ABSTRACT
This study examines the implementation of the education decentralisation process and its
effect on secondary schools in Botswana in the case of the South Central Region. This
topic was chosen against the wide-scale adoption by African countries of the international
policy of educational decentralization, which takes different forms in different purposes.
Literature on decentralization and school monitoring and support was consulted as well
as evidence from different African countries.
The study uses a qualitative approach and case study of a region to collect data through
interviews and document analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select participants
from the Ministry of Education headquarters, national Secondary Education Department
and the South Central Region Office. Six Secondary Schools were sampled for the
purpose of illustrating the impact of the regional administrative decentralization on
different kinds of schools.
The research findings reveal that Botswana has adopted the particular form of regional
administrative decentralization for the purpose of administrative efficiency and the
improvement of its school monitoring and support functions. The study revealed that
some benefits, such as speedier response to teachers’ welfare matters, facilitation of
distribution of resources in particular, learner- support materials and teachers, did occur.
However, contrary to expectations, it surfaced that the process was ridden with more
problems than solutions, mainly because many of the preconditions necessary for
effective administrative decentralization were not present. For example, there was a lack
of common understanding of the form and extent of decentralisation, human and other
resources, role clarity and proper accountability lines, resulting in duplication of effort
and tension between the regional and national offices as well as misaligned
decentralization functions within the education bureaucracy.
The main recommendations of the study are that the Ministry of Education should revisit
the strategy to take on board and empower the regions to effectively execute their
mandate of monitoring and supporting secondary schools in their jurisdiction. This will
require increased capacity and resources as well as strategic leadership on behalf of the
region.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/4746 |
| Date | 09 April 2008 |
| Creators | Masendu, Matlhoatsie Eunice |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 234948 bytes, 11135 bytes, 12729 bytes, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
Page generated in 0.0026 seconds