DECENTRALIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL GOVERNANCE IN INDIA: TRENDS AND ISSUES
In recent years, decentralization has become a global trend and it is on the political agenda in many countries. Education is being decentralized in numerous countries as part of a larger move to reform public management systems (Govinda, 2003a). The poli
- PDF / 165,906 Bytes
- 18 Pages / 454.205 x 679.807 pts Page_size
- 50 Downloads / 307 Views
1.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, decentralization has become a global trend and it is on the political agenda in many countries. Education is being decentralized in numerous countries as part of a larger move to reform public management systems (Govinda, 2003a). The policies largely aim to reduce government size, reorganize delivery, expand private initiatives, and create new partnerships. Decentralization is having a significant impact on policy, planning, and management of elementary education. With the increasing impact of globalization, the challenges faced by the nations of the world are substantial; hence, the importance of localization through decentralization has intensified. At the same time, decentralization is seen as a means of improving the efficiency of education systems and the quality of educational services. In India, education is the joint responsibility of state and union governments. Ever since decentralization has been promoted in the field of education, different states in India have undergone various decentralization processes with distinct outcomes. The actual manifestation of the process of decentralization, in terms of the rationale put forth as well as operational features adopted, varies widely across the states. The socio-political context and the degree of popular participation in the decision-making process directly influence the outcomes of decentralization measures. Generally speaking, in India decentralization is treated as a means of politically restructuring the system. Capacity building is also held up as one of the benefits of effective implementation. However, the decision to decentralize often translates into intense social activity at the local level. Many researchers suggest that educational decentralization essentially becomes a political decision that requires strong political will, both at the central and state levels. It also becomes imperative to carefully plan the process of decentralization to ensure effective implementation. The challenge of balancing several different aims can be enormous: first, making education more relevant to local needs; second, democratically promoting people’s participation by empowering local authorities; and third, improving performance accountability (Govinda, 2003a). In general, it appears that, decentralization seems to mean different things to different people, depending on the political and administrative context in which the term is used. The concept has remained vague and highly ambiguous, when used by policy makers as well as intellectuals. Public discussion of decentralization is often confusing, characterized by sweeping, cross-disciplinary claims about the positive effects of decentralization measures on the quality and efficiency of both government and social interaction (Faguet, 2001). It is within this ambiguously defined 159 Christopher Bjork (ed.), Educational Decentralization, 159–176. C 2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
160
EDUCATIONAL DECENTRALIZATION
framework of decentralization that one has to careful
Data Loading...
