Conclusiones referentes al proceso de pago y prescripción de las prestaciones

The following section discusses the case of PSI and CFSI in Diyape school.

5.7.1 Programme for school improvement

This sub-section discusses PSI in Diyape school, where it commenced in 2008.

5.7.1.1 Participants’ views on policy expectations

The participants views on PSI were that it:

encourages collaboration between the principal, teachers and the community in school management, which helps meet the expectations of the community (Principal).

helps in planning school goals with a representative committee (Teacher/PSI).

brings teachers and the community together in making decisions on school development. It aims at improving the overall productivity. It also makes the school accountable for investments (Parent/PSI).

The participants generally understood the objectives of PSI. Their views together have created a practical meaning for PSI. The principal of Diyape School has received training in PSI while others have known it in practice since 2008.

5.7.1.2 School decision-making

In this school, the SDC membership (Figure 5.8) has remained unchanged since the beginning. The minutes show that it meets when necessary. The SDC provides a forum to deliberate on and review the progress of school plans, projects (e.g. fund- raising events) and performance and to make decisions along with the community representatives. The SMC is responsible for drafting plans and budget estimates and conducting an internal supervision programme.

Figure 5.8: Decision-making structure under PSI –Diyape School

Source: author.

However, the principal had concerns about the inclusion of past-pupils in the SDC membership because they interfere with the internal administration in matters such as school admissions in popular schools like hers. As she pointed out further, different decision-making structures, namely, the SDS, SDSC, SDC and SMC (see 4.4.3.1), function side by side and they need harmonisation. Filling a gap in PSI, this school depends on the SDS, which has around 300 parents, to validate the decisions of the SDC, which is represented by four parents.

SDC- Chairperson/the Principal ZDE Representative (01) 03-Past pupils 04-Parents 04-Teachers SMC (10 elected teachers)

5.7.1.3 Parents and community participation

PSI empowers parents to ask questions about the services rendered by the school. It also influences schools to welcome all parents alike, regardless of their socio- economic or educational levels. Diyape school elects the SDC’s parent-members from different villages. Its annual events are decided avoiding the parents’ agricultural and harvesting times. Parents help the school in the implementation of extra-curricular activities, such as educational trips, value education programmes and celebrations, and in monitoring progress of the projects. Most of the physical infrastructure development projects were donations by parents and past pupils. The SDC provides the leadership in these endeavours, thus growing as a professional decision-making body.

In contrast to the formal structures, parents who enrolled their children in Grade 1 in Diyape school formed a club and raised funds for infrastructure development. These funds were not credited to any school account. These investments are helpful but they need to be streamlined within PSI.

5.7.1.4 School development planning

The principal has prepared the Annual Plan (2012) in accordance with the

ESDFP themes, obtaining the proposals from the teachers. It includes programmes such as mid-morning meals and health campaigns; increasing student participation in learning and in extra-curricular activities; improving the school infrastructure; and developing capacity of teachers. However, the process of planning was not appeared as sufficiently participatory.

5.7.1.5 Role of the principal and teachers and SBTD

PSI has improved the teachers’ understanding of their accountability to the community and their capacity to negotiate with parents on pedagogical matters. Teachers share with colleagues the knowledge they have gained through training and seminars and implement peer monitoring programmes and clinical supervision.

However, other than these, formal school-based professional programmes are not prevalent.

5.7.1.6 Access to schooling and participation

The school implements subsidy and health programmes to encourage participation and attendance. The SDC is involved in raising awareness among parents about family support for learning and the value of the family staying together, children’s safety, nutrition and health, and preventing abuse.

5.7.1.7 Student learning

The SDC frequently reviews the status of teaching and learning in Grades 4 and 5 since parents expect better results at G5SE. The school produces ‘talented and dynamic students with the best G5SE results’ (Parent/PSI) among the neighbouring schools and the PTAs are active in these endeavours. Therefore, learning promotion programmes are part of the school’s tradition, and thus they cannot be exclusively attributed to PSI.

5.7.2 Child-Friendly Schools Initiative

The following section analyses the practices of CFSI.

5.7.2.1 Participants’ views on CFSI

The participants views were that CFSI

improves productivity, since it develops close relationships between students, teachers and parents (Principal).

motivates us to treat all children alike, to make the school a friendly place where child rights are secured and dropping-out is minimised (Teacher/CFSI).

encourages all stakeholders to make the school a friendly place for children (Parent/CFSI).

The participants generally understand the objectives of CFSI through the knowledge acquired from training programmes and their practice.

