35 Role of Civil society organizations in governance of education
Ms. Parul Aggarwal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Learning Outcomes
3. Civil Society Organizations
4. Governance of Education
4.1 Major Characteristics of Good Governance of Education
5. Participants playing an important role in Governance of Education
6. Role of Civil Society Organizations in Governance of Education
6.1. Role of Civil Society Organizations in Participatory and Accountable Governance
6.2. Delivery of Social Services
6.3. CSO’s and Global Partnership for Education
6.4. The role of CSO’s
6.5. CSO’s and Social Mobilization
6.6 Difference between NGO’s and CSO’s
1. INTRODUCTION
Civil society is the aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest interest and will of the citizens. Civil society includes the family and the private sphere referred to as the third sector of the society distinct from government and business. The World Bank interacts with the thousands of civil society organizations throughout the world at global, regional, and country levels. These CSO’s include NGO’s, trade unio ns, faith-based organizations, indigenous people’s movements, foundations and many others. CSO’s are just like NGO’s except they perform a larger number of functions making NGO’s a subset of CSO’s. CSO’s perform an important role in local economic development and poverty alleviation. CSO’s does the following activities:
● Improve the local business investment climate
● Encourage new enterprises and livelihood programmes
● Deliver social services
● Training and Capacity building
● Relief and Rehabilitation
2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this module, the students will be able to:
● Explain the meaning/ concept of Civil Society Organizations
● Elucidate the meaning/concept of Governance of Education
● Discuss the role of main stakeholders in Governance of Education
● Describe the role of participants in Governance of Education
● Enumerate the role of civil society organizations in Governance of Education
● Differentiate between NGO’s and CSO’s
3. CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS
Civil Society Organisation can be defined to include all non- market and non-state organizations outside of the family in which people organize themselves to pursue shared interests in the public domain. They are the organized civil society and can come in many forms, some informal and some as formal entities such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), CBOs, faith-based organizations (FBOs), among many others. This is when a group of individuals come together for a common purpose, as in to fulfill a particular mandate driven by need. Examples include community-based organizations and village associations, environmental groups, women’s rights groups, farmers’ associations, faith-based organizations, labour unions, co-operatives, professional associations, chambers of commerce, independent research institutes and the not- for-profit media.
The definition of civil society as proposed by Salamon (2004) characterizes CSO’s with four criteria: CSO’s are private, non-profit distributing, self- governing, voluntary organizations.
PRIVATE: This signifies that they are institutionally separate from the state, even if they can receive consequent amount from the state.
NON-PROFIT DISTRIBUTING: This means that their purpose is not primarily commercial and they do not distribute profit to specific people that is shareholders or a set of directors. This means that if they make some profit, they reinvest it or use it to fulfill their mission.
SELF-GOVERNING: This means that they are independent from both firms and governments, which means that they are in control of their own affairs.
VOLUNTARY: This means that no one is obliged to join or become member of these organizations. Membership is the result of a free choice, which means that these organizations are at least partially based on voluntary actions.
4. GOVERNANCE OF EDUCATION
The word “governance “means the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as school governance, local governance and corporate governance. School governance involves making decisions on:
● Goals, aims and objectives
● Management strategies – how things should be done (the do’s and don’ts)
● Formulation of policies
● Plans and budgets
● Accountability and reporting mechanisms
● Information sharing systems
● Power relations in the running of the school
● Allocation, utilization and generation of resources
● Determination and enforcement of rules, procedures and guidelines
● Stakeholder participation and community
● Learning and teaching resources
4.1 Major Characteristics of Good Governance of Education
● Participation: Participation by parents, teachers, community members and pupils is a key cornerstone of good
school governance.
● Rule of law: Good school governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires
promotion or protection of human rights.
● Transparency: Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that
follows rules and regulations of the school. It also means that information is freely available and directly
accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement e.g. parents, teachers, pupils
and sponsors.
● Responsiveness: Good school governance requires that school organs and processes try to serve all stakeholders,
especially parents, teachers and pupils within a reasonable time frame.
● Consensus oriented: Good school governance requires mediation of the
different interests in schools to reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interest of the whole school community and how this can be achieved.
● Equity and inclusiveness: Ensuring that all members of the school
community feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
● Effectiveness and efficiency: The concept of efficiency in the context of good school governance also covers the sustainable use of resources and the protection of the environment.
● Accountability: In general, an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions.
