The effects of decentralisation on community participation in school-based management in the Philippines

The study examined the effect of education decentralisation on the practice of community participation in the Philippines. Decentralisation, as an institutional reform initiative in education, is a complex and contested concept resulting in a wide range of responses that addresses system-wide issues to improve access and quality of education. It had been a consistent theme in education reform in recent decades and its introduction brought about several permutations in application and meaning that have achieved mixed results. In the Philippines, education decentralisation began 16 years ago with the enactment of Republic Act 9155, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001. One of the major strategies the Philippines adopted to operationalise RA9155 was the introduction of School Based Management (SBM). This was evident in the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) as one of its key reform thrusts. SBM implementation in the Philippines involves, amongst other things, the engagement of the community in school management through the establishment of a School Governing Council. Although globally there have been extensive studies to determine the effects of decentralisation on community engagement, efforts to study its effects in the context of the Philippines’ basic education governance have been negligible. Recognising this gap, the study’s main research question is: How has decentralisation affected the practice of community participation in SBM in the Philippines? To answer this, the study examined three interrelated areas, namely: stakeholders’ understanding, quality and depth of community participation, and emerging forms of participation in school management. The study is significant in that it casts a light on the practice of community participation in SBM in the Philippines’ context and helps provide educators pertinent information on how to strengthen and maximise the inherent potential of engaging the community in school management. The study employed qualitative interpretive research methodology to develop case studies through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a review of internal Department of Education documents. Four study sites were selected for the study. Based on the research findings and analysis, the study concluded that education decentralisation in the Philippines provided the necessary legal framework and mechanisms to promote community participation within a decentralised education management context. However, changes in the pattern of community participation after the enactment of RA9155 have been limited and school sites have yet to fully maximise this potential to develop and harness school-community partnerships that are productive and mutually benefiting mechanisms to both the school and the community. Finally, the study proposes a conceptual framework on school-community partnerships as its contribution to the ongoing and evolving discourse on school-community partnerships in general and supports the continuous strengthening and deepening of participation in schools in the Philippines, in particular.