An Overview of Participatory Societal
Approach in Education
3.1 The Essence of Participatory
Approach
in Education
The term “participation” can be interpreted
in various ways, depending on the context
Shaeffer (1994) clarifies different degrees
or levels of participation
involvement through the mere use of a
service (such as enrolling children in
school);
involvement through the contribution (or
extraction) of money, materials, and
labor;
Contd…
Participation in “real decision making at
every stage”
involvement through ‘attendance’ (e.g.
at parents’ meetings at school),
involvement through consultation on a
particular issue;
participation in the delivery of a
service, often as a partner with other
actors;
participation as implementers of
delegated powers.
3.2. Defining Decentralization,
Accountability
3.2.1 Decentralization
Autonomy and Empowerment
This is a concept fraught with different variations:
A. Deconcentration
sometimes called administrative decentralization,
involves handing over more routine authority and
decision-making powers from a higher level of the
central government to lower levels(regional, district,
cluster), still accountable to, and staffed by, the
central ministry.
B. Delegation
transfers (or lends) certain specific management
responsibilities or some activities to other units,
governmental or non-governmental, implying
somewhat stronger (but easily cancellable) local
autonomy.
Neither deconcentration nor delegation necessarily
lead to more participatory approaches to development.
Contd…
c. Privatization
is the transfer of functions from state
ownership
to private ownership.
D. Devolution
(sometimes called political
decentralization)
strengthens sub-national units of
government and
actually transfers considerable decision-
making
powers to local political bodies relatively
independent of the central government.
3.2.2 Accountability
relates to who is required to report to whom
about - and therefore can ultimately be held
responsible for the determination and
implementation of policies and procedures,
the achievement of goals, the performance
of institutions, and compliance with
standards and regulations.
it relates to the extent to which various
levels of the administrative hierarchy are
responsible to other levels both above and
below it.
Autonomy
Societies where multi-directional
accountability occurs guarantee some
degree of autonomy or 'self-government' to
lower levels of the system.
This includes autonomy for organizations
to make and implement decisions
regarding their own operations, and for
individuals, to make decisions regarding
matters pertaining to their own concerns.
3.2.3 Empowerment
This implies that people:
gain knowledge and awareness of their
own social, economic, and political
conditions
take action - to make and act on choices
and to construct "their own futures
through a process of analysis and action"
gain control over the goals and
processes of development, and over
regulatory institutions.
3.3. Major Goals of School-Society
participation
1. Ideological goals: to empower people in order to
ensure their greater control over development and
their greater influence over decisions that affect them;
2. Economic goals: to seek more resources from a wider
range of actors
3. Political goals: from the government's side, to
strengthen the legitimacy of the current government
and make people co-responsible for social problems;
from the 'popular' side, to gain greater share of power
in policy-making and budget allocations;
Contd…
4. Programmatic: to increase program or project
demand, coverage, relevance, effectiveness,
efficiency, success, and sustainability; and
5. Capacity-building: to develop new knowledge,
skills, and attitudes and provide beneficiaries a
useful share in management tasks, monitoring,
etc.
3.4. Major Partnerships in School and Society Relation
3.4.1. Paternalistic and Populist Approach to
Community Participation in Education
Paternalistic Approach
This assumes that rural people are passive and
fatalistic, uninterested in improving their lives, and
incapable of initiative in making improvements.
Consequently, everything must be done for them in
a top down, bureaucratic manner.
Populist approach
which assumes that rural people
are vitally
interested in change and
completely capable
of transforming their communities .
3.4.2. Potential Partners in School-
Community
Relations in Education
The Government: Bureaucracies and
Bureaucrats
The School: Principals and Teachers
The Community: Parents and Local
Organizations
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Discussion
Which one of the approaches is correct?
Why ?
Discuss in groups