What has been the African experience of education decentralisation? What lessons can be learned from the African experience in the wider context of international experience? This research, by the World Bank Institute, looks at that devolution of educational finance to sub-national governments. It examines the vitally important role of the community school. Finally, based on lessons learned in the international arena it gives recommendations on how best to make the transition from the centralised to the decentralised delivery of education.
African education decentralisation occurs in the context of severe deficiencies in educational access (and quality). However, growing financial resources for basic education, strong country commitments to use additional resources toward that end and monitoring by donors are ensuring that funding for basic education increases and access improves. This has meant that countries are seeking more effective and cost-efficient ways of delivering basic education. Based on international experience, decentralisation is viewed as offering the most effective mode under certain conditions.
African countries exhibit a wide diversity of approaches to decentralisation of education. Three broad strategies include: (1) decentralisation of control over education to regional or provincial authorities; (2) decentralisation to local governments and (3) decentralisation to community schools. While the experience is too recent to know its full effects, the best evidence is consistent with international experience. It shows that moving responsibilities to schools governed by elected school councils can improve accountability and performance. On the other hand, decentralisation to regional or local government provides mixed results highly dependent on (a) the true decentralisation of budget and personnel authority; (b) the incentives created by intergovernmental fiscal transfers and mandates and (c) the political power struggle inevitable in decentralisation reforms.
Unlike many regions of the world, much education decentralisation in Africa is a grassroots phenomenon. Community schools have taken root in most countries of the region and governments are increasingly seeing them as effective and cost-effective options for increasing access and quality. In the context of lessons learned from international experience, the African experience of education decentralisation is characterised by the following:
- Weak formal accountability mechanisms. However, informal accountability mechanisms work well in community schools.
- The role of local governments is poorly defined or overlapping. Significant divergence exists between legal statements of roles and reality.
- Parental participation in school councils is often encouraged. The tradition of community schools contributes to parental involvement.
- The role and capacity of principals is not well developed.
- In terms of financial transfers, capitation grants to sub-national governments and schools are used increasingly.
- Failure to restructure and reorient ministries is causing them to fight to retain their traditional role.
Numerous questions remain unanswered and unresolved. These include:
- Education ministries should begin actively supporting community schools, not just with finance but also with technical assistance and guidance.
- The assignment of responsibilities across different levels of governments and schools must be clearly defined.
- Monitoring and technical assistance should be provided to help resolve local problems before they become crises.
- Communication and exchange of successful experience should be fostered to shorten the feedback loop and improve community schools.
