Decntralised Government Systems with Reference to Zambia
This essay seeks to critically discuss the meaning of a decentralized education system and to highlight the benefits and challenges of such an education system with reference to Zambian education.
This essay will first look at the meanings of the terms “Decentralization” and “a decentralized education system”. And thereafter highlight the benefits and challenges and relate them to the Zambian education system and finally conclude.
“Decentralization is theprocess whereby decision making powers and functions are transferred from the more central structures of the government and its ministries to local level structures...Decentralization is related to the principal of subsidiary function (or subsidiarity), that is a higher level group should not do for a lower level group what the lower level group can do for itself and a group above the level of individuals should not do for the individuals what the individuals can do for themselves”.(Kelly, 1996; page 200).
Fiszbein (2001) ed. also adds that decentralization is a matter of degree since all organizations are decentralized to some extent out of necessity. At one extreme a strongly decentralized organization is the one which even the lowest level employees or managers are empowered to make decisions, at the other extreme at a strongly decentralized organization the lower level managers or employees have little freedom to make decisions. Although all organizations fall somewhere between these two extremes, there is a pronounced trend towards more and more decentralization.
A decentralized education system is an education system whose legal and financial powers have been granted to local units. The central authorities will only exercise direct supervisory control over such units which gives full control over planning, implementation of programmes and projects within the guidelines set by the central authorities. This type of educational system also transfers managerial responsibilities for certain defined educational
This essay will first look at the meanings of the terms “Decentralization” and “a decentralized education system”. And thereafter highlight the benefits and challenges and relate them to the Zambian education system and finally conclude.
“Decentralization is theprocess whereby decision making powers and functions are transferred from the more central structures of the government and its ministries to local level structures...Decentralization is related to the principal of subsidiary function (or subsidiarity), that is a higher level group should not do for a lower level group what the lower level group can do for itself and a group above the level of individuals should not do for the individuals what the individuals can do for themselves”.(Kelly, 1996; page 200).
Fiszbein (2001) ed. also adds that decentralization is a matter of degree since all organizations are decentralized to some extent out of necessity. At one extreme a strongly decentralized organization is the one which even the lowest level employees or managers are empowered to make decisions, at the other extreme at a strongly decentralized organization the lower level managers or employees have little freedom to make decisions. Although all organizations fall somewhere between these two extremes, there is a pronounced trend towards more and more decentralization.
A decentralized education system is an education system whose legal and financial powers have been granted to local units. The central authorities will only exercise direct supervisory control over such units which gives full control over planning, implementation of programmes and projects within the guidelines set by the central authorities. This type of educational system also transfers managerial responsibilities for certain defined educational