5. PARTICIPANTS PLAYING AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN GOVERNANCE OF EDUCATION
In education, the term stakeholder typically refers to anyone who is invested in the welfare and success of a school and its students, including administrators, teachers,
staff members, students, parents, families, community members, local business leaders, and elected officials such as school board members, city councilors, and
state representatives. Stakeholders may also be collective entities, such as local businesses, organizations, advocacy groups, committees, media outlets, and cultural institutions, in addition to organizations that represent specific groups, such as
teachers unions, parent-teacher organizations, and associations representing superintendents, principals, school boards, or teachers in specific academic
disciplines. In a word, stakeholders have a “stake” in the school and its students, meaning that they have personal, professional, civic, or financial interest or concern. The major participants in governance of education are:
a) Civil Society Organizations
CSOs have a constituency, as they have a clientele/beneficiaries who m they serve and ideally should represent that clientele. As such, it is very disturbing to see how many purport to be representing the views of civil society when in fact civil society has no idea what their mandate is. This is because no matter how well- intended the effort is, if people do not know or understand the mandate being served when ‘civil society’ is represented – then we in the sector are guilty of what we often accuse government of doing – imposing plans on people rather than facilitating a sp ace in which people can make their own informed decisions.
Many are skeptical of the work being done by CSOs, believing the sector to be self-serving and even at times, perpetuating the cycle of social exclusion under the guise of ‘making a difference’. This is a direct result of not differentiating between representing ‘civil society’ and a CSO representing a particular constituency of civil society. By virtue of seeking accountability from government and business, CSOs should hold themselves to the highest standards and this includes ensuring that no error is made about who and what CSOs represent.
b) Community
By building stronger links between the school and the community, the benefits of having a school will be shared, while at the same time community members will feel more ownership of the school itself. A joint community-school meeting could be held, to discuss these issues outlined above. This could then inspire a discussion on how they would like to see the school used to serve the local community, thinking how they could feel ownership of the school while extending their own learning processes.
c) NGO’s(Non-Governme ntal Organization) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs)
Civil Society Institutions (CSIs), Non- governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) are the main stakeholders of school governance and play an important role in quality management. Community based organizations (CBO’s) are non-profit groups that work at a local level to improve life for residents. The focus is to build equality across society in all streams – health care, environment, quality of education, access to technology, access to spaces and information for the disabled, Organizing people into groups has wide-ranging advantages to the community in specific, and the society in general. Once the people are organized, they can be made actively aware as regard to their rights, contributions, responsibilities, and so on.
6. ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN GOVERNANCE OF EDUCATION
For over two decades now, the process of globalization has been influencing the socio-economic environment in countries. While globalization provides new opportunities for economic development to countries through trade liberalization, foreign direct investment, capital flows, information exchange and technological transfer, it has meant increased Deprivation for those nations, which have been unable to adjust to the new requirements of global society. Thus, on one hand while we witness rapid economic growth and prosperity in some regions, there are more than a billion people who continue to live in poverty with purchasing power of less than a dollar a day. In the poorest countries, about one fifth of the children die in the first year of their birth; nearly half of those who survive are malnourished and a significant proportion of the population does not have access to clear water sanitation, basic health services and education. The harsh realities of increasing global inequalities had been a major concern to the international community over the years, but the new century opened with an unprecedented declaration of solidarity and determination to rid the world of poverty. The Millennium Declaration, adopted at the largest ever gathering of heads of state in September 2000, commits countries – rich and poor – to do all they can to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality and achieve peace, democracy and environmental sustainability. World leaders promised to work together to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with specific targets, including that of reducing poverty by half by 2015
However, four years after the Declaration, progress is partial. Some regions like Asia and the Pacific and some countries like China may generally be on track, but others are not. It seems that on current trends most countries will not reach many MDG targets. Achieving MDGs requires a shift in the development paradigm with: first, new, focused and coherent strategies which prioritize the MDGs; second, sustained commitment and enhanced political will on the part of world leaders and; third, new development partnerships based on shared responsibilities among major stakeholders. It requires many combined and complementary efforts by international agencies, national governments, local authorities, private sector and Civil society organizations (CSOs). Civil society has to make a larger contribution both directly and indirectly to the process of poverty reduction and attainment of other MDG targets.
DIFFERENT SECTORS OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION
In fact, one significant area of progress over the past decade has been the growing influence of local, national and global CSOs and networks in driving policy change, as with debt relief and trading arrangements. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community organizations, professional associations and other civil society groups are regularly called on to help design and implement poverty reduction strategies. Their participation is also built into special initiatives, like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
These new approaches reflect the three roles of civil society: as participants in the design of strategies, as service providers through community organizations and national NGOs, and as watchdogs to ensure government fulfillment of commitments. But in many countries these roles are taking root only gradually, with governments continuing to dominate decision-making and implementation. By insisting on a transparent process for the development national strategies to achieve the MDGs, bilateral and multilateral institutions can help civil society gain a stronger foothold in policy- making and implementation.
