Reforming Educational Governance and Management in Egypt: National and International Actors and Dynamics

Abstract

This historical case study examines the rhetoric, action, and outcomes of educational policy reforms in Egypt during the first quarter-century of the presidency of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak. The findings are based on an extensive review of Egyptian government, international organization, and project documents as well as interviews with key stakeholders. The study focused on proposed and implemented changes in the organization and distribution of various governance and management functions across school/community, district/idarra, governorate/muddiriya, and national/central levels of the education system. During the period under review Egypt experienced movement though uneven toward increased decentralization, with calls for deconcentration of responsibility in 1981, Ministry of Education actions that restricted local decision-making authority in the 1990s, and some concerted efforts toward delegation and devolution of authority as well as responsibility after 2001. In terms of community participation, during this period there were calls for and actions toward implementing broader and deeper forms and degrees of involvement by parents, civil society, and businesses. We draw on the following concepts to analyze a develop an account of these developments: institutional framework, financial resources, system leaders' capacity and political will, civil society's leaders' capacity and political will, global dynamics, and the role of international organizations. Reformando el gobierno y la administración Educativa en Egipto. Dinámicas y actores Nacionales e Internacionales.Resumen: Este trabajo es un "estudio de casos histórico" que examina la retórica, acciones, y los resultados de las reformas de políticas educativas en Egipto durante el primer cuarto de siglo de la Presidencia de Mohamed Hosni Mubarak. Las conclusiones se basan en una extensa revisión de documentos de proyectos del gobierno egipcio e organizaciones internacionales, así como entrevistas con actores relevantes. El estudio se centró en las propuestas y los cambios implementados en la organización y distribución de funciones de gobierno y de gestión a través de la escuela/ comunidad, distrito (o idarra), en la gobernación (o muddiriya), y los niveles centrales nacionales del sistema educativo. Durante el período analizado, Egipto experimentó movimientos de avance y retroceso, hacia una mayor descentralización, tales como los pedidos de desconcentración de la responsabilidad en 1981, acciones del Ministerio de Educación que restringían la autoridad y toma de decisiones locales en la década de 1990, y algunos esfuerzos concertados para la delegación y descentralización de la autoridad como así como otras responsabilidades después de 2001. En términos de participación comunitaria, durante este período se hicieron llamamientos a favor y acciones para la implementación de formas más amplias y con mayores grados de implicación de padres, la sociedad civil y las empresas. Nos basamos en los siguientes conceptos para analizar y desarrollar una narrativa de estos cam...

The politics of educational transfer and policymaking in Egypt

“…While the historical educational transfer in Egypt can be seen either as lying more on the imposition end of the continuum (e.g., under British occupation) or leaning more toward the voluntary imitation and lesson-drawing end (as in the period of Muhammad Ali), the current politics of education in Egypt reflect neither a simple dynamic of local actors making unfettered choices in a free market of ideas nor a simple process of international actors imposing ideas on unwilling local actors (see also Ginsburg and Megahed 2008;Ginsburg et al 2010). Education policy in Egypt is made on a contested terrain where international organizations and interest groups (neoliberals, conservative Islamists, and socialists) compete to fill the vacuum in the absence of a common, coherent educational philosophy.…”

“…Chief among those have been discourses in relation to decentralizing the system and promoting civil society participation in education (see Ginsburg et al 2010), enhancing teachers' use of active-learning pedagogies (see Ginsburg and Megahed 2008), integrating technology into teaching and learning (see Warschauer 2003Warschauer , 2004, and expanding private provision of basic education (see Sayed 2005Sayed , 2006. The following discussion focuses on the politics of how those global discourses and transfers have or have not been incorporated into Egypt's education policies and practices.…”

“…Undoubtedly, one factor contributing to the government's cautionary approach to decentralization and community participation was the continuing conflict with fundamentalist Islamic groups (Ginsburg et al 2010). In addition, Sayed (2006, pp.…”

Understanding the effects of educational decentralization through the perspectives of education managers and teachers

“…, 2017). Among other influences, the influence of donor agencies on local education systems is rampant (Ginsburg et al. , 2010).…”

“…Actual construction of pedagogical, economic, and administrative independence is needed for quality education that empowers citizens against inequality. Ginsburg et al. (2010) assert that international donors have influenced the local management that they cannot streamline educational activities.…”