Matching services with local preferences: managing primary education services in a rural district of India
Subrahmanian, R.
Development in Practice 9(1-2): 68-77
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0961-4524 PMID: 12349044 DOI: 10.1080/09614529953223Document Number: 281470
It is noted that in India, the pressing concern in education is with bringing in at least 32 million children estimated to be out of school, to meet the goal of Universal Elementary Education (UEE). Support for decentralization of public services is widespread because of the equity and efficiency benefits associated with it. In particular, decentralization is seen to facilitate the matching of services with local preferences, thus increasing the chances for policy goals to be met. This proposition is examined in the context of research carried out in a village of Raichur district in India, where poor households' 'preferences' with reference to school timings are analysed with a view to reflecting on their implications for education policy and management . The paper attempts to address the following concerns: are local preferences homogeneous; what happens if these run counter to policy interests; and can aspects of services be selectively decentralized, or does the 'production' of the sector as a whole require to be rethought. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the importance of processes of 'preference' articulation, and the need to recognise preferences implicit within policy intentions.