Education takes place not only in schools but also within families, communities and society. Despite the various degrees of responsibilities taken by each group, none can be the sole agent to take 100% responsibility for educating children. Parents and families cannot be the only group of people responsible for children’s education as long as their children interact with and learn from the world outside their families. Communities and society must support parents and families in the upbringing, socializing and educating of their children. Schools are institutions that can prepare children to contribute to the betterment of the society in which they operate, by equipping them with skills important in society. Schools cannot and should not operate as separate entities within the society.
6.1. Role of Civil Society Organizations in Participatory and Accountable Governance
“Civil society is a sphere of social interaction between the household (family) and the state which is manifested in the norms of community cooperative, structures of voluntary association and networks of public communication … norms are values of trust, reciprocity, tolerance and inclusion, which are critical to cooperation and community problem solving, structure of association refers to the full range of informal and formal organization through which citizens pursue common interests” (Veneklasen, 1994).
“Civil society is composed of autonomous associations which develop a dense, diverse and pluralistic network. As it develops, civil society will consist of a range of local groups, specialized organizations and linkages between them to amplify the corrective voices of civil society as a partner in governance and the market” (Connor, 1999).
Specifically CSOs, both local and international, can potentially contribute to local economic development and respond to the growing problem of poverty in a number of ways. Their responses can be categorized into the following: improve the local business investment climate; encourage new enterprises and live lihood programmes; deliver social services, provide training and capacity building programmes; and contribute to relief and rehabilitation. A summary of their roles and activities is presented in the following box:
Improve the Local Business Investment Climate
| TYPE OF ROLE | ACTIVITIES |
|
|
Encourage New Enterprises and Livelihood Programmes
| TYPE OF ROLE | ACTIVITIES |
|
|
Deliver Social Services
| TYPE OF ROLE | ACTIVITIES |
|
|
Training and Capacity Building
| TYPE OF ROLE | ACTIVITIES |
| Entrepreneurial
Vocational/ Technical Institutional Capacity |
|
| Building |
|
Relief and Rehabilitation
| TYPE OF ROLE | ACTIVITIES |
| Relief and Rehabilitation |
|
6.2. Delivery of Social Services
Efforts to sustain economic development and reduce poverty are unlikely to succeed in the long run unless there is greater investment in human capital, particularly of the poor. Ample evidence exists that improvements in education, health and nutrition not only directly attack some of the most important causes of poverty, but they also ensure sustained supply of productive labour – an important factor of production and contributor to economic growth.
The link between education and productivity is well established and documented. The principal asset of the poor is labour time. Education and training leads to a higher income at the individual level and higher growth at the macro level. A study of small and medium-size enterprises in Colombia showed that entrepreneur’s background – skills, education and previous experience – strongly influences both technical efficiency and the profitability of the enterprise. Providing training and capacity strengthening through entrepreneurial, vocational/ technical training and workshops for upcoming business and grassroots organizations is therefore, of core importance. Illustrations of the contributions of CSOs in providing education, improving curriculum to make it demand oriented, and providing training are, plentiful and include BRAC in Bangladesh, Basti in Pakistan.
Furthermore, integrating low income or hard-to-employ workers and the targeting of disadvantaged groups is also an important cornerstone of poverty alleviation strategies. This implies institution of measures targeted at groups of individuals such as ethnic minority groups, poor, women, redundant workers, the unemployed and youths. There are examples of CSOs rising because market fails to offer the goods and services these groups need. The potential measures may include retraining in skills for which there are local demand and job placement programs, programs focused on women employment/credit provision, etc. The Self-Employed Women’s Association in India is a striking example of how poor and disadvantaged people can enhance their bargaining strength through cooperation.
INDIA: SELF-EMPLOYED WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION
The Self- Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a trade union of poor women in Ahmedabad, India (in Hindi, sewa means service).
SEWA draws its membership from three types of workers: petty vendors and hawkers, home-based producers and those who provide casual labour and other services. Although it started in response to the needs of urban women, SEWA now also covers rural women in agric ulture and other sectors. SEWA’s aim is to enhance women’s income-earning opportunities as well as their working environment. It does this in several ways.
- Savings and credit cooperatives provide working capital to hawkers, vendors and home-based workers.
- Producer cooperatives help women get better prices for their goods.
- Training courses impart such skills as bamboo work, block printing, plumbing, carpentry, repairing and accounting and management.
- Legal services enable women to obtain the benefits of national labour legislation. Until SEWA was formed in 1972, the women in the informal sector were not recognized as workers, either in law or by society.
- SEWA has also developed a welfare component. It now gives assistance to its members through a maternal protection scheme, widows’ benefits, childcare and the training of midwives.
Source: HDR, 1993
CSOs due to their flexible and need responsive nature of their activities can play an important role in the provision of such social services in very innovative ways as demonstrated in the example presented.
A COMMUNITY CHILD CARE AND NUTRITION PROGRAM IN COLOMBIA
A high proportion of Colombia’s population lives below the poverty line. In the towns the worst poverty is borne disproportionately by children, who are at risk from malnutrition, illness, neglect, isolation, and violence. To address these problems, the Colombian government and local NGOs developed a system of pre-school child-care that includes a feeding program and health monitoring.
