The Effectiveness Of Decentralisation Policy On Service Delivery In The Education Sector: A Case Study Of The Kavango Region

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the decentralisation policy on service delivery in the education sector in the Kavango region. The findings revealed that there is a little understanding of the decentralisation policy among research participants. The study found that the insignificant changes noticed mostly on handling and processing of financial matters as well as decision-making on finance issues. Meanwhile there are still a delay in providing educational good and services in the region. Regarding that capacity building is important for keep people up to date of any development. The study revealed that seventeen out of nineteen research participants from the education directorate did not attend any training on the decentralisation system.

The findings of the study revealed that planning of activities in this region is done completely separately by two different offices such as Directorate of Education and Regional Council. The result of the findings further revealed the dual reporting lines and communication among staff members are both found to be problematic areas during the delegation phase. The findings revealed that education services delivered through different means of communications. Various issues were revealed which considered as the main contributing factors and major challenges that impacting the effectiveness of service delivery in the region. Issues as such as functions are not yet decentralized, better performance, insufficient funds, shortage of transport, lack of monitoring of planning activities, unavailability of regional council staff members as well as involvement of stakeholders to executing their functions. Also lack of clear guidelines on decentralisation, lack of commitment from central government, planning process which done separately, overlapping in terms of reporting system, lack of human resources, poor

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time management, lack of coordination of activities, no follow-up trainings, misunderstanding of educational issues, resistance to change.