Every ESSA's education program in Sub-Saharan Africa now includes community component, based on the belief that
community participation can play an important role in improving educational quality and developing civil society.
Most community members care deeply about education, and are willing to contribute to efforts to improve and expand
local schools. Increased community involvement is clearly related to improved access, and there is growing evidence
that community involvement also improves the quality of the education offered.
What has to be done:
Social mobilization campaigns have encouraged parents to send their children, especially girls, to school; others have assisted communities to recognize and overcome barriers to education.
With funds available, Education Sub-Saharan Africa ESSA will also in implement programs that strengthen the ability of community members to have a voice in their schools, motivate them to contribute time and labor to schools, and train them in school management and oversight responsibilities. Community involvement in schools leads to appropriate solutions for local problems and increased accountability of school staff. These benefits may then spill over into other areas of community concern, thus strengthening civil society.
Education Sub-Saharan Africa ESSA community school programs will help communities found new schools, a means of sharing costs in areas where national systems have been unable to meet the educational demand.
Finally, Education Sub-Saharan Africa ESSA will develop two software tools. The first is a library of diversified approaches to increasing community involvement, and the second explains practical techniques for working with communities. Both tools will widely disseminate to education ministries, universities, NGOs, and donors.
Challenges:
- Most community involvement programs are pilot activities carried out in a limited number of communities. Attempts to "scale up" community involvement activities have often become mechanical and lost the essential quality that made the programs successful. New strategies for expanding programs, either through replication or incorporation into existing systems, need to be explored.
- Community enthusiasm for supporting schools often evaporates after externally funded programs supplying leadership and materials end. New techniques are needed to build sustainability into programs and teach community members the skills needed to look for support both within and outside their communities.
- If the strengthening of community capacity to support and manage their own schools is to be translated into strengthened civil society, such linkages need to be encouraged from the start.