The target group-children age 2 to 6 and their parents-is drawn mainly from the poorest 20 percent of the population. A group of parents select a “community mother” to provide day care and other services for fifteen children in her home. With the help from the National Family Welfare Institute, the community mother receives training, a small monthly stipend, and a credit to upgrade the home to minimum standards of hygiene and safety. The institute also provides food, including a domestically produced nutritional supplement, to meet 80 percent of the daily requirements of each child. The service is much in demand. It started on a broad scale in 1987 and by late 1989 had served half a million children. Participating children receive improved nutrition and care as well as exposure to preschool learning activities. Community mothers are benefiting from additional income, and parents – often single female heads of household- gain an opportunity to seek remunerative employment outside the home. In addition, the program’s subsidies are better targeted to the poor; day care centers largely serve a middle-and lower- income.
3. CSO’s And Global Partne rship for Education
Civil society organizations’ collaboration with the Global Partnership is essential to keep education a high priority on the development agenda. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) help shape education policies and monitor programs, and hold governments accountable for their duty to fulfill the right to education. CSOs can be small or large, national or international, and include also parents’ associations, children’s and youth organizations, and teacher unions. The Global Partnership works with organized CSO networks such as the Global Campaign for Education and Education International, which help facilitate collaboration among organizations and strengthen national and global linkages. CSOs actively participate in the Global Partnership governance, with 3 of the 19 seats on the Board of Directors reserved for their constituency.
6.4. The Role of CSO’s
In GPE partner developing countries, CSOs help develop, implement and monitor education strategies. They assess progress toward education results by monitoring the allocation, disbursement and use of funds from donors, the GPE Fund, and national governments. The Global Partnership supports CSOs to be active members of their national Local Education Group (LEG), where they make meaningful contributions to policy discussions and education sector planning.
In donor countries, CSOs advocate for adequate support through official development assistance to ensure that developing countries have the resources needed to provide quality education for all children. Working alongside GPE at global level, CSOs mobilize political will to support equitable quality education for all in the international development and financing agendas.
6.5. GPE support to CSO’s
In an effort to strengthen the role of CSO partners in the Global Partnerships’ global governance and in national education policy processes, the Global Partnership provides funding and Secretariat support to CSOs through:
The Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF): Since 2009, the GPE Board has allocated more than $32 million to the Civil Society Education Fund. GPE will support 62 national coalitions or networks around the world through an additional $29 million for 2016-2018. This support will lead to better- informed national policy dialogue and strengthened government accountability to citizens for the achievement of equitable, inclusive and quality public education.
Global and Regional Activities program: In 2014, the Global Partnership approved $1.9 million in funding through the Global and Regional Activities program for teacher support and participation in local education groups.
Youth engagement: The Global Partnership for Education engages with youth advocates, and supports a strong youth voice within the GPE’s civil society constituency.
6.6. CSO’s and Social Mobilization
- As CSOs, you can support education for all children by:
- Engaging with your local education coalitions and learn more about CSEF-funded activities through the Global Campaign for Education.
- Staying informed about the global education discussion through our blog, facebook and twitter accounts.
- Engaging with your constituency through your GPE board representative.
6.7. Difference between NGO and CSO?
Many aid actors, particularly among governments in developing countries, refer to ‘NGOs’ and their role in international aid and development cooperation. But the phrase ‘NGO’ is contested terminology, and for many has been subsumed within a broader category of ‘civil society organizations’ or ‘CSOs’.
7. CONCLUSION
To spread benefits of globalization more equitably across nations and regions and to achieve the MDGs, all development partners need to play their due role. This demonstrates that the civil society sector is instrumental in promoting local economic development, alleviating poverty, advocating policy change, contributing to good governance and campaigning for the Millennium Declaration. Their contribution, however, needs to be strengthened. Critical engagement on the MDGs can increasingly become the approach for many CSOs, adapting, extending, updating, and localizing the goals, as appropriate to their own situation. The Millennium Declaration and the local civil society movements can strengthen and reinforce each other both at the local and national level. From the recent studies, it has been concluded that worldwide, CSOs primary activity is improvement in standards of education which simultaneously helps us to achieve our MDG of universal primary education. CSOs 20% indulgence is in education and women empowerment, quoting an example of women empowerment reforms in Dominican Republic. To emphasize, the awareness among masses regarding CSOs needs to be accentuated so that more and more people could join hands with these organizations and achieve MDG and other predetermined objectives.
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Web links
- www. globalpartnership.org/civil- society-organisations
- www.augurproject.eu/IMG/pdf/cso_note_provisional_draft5_june_2012.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society
- Unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan019594.pdf
- www.quora.com