Decentralization is another aspect of the neo-liberal reform agenda. The
justification for decentralization is tied into the drive for increased educational efficiency and quality. The rationale is that local needs must be addressed at a local level.
However, since education is a national endeavour there must be some consistency and strong connections must exist between all stakeholders to ensure quality and efficiency. In a decentralized system of education, the political contract of governing is re-written with new measures of accountability at all levels (Popkewitz, 2004). All members of a decentralized sector much be focused on effectiveness and efficiency in order to maximize educational reforms. In a decentralized system of education, institutional- needs are often prioritized over learner-needs as efficiency is of the utmost concern.
In order to create a decentralized system, there needs to be strong connections in place between public and private education service providers and international financial agencies and local officials. However, it is questionable whether the dependence on these connections and co-operation between stakeholders can lead to anything but an efficient system.
The structure of the MoEYS now reflects the move toward decentralization. In total, the MoEYS has 24 provincial education offices and 182 district education offices. In total, the Ministry has over 80, 000 education personnel and this is about half of the total public service in Cambodia (SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2003). This decentralized structure has however led to several administrative issues. Culturally, the trend is to look to higher authorities for the approval of decisions. Because of the fact that expected regulations outlining roles and responsibilities for provincial, district, and community level jobs were delayed, a situation emerged where there was unclear delegated authority (SEAMEO INNOTECH, 2003).
The documents I examined indicate that the MoEYS is not to be responsible for the overall education policy direction and project oversight in this decentralized system. This task will go to a decentralized inter-ministerial Steering Committee (World Bank, 2005a). The committee will include representatives from the following Cambodian ministries: the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Planning, the Council of Administrative Reform, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Urban and Land Management, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Youth Rehabilitation (World Bank, 2005a). The Steering Committee is responsible for approving the annual programs and budget allocations. This arrangement
creates a situation where it will be difficult for a committee with representatives from such a vast and varied group of ministries to create a more efficient system than one that is centralized within the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport whose prime focus is education. The decision making process must be long and arduous with so many stakeholders involved with different agendas and concerns. Yet, according to the policy documents and directives, this type of committee is set to be the cornerstone of a more decentralized, efficient education system in Cambodia.
In addition, I found one of the primary tenets of the WB ESSP to be the
strengthening of decentralized quality education service delivery. The delivery of quality
education services in a decentralized system depends upon regulated
provincial/district/cluster level supervision. Each of the levels must work in tandem to ensure that reforms and finances trickle down through the various levels. In addition, they must all be in agreement about what types of reforms are required and expected. Yet this is difficult, especially in a place like Cambodia where there is great diversity between communities, regions, and educational experiences. One of the first attempts at
decentralization in Cambodia has been the implementation of cluster schools. The Cambodian government first introduced cluster schools in 1995. The clustering of schools was seen to be ideal for the rural, widely dispersed setting in Cambodia. The cluster schools consist of a group of five to six geographical proximal schools that are organized into a mutual support network (Pellini, 2007). Within the clustering, there is a core school that is responsible for the administrative duties
associated with all schools in the cluster. Then there are satellite schools attached to the core. The leader of the cluster is the principal of the core school as he/she is the head of the Local Cluster School Committee (Pellini, 2007). Initial attempts to decentralize the
operations associated with Cambodian educational facilities through cluster schools were generally unsuccessful and the MoEYS remained in charge of a still centralized system. However, this changed as financial organizations took a real interest in education reform and the process of decentralization. Recent support of the cluster system has led to a form of financial support that sees distribution of grants to schools and clusters after local proposals are submitted (Pellini, 2007). The reforms proposed in the WB ESSP led to operational budgets created by and disbursed directly to individual clusters and schools. The system aims for decentralized school budgets and operational plans. Therefore, these responsibilities shift from a national level down to the local level and are an example of decentralization in education reform.
However, one of the issues with the recent reforms to the cluster school system is that the WB ESSP is designed to target ten impoverished provinces/municipalities. Therefore, there will be inconsistent implementation of the cluster school system across the whole country which can lead to problems in the education sector. I would argue that the directing of money to only ten provinces/municipalities does not take the needs of all Cambodian students into account. As a result, the cluster school system could lead to greater discrepancies between Cambodian students as they are being introduced to stricter forms of national and international assessment and accountability