Context

Achieving Educational Outcomes with Social Accountability Interventions

Ms. Seshu Kumari Regional Director, Education

Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) Andhra Pradesh

Context

AP has high economic growth but public education system faces several structural issues, hindering the quality of public education

AP public education system offers a structured space for parent and community feedback in management of schools, however, these spaces are not systematically utilized

In 2007, Centre for Good Governance (CGG) and the MV Foundation introduced a social accountability intervention in 20 public schools

Community mobilized to monitor and give feedback on the delivery of education services at the village level.

Context cont’d…The objective of social accountability intervention was to improve the delivery of education services.

This type of accountability intervention, using a community scorecard (CSC) process, was introduced for the first time in the context of schools to gather community and service provider feedback on schools to evaluate the quality of education through a set of parameters.

Institutional Arrangements

World BankCGG - School

Education Dept.MVF

ZP Schools Primary Schools

MEO

MVF

MMSUpper Primary

Schools TW Schools

Community Score Cards

The community score card (CSC) process is a community-based monitoring tool that is a hybrid of the techniques of social audits and citizen report cards. The CSC is an instrument to exact social and public accountability and responsiveness from service providers. By linking service providers to the community, citizens are empowered to provide immediate feedback to service providers.

Community Monitoring of Service Delivery through Community Scorecards

Behavior ChangeRemoving Information Asymmetry galvanizes community and leads to ownership of local infrastructure

Parents and Community seek information and accountability from teachers and administration

Increased Community Monitoring has improved teacher attendance

Motivated teachers increases student enrolment and better participation of the students

Institutional Change

Upwards communication to solve problems

that cannot be solved at community level

Convergence of local health and education

functionaries to jointly address interconnected

problems

Policy Changes

Development OutcomesStudent enrollment at 100 percent in 8 villages in both districtsStudent absenteeism has lessened by 10 percent and there has been noticeable decrease in school dropouts.10 percent drop in teachers’ absenteeism in both districts and improvements in teachers’ punctualityImprovement in education quality through innovative teaching methodsIncrease in household savings after switching from private to public schoolsSignificant improvements in school infrastructure and amenities

Overall Investment

ParticularsAmount

(Rs.)Amount

(USD)

Expenditure on public education per district (approx.) Rs. 400 crores 85.6 million USD

Funds required for this accountability intervention per district (approx.)

Rs. 2.5 crores 500,000 USD

Percentage of the total estimated public education budget

less than 1%

Scaling up by SERP

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Safeguarding Child Rights and Enhancing Quality of

Education

- In 3 Tribal Mandals in Khammam District

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Objectives

Advocating child rights through community

participation – women groups, gram panchayats,

teachers and youth

Improvement in quality of education at schools

through community participation through women

groups, gram panchayats, teachers and youth

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Partners

SERP

MVF

MMS

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Harnessing Women Groups For Elimination Of Child Labour

Salient Features

Involvement of Gram Panchayats, Women Groups,

Youth and teachers in the project.

Sense of ownership of the school, cultivated

amongst the village community.

Monitoring of the functioning of the school.

Effective monitoring of the students enrolled in

the schools by the community to ensure that they

do not drop out again.

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Outcome

In November 2009, within 18 months of

implementing the project, 31 villages in the three

mandals are identified as child labour free

villages

In recognition of the role of the women groups in

running the RBCs and mainstreaming children

into regular schools five new RBCs for migrants

(from Chattisgarh) are entrusted to the women

groups by the district administration17

Way Forward

Proposed ModelCollaboration between SSA, SERP, MVF / NGOs and MMS.

Initiate intervention in 30 low female literacy mandals in the state during

2010.

Expected Outcomes:

– 90% of total ‘out of school children’ would be withdrawn and sent to

school over a period of three years

– 50% of the Gram Panchayats and the VOs would be equipped to follow

up the child rights issues.

– 100% registration and certification of births and marriages in the villages.

– Ensure 90% retention of children in 50% of the total habitations.

– Children passing out of class X will be mapped out and successfully

followed up to pursue higher education 19

Harnessing Women Groups For Quality Education

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Critical factors for strengthening & scaling –

up

Implications for Replication and Institutionalization to Improve Education Outcomes

Key enabling factors. On the supply side:– bureaucratic will – leadership of local level functionaries and service

providers– dedicated budget

a core group of well-trained human resources strategic alliances between supply side and organizations such as MVF and other NGOs

Facilitating role of the Education Department NGO, MMS & Youth

Role of: – the School Education department & SSA– Head masters and teachers– MVF in capacity building at the community level

Institutional arrangements in scaling up thru’ a federation of SHGs

Role of youth

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Challenges and limitations

Limitation of community’s role in monitoring quality– Community can oversee attendance, requirement of infrastructural

facilities and can have general perception of quality– Dependency of MMS on mobilisers & organisers for:

• checking quality aspects of education

• regular follow up of the in- school & drop-out children

- No incentive to MMS

Role of facilitating NGO – the process of bringing interface between the community and

service providers– In harnessing support of youth (in Khammam model youth play a

major role)– Institutionalizing of the processes in the scaled up model

Introduction of newer programmes Irregular fund mobilization across the various stages of the process

– Need assessment done by the Community if not matched by appropriate sanctions and dedicated budget results in disinterest

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Critical factors for strengthening & scaling –up the project

Need based approacha facilitating organization at the community level institutional architecture say a federation of SHGs Strong Institution buildingStrong functional integration: Co-ordination between various departmentsStrong community participation: Active involvement of all stakeholdersAppropriate incentive to the MMS Systematic execution of the complete process

– identifying child labor, mainstreaming them, regular follow-up, maintaining retention and monitoring quality of schooling

Regular training and motivation to the mobilising agentsBuilding strong MIS using the CSC.Incentivising good performance

Thank You!!!