Decentralization, Effective Accountability, and Monitoring of Public Schools in Pakistan: Community Awareness and Reliance Indispensable
Abstract
Empowerment of parents and community members improves accountability and monitoring of schools. Nevertheless, accountability relationships need to be accurately defined for decentralization to improve schools’ performance. This study, therefore, aims to explore educationists’ and Parents Teachers Council (PTC) members’ perceptions of local accountability and monitoring of elementary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A semi-structured interview of provincial and district educational administrators, school principals, and PTC members informs this phenomenological study. Participants’ responses were coded to identify the emerging themes and patterns. Analysis reveals that PTC can become part of the accountability and monitoring system of the public schools through empowering PTCs, awareness of the community, sharing information with PTC members and its community, and trusting the potentials of the community. This study recommends that principals and parents should be empowered and accountability procedures should be devised for effective local accountability and monitoring of the public schools.
Keywords: Decentralization, community participation, accountability, monitoring, community empowerment.
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