Under the DFID-supported International NGOs Partnership Agreement Programme (IPAP) as part of a joint programming proposal on Inclusive Education between Save the Children, Oxfam, and Save the Children (Bal Raksha Bharat), the three INGOs decided to commission a “Study on community engagement with schools”. Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS) was awarded the consultancy assignment to undertake the research study in the specified geographies of 5 states where the three non-government organisations are active in the area of school education.
The study sought to gauge the extent of decentralisation and devolution of power to community based bodies in relation to schools, and see if there is any disconnect between what is envisaged and what is practiced. The study is limited to: Andhra Pradesh (AP- Medak District), Bihar (Gaya District), Jharkhand (Ranchi District), Odisha (Mayurbhanj District) and Uttar Pradesh (UP – Raebareli District). It focuses on the aspects of devolution of powers, capacity building, functioning of structures, convergence between structures, social inclusion, quality achieved through devolution of powers and potential dimensions of School-Community linkages which can be strengthened further.