PurposeFinancing is a major obstacle to achieving quality education for all persons of school-going age in less-developed countries. Consequently, corporate institutions through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are increasingly becoming government partners in financing education sector projects. The effect of these CSR interventions on education funding gap, school enrollment and academic performance is yet to be adequately evaluated, hence the reason for this study.Design/methodology/approachThis study used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions on examining the contributions of CSR initiatives to school funding, enrollment and academic performance from the viewpoint of teachers, students and heads of schools. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, reviewed and sorted according to key and recurrent themes.FindingsThe study shows that CSR interventions have contributed to student enrollment in beneficiary schools, improved academic and core-curricular performances of students. Funding gaps in schools have also being unraveled through this study which will inform policy decisions going forward. However, the informal financiers may have other reasons unknown to the resource recipients for investing in the education sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe research only considered the perspectives of teachers, students, pupils and heads of schools on the effect of CSR interventions on enrollment and performance. The views of CSR initiators (corporations), opinion leaders and other stakeholders of the schools are reserved for future research.Practical implicationsIt is therefore imperative that managers of school systems are cautious in establishing exchange relationship with informal financiers as there may be other hidden reasons behind the corporate support to the beneficiary schools.Originality/valueThe addition of other stakeholders' perspective on the effect of CSR initiatives on school enrollment and students' performance is a novelty.

This study examined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the effect of CSR initiatives on teaching and learning from teachers, students, and heads' perspectives. The study relied on in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions to obtain data. The participating schools were selected through a stratified sampling technique, with the individual respondents purposively sampled. Interviews and discussions were tape-recorded and subsequently transcribed, sorted to identify central and recurrent themes in the data. The study showed that corporate bodies have contributed immensely to the teaching and learning processes through improved school infrastructural facilities. It also found that CSR activities have enhanced teaching and learning processes. Thus, resulting in improved quality of teaching delivery, students' academic performance and beneficiary schools' societal status. The findings, however, focused mainly on the perspectives of teachers, students, and heads of schools. The findings are expected to maximize the effective deployment of CSR resources in education service and infrastructure provision in less-developed countries. The results are expected to engender further debate among corporations and other relevant stakeholders on the need for concerted efforts in tackling the school infrastructure deficit prevalent in less-developed nations. This study is one of its kinds on the effect of CSR initiatives on teaching and learning from direct beneficiaries' perspectives within the African context. This study also provides evidence of the need for a deliberate effort to encourage private-sector investment in school infrastructure. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Education financing, Emerging Economy, Teaching and Learning

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