Decentralisation policy in Cambodia: exploring community participation in the education sector

This study analyses the characteristics of community participation in Cambodian rural schools. It looks at the spaces for participation created by the decentralisation reforms that the Government of Cambodia has undertaken in the education sector through ‘school clustering’ and ‘priority action’ programmes.

While institutionalised spaces of participation created by these policies are new, Cambodian communities, despite 25 years of political turmoil, have traditionally provided support to schools through school associations. The underlying argument of the study is that traditionally culture and social capital in Cambodia extend beyond its borders and that, though badly damaged, local culture and traditional forms of collective action have survived and can be considered an important element of the decentralisation reforms.
The main conclusions of study are:

• while traditional associations provide material contributions and support to schools, their participation in internal decision making process as well as educational matters is still limited.
• the trauma caused by years of conflicts and the Cambodian socio cultural norms are factors that explain the difficulty in establishing more democratic spaces for participation.
• decentralisation policies in education have so far promoted community participation in schools through the creation of ad hoc committees and councils that have failed to gain the same legitimacy enjoyed by traditional associations at village and community level.
• The study contributes to the understanding of the influence of local culture, defined as traditional norms and values of community solidarity and action, for local governance and education management at the school level.

(adapted from the author’s abstract)