using the CCT scheme in a barangay situated in a poor municipality and province. Using data from the parent leader and from the scholastic records, it was found out that the program had a positive impact on the education of the pioneer children beneficiaries of the locality studied and it was highly successful in attaining its aim of making poor children stay in school. The study argues for the tracking of individual grantees as a measure of the CCT program’s success. Due to the study’s inherent limitations and exploratory nature, the following are recommended: replicate the study on a larger scale; continue tracking the pioneer as well as the other beneficiaries of the program to see whether its long-term desired outcomes are met; and study its possible negative aspects and effects. For educators handling 4Ps pupils and students, it is recommended that continuing to strictly implement compliance of family recipients with their co-responsibilities in the program is desired.