Author Description

This paper compares the changing role of local government in developing countries' education systems. Using case studies, it examines the role of local government in Zimbabwe, Chile, India, and Tanzania, thus offering a representative range of low- and middle-income countries. Each of the countries attempted to use local government as a source of additional revenue for schooling and as a mechanism for introducing greater equality and democracy into the schooling system. The booklet considers the nature and extent of local government involvement in schooling in relation to management and policy-making; finance of education; provision of school buildings; staff provisions, such as teacher recruitment, deployment, appraisal, promotion, and training; curriculum planning, development, and implementation; and monitoring and evaluation. After each case study, some general points concerning trends in local government provision of schooling and some reasons for these trends are suggested, followed by a discussion of the equity and efficiency of these provisions. The findings reveal that the historical, political, and economic circumstances of each country accounted for the differences as well as similarities in the nature and extent of local government provisions. The article outlines some issues and questions that could inform future research on schooling in South Africa. (Contains 21 references.) (RJM)