Decentralizing education : the BESO/Tigray case study

The purpose of the study, which was carried out under the Basic Educational Structural Overhaul (BESO) project, was to initiate a "research-and-discussion" process that (1) confronted the major problems affecting student learning and (2) explored how decentralizing Tigray"s educational system could address those problems. Workshops became a critical feature of the research process because they revealed what local educators thought a decentralized educational system should look like, and how it could facilitate student learning. The report first provides extensive background information, covering the place of Tigray in Ethiopian history, different concepts of decentralization (depending on whether authority remains controlled at the regional level or passed down to the local level), and the study"s innovative methodology (compared with more traditional methods of studying decentralization, such as that being used by UNESCO). Findings from field questionnaires are then presented along with a detailed description of the debates that occurred during the study workshops, under the following headings: concepts of decentralization (regionalization, locating authority and responsibility, prioritizing educational problems, and barriers to creating solutions); the current state of primary education in Tigray (access, equity, drop-out rates, textbook distribution, radio education, classroom environment); progress made during the decentralization workshops; and the accomplishments and limitations of the study"s research-and-discussion methodology. Finally, the report makes recommendations for adapting the research-and-discussion methodology to other contexts and for furthering the decentralization process in Tigray. Includes references and research questionnaires.