School Management Committees and the Pitfalls of Decentralized Governance in India: A Qualitative Study from Jharkhand, India

Abstract

This research examines the decentralized system of educational governance and administration. The present study is a qualitative research that empirically explores the role of the decentralised system of education in the state of Jharkhand, India. The research examined the local-self-governing institutions operational at the ‘grassroot level’. Panchayats and SMCs as the local school governing bodies have been studied and analysed. Decentralization is understood as a mechanism to foster democratic participation leading to efficient delivery and management of development schemes. For the purpose of the research a primary study in the selected locality was conducted through unstructured interviews, field observation and focus group discussions. The primary data was analysed as against various policies formulated to enhance and implement decentralization across the domain of school governance. The objective of the research was to assess and examine the participation and the effectiveness of the ‘school management committees’ (SMC). While the neo-liberal conceptualization of decentralization informed the analysis of the panchayat, the SMCs were empirically studied.  The empirical evidences suggest that the ‘SMCs’ witness low participation due to various socio-economic reasons of the committee members. The low participation is also due to the ‘stakeholder’ idea of participation that the management committees entail. As against this backdrop the study analyses the various facets of decentralization as a part of the larger reform in the educational landscape. Education decentralization is gaining prominence across the globe.