5.7.2.2 School decision-making

The SSA (CFSC) was held with a group of teachers, parents, students, past-pupils and well-wishers (10 from each) in 2010. It has raised awareness among teachers and parents of the deficiencies in the school in terms of resources, facilities and performance. More importantly, it has raised their understanding about children’s rights, safety and protection (Teacher/PSI). However, as the principal pointed out, it is essential to emphasise the principles of CFSI in the curriculum in order to ensure a reasonable impact on the primary education. In addition, the SAC conducts a monthly review of students’ access and attendance (Teacher/PSI) and shares any issues with the school management.

5.7.2.3 Parent and community participation

Data suggests that, since the SSA, parents have assisted considerably in improving the school as child-friendly by improving basic facilities (e.g. drinking water, sanitary facilities), safety (e.g. school fence, access road, safety walls to reduce soil erosion) and child-friendly classrooms (e.g. painting classrooms and furniture, constructing classroom stages and hand wash facilities), which are observable. Parents’ awareness of CFSI resulted in their observing teachers’ commitment, their punctuality and pre-preparation, teacher-shortages and care given to children.

5.7.2.4 School development planning

The CFS Plan (2012) incorporates programmes for physical infrastructure development and provision of equipment, health promotion and establishment of a library. The sources of funding were the government, parents and UNICEF. The CFS Plan (2012) has been harmonised with the school’s Annual Plan to avoid duplication of plans. As the principal of Diyape school suggested,

……all programmes should be discussed at the SDC. The CFSI plan should be combined with the school’s Annual Plan.……In support of this combination, the SMC could coordinate the SSA....

It appears that the school has been instructed to submit a separate CFS plan to the Zonal Director and then to UNICEF if UNICEF support is sought. Hence, the SSA is fully focused on the CFS plan.

5.7.2.5 Role of the principal and teachers and SBTD

Evidently, CFSI is increasingly contributing towards raising awareness among teachers of the child’s rights based approach to education. Children are close to teachers and hence teachers are able to identify and help address their learning difficulties. Since CFSI, teachers are increasingly using mixed-gender groups in classroom teaching, pay attention to each child’s performance and attempt to provide an inclusive environment with child-centred teaching (Teacher/CFSI).

Teachers’ engagement with CFSI criteria-based analytical exercises helps improve their expertise but the use of such information in decision-making is unsatisfactory (Teacher/CFSI). The extraordinary emphasis by teachers and parents to increase the pass rates at G5SE is impacting negatively on the individualised, rights- based teaching and learning process and thus obstructing the achievement of the CFSI principles. This issue needs to be accommodated in the discourse of CFSI.

5.7.2.6 Access to schooling and participation

This school does not have serious issues of drop-outs or OOSC and school staff make a maximum efforts to create an inclusive environment that is in line with CFSI principles (Principal). The CFSI indicators-based analysis and the SAC’s studies have helped to reveal issues of irregular attendance and to identify measures to address those issues (Teacher/CFSI). It seems that this involvement has resulted in minimising irregular attendance.

5.7.2.7 Student learning

Reportedly, in Diyape, teachers attempt to ensure that students acquire Essential Learning Competencies which are defined in the primary curriculum and to use the SBA scores to measure the status. In the classroom teaching and learning process and in all

extra-curricular activities, teachers ensure equal opportunities for all, as Teacher/CFSI explained:

we give equal attention to everyone, girls and boys, forming mixed gender groups...and adopting student-centred learning. We give additional assignments for high performing students, and regarding those children who work slowly, we arrange remedial measures and also discuss with their parents regarding the reasons...

In support of teachers’ attempts, Parent/PSI stated that:

…..teachers in the primary section cannot be the only ones accountable for children’s education, as parents also share the responsibility…….parents assured the school that their support extended through various projects……but some parents do not understand this…. However, many parents really help the school to deliver its accountability.

Therefore, the parents and teachers at this School understand their different and joint responsibilities towards developing children through education and CFSI has stimulated this understanding.

5.7.3 Integration of PSI and CFSI

The principal understands that PSI and CFSI should be combined basically through planning. Since this is a primary school, the SDC makes all the decisions taking into account the CFSI principles.

5.7.4 Conclusions

The participants interviewed on PSI hold practical views about PSI while Teacher/CFSI has acquired a better understanding of CFSI. The SDC’s membership was not updated, while the SSA was a one-off exercise. The parents help with the school development considerably, while parents’ clubs have also been established even though they are not advocated.

With the help of the parents, the school was reported to maintain a child-friendly environment in and outside the classrooms. The Annual Plan incorporates the CFS Plan and follows the ESDFP thematic structure; however, the planning process is not fully

participatory. PSI influences teachers to engage in decision-making processes, and teachers also use the child’s rights based approach and child-friendly methods in the teaching and learning process. However, systematic SBTDPs were lacking.

It appears that the school has taken steps to improve attendance and participation in learning as mainly influenced by CFSI. However, the over-emphasis given to the G5SE performance-driven pedagogical practices could undermine the CFSI core- principles: inclusiveness and child-centredness.