Decentralisation and Education in Africa: The Case of Uganda

Abstract

This country-specific chapter examines the implementation process and the effects of decentralizing education in a developing country. The government of Uganda perceives many merits in transferring financial, legal, administrative and political authority from the central government to autonomous local governments. The current Ugandan government began decentralizing some public services in the regions under its control while it was still a rebel group. When it came to power, the government rapidly phased in country-wide decentralization as one of the policies supported by donor agencies. To date most government-administered services, including healthcare and education, are decentralized. Education has been more decentralized at the elementary school level and for financial tasks. With the implementation of Universal Primary Education in 1997, along with privatization and cost-sharing in higher education, school enrollment has increased significantly. Evaluation and monitoring procedures have been put in place, but corruption and mismanagement of resources remain a challenge for public education. For education to benefit from decentralization, educators and policy makers may need to re-conceptualize decentralization as an educational reform rather than seeing it as only a political reform.