A-810Z
Education, Decentralization, and Community Participation in Africa
(Formerly titled Community Participation in Education: Lessons from Africa)
Shirley Burchfield
Over the past two decades, many African countries have moved toward decentralized education systems. Decentralization transfers decision-making powers from the national level to intermediate and local governments, and communities are often encouraged to participate in the work and management of their schools. Evidence is growing that community involvement in schooling can have a dramatic impact on education access, retention, and quality. This involvement may take many forms, including school management committees, parents’ associations, school boards, and in-kind contributions. The objectives of this module are to critically examine (1) factors related to educational decentralization and community participation that contribute to sustainable improvements in school quality; (2) effective models of community participation; (3) the role of different actors in decentralized education systems, including NGOs, regional and district education officers, community- and school-based organizations, the private sector, and donors; and (4) different models for evaluating program progress and impact. Lessons will be drawn from programs in over 20 African countries. Students will work in groups to critically examine education program development from the design stage through the assessment of program impact. Among the questions to be examined include: How does a decentralized education system support or hamper effective community participation? What are the trade-offs between participatory programs and top-down approaches? What are the unintended consequences of community involvement? This module is appropriate for students who are interested in education and community advocacy in developing countries, particularly in Africa, and/or intend to work in the field of international education.
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