The Role of NGOs in Basic Education in Africa c ivi l so ion cie g po ty c ov licy ivi ern ed l so no m uc ciet rs d ent atio y ci on go n p vil s or ver olic ociet s do nm y ed y civ no ent uca il society c rs d gov tion p ivil society civil society civil society civil soc ono ernm olicy ed iety civil rs d ent ucation policy education policy education po socie ono governm licy educ ty c rs do ent government government government g ation nors do overnmen pol nors donors donors donors donors donors d t gov onors don ernm ors do nors United States Agency for International Development, Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development Evolving Partnerships: The Role of NGOs in Basic Education in Africa Yolande Miller-Grandvaux Michel Welmond Joy Wolf July 2002 United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development ii This review was prepared by the Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) project. SARA is operated by the Academy for Educational Development with subcontractors Tulane University, JHPIEGO, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Population Reference Bureau. SARA is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD/HRD) under Contract AOT-C-00-99-00237-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development. For more information or copies, please contact: Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) Project Academy for Educational Development 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: 202-884-8000 Fax: 202-884-8447 E-mail: [email protected] iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................vi Acronymns............................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter I. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 The NGO Context ..................................................................................................................................2 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................................4 Organization of the Document ..............................................................................................................4 Chapter II. How Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations Interact ........... 6 A. Legitimacy: Government Rights and Responsibilities / NGO Responsibilities to Under-Served Communities.....................................................................................................................................6 1. What Governments Believe Are Their Rights and Responsibilities ........................................................... 6 2. How Governments Regulate NGOs ................................................................................................................ 7 3. What NGOs Believe Are Their Responsibilities............................................................................................ 9 4. How NGOs Work in Communities ................................................................................................................. 9 5. How Government Regulation and NGO Community Focus Interact .................................................... 10 B. Capacity: Government Efficiency / NGO Effectiveness............................................................... 12 1. NGO Perceptions of Government Efficiency ............................................................................................ 12 2. How NGOs Supply Schooling ........................................................................................................................ 12 3. Government Perceptions of NGO Skills ..................................................................................................... 13 4. Government Standards..................................................................................................................................... 13 5. How Government Standards and NGO Attempts to Supply Education Interact................................. 14 C. Motivation: Government Suspicion of NGO Character / NGO Frustration with Government Limitations ...................................................................................................................................... 16 1. Government Perceptions of NGO Character ............................................................................................. 16 2. How Governments Monitor NGOs .............................................................................................................. 17 3. NGO Frustration with Lack of Government Experimentation ............................................................... 18 4. NGO Experimentation .................................................................................................................................... 18 5. How Government Intervention and NGO Experimentation Interact .................................................... 20 D. Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter III. Education Policy and NGOs............................................................................ 23 A. Why Do NGOs Attempt to Affect Education Policy?.................................................................... 24 1. Changing Specific Policies................................................................................................................................ 24 2. Changing the Policy Process ............................................................................................................................ 26 3. From Policy to Policy Process—A Necessary but Difficult Step ............................................................. 28 B. NGOs and Education Policy: The Perspective of Different Stakeholders ................................... 28 1. The Government Perspective.......................................................................................................................... 28 2. The Donor Perspective .................................................................................................................................... 30 3. The Local Stakeholder Perspective ................................................................................................................. 32 4. Teacher Unions .................................................................................................................................................. 32 5. The Stakeholder Environment for Policy Change ....................................................................................... 33 iv C. How Do NGOs Attempt to Influence Policy ................................................................................. 33 1. Policy Dialogue .................................................................................................................................................. 33 2. Coalition Building .............................................................................................................................................. 34 3. Using Donors to Leverage Policy ................................................................................................................... 35 4. Leveraging Change through Resources.......................................................................................................... 35 5. Providing an Example ...................................................................................................................................... 36 6. Partnership.......................................................................................................................................................... 37 7. Advocacy Campaign.......................................................................................................................................... 37 8. Selecting Effective Strategies Depends on Imagination ............................................................................. 38 D. Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter IV. NGOs and Donors: Who’s On First? ................................................................ 40 A. Different Kinds of Relationships ................................................................................................... 40 B. Using NGOs to Implement Donor Programs: The Need for Results .......................................... 41 1. Doing What Governments Are Not Able to Do ......................................................................................... 42 2. Make Life Easier for Donors .......................................................................................................................... 43 3. Educational Innovation .................................................................................................................................... 43 4. When Democracy and Governance Meets Education ...............................................................................