Decentralization and community participation: School clusters in Cambodia

Abstract

Globalisation and the support for more localised decision-making and the general pressure for democratisation and participation have been arguments for decentralization and community participation. The important role that world models attribute to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in education is evident in Cambodia, where school clusters are being introduced. The chapter is based on findings from action research with an NGO in community participation in Cambodian schools. The meaning of community in the Cambodian social and historical context and the development of the cluster school policy, which is one of the internationally spread policies,were the main themes of this research. © 2007 Springer.