Enabling Environment for Social Accountability in ... - SASANet

Annex 4. Social Accountability and Service Delivery:
Community Involvement in Mongolian Schools 78
One of the more positive legacies of Mongolia’s socialist past is its high level of literacy, which remains
at 98 percent despite a relatively high level of poverty. Primary school enrollment has also been sustained
at a nearly universal rate. However, secondary school enrollment dropped dramatically in the mid-1990s,
but recovered to more than 93 percent by academic year 2004–05 (United Nations Statistical Yearbook
2004). 79 Although public expenditure on education has been higher than in most transition countries, total
spending has fallen and remains below the 1990 level of 12 percent of GDP, declining to 5.5 percent in
1995 before gradually increasing to 9 percent by 2002 (Dung et al. 2006). Stakeholders nevertheless
indicate that education remains a high priority. In the opinion poll conducted in May 2005, nearly onequarter
of the respondents said that education was their highest priority, although only 40 percent thought
that public officials were providing sufficient access to education, and 23 percent indicated that they were
able to ensure the quality of education (annex 7, Questions C and K).
This case study on community involvement in kindergarten through secondary school is based largely on
data collected at two public schools, one in Ulaanbaatar and the other in Uyanga soum, Uvorkhangai
aimag, in central Mongolia. Interviews were held with stakeholders at the national and local levels,
including representatives of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (MoECS), local government
officials, parents, and leaders of education-related NGOs. Whereas the schools were chosen to provide
both an urban and a rural perspective, the school in Ulaanbaatar was selected for its location along the
“border” between the city center and the Ger District, which is composed largely of recent migrants. 80
Although it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the Mongolian education system from just two
examples, the case study provides insights into issues related to social accountability in the education
sector.
Over the last decade, the MOECS’ reforms have varyingly supported and undermined civic engagement
and social accountability in Mongolia’s education sector. Although reforms were intended to ensure local
input into the management of public schools, it has been difficult to achieve the appropriate balance
between community involvement through the school boards and stability in the management of public
schools. As a result, effective participation of parents and the broader community in the education sector
appears weak. The need for community involvement in schools is illustrated by concerns about
mismanagement of funds and allegations of corruption in the private tutoring by public school teachers.
LOCAL PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY:
FROM SCHOOL BOARDS TO SCHOOL COUNCILS
In 1995, the State Great Khural passed a new Law on Education that established local School Boards for
preschool, primary, and secondary schools. Pursuant to Article 30 of the Law, the Boards were given a
78 Research for this case study was conducted primarily by Alison Dong, a graduate student at Teacher’s College, Columbia
University and Bilge Byambaa, a consult with The Asia Foundation. with guidance from Charles Abelmann (Lead Program
Coordinator, World Bank).
79 An OSF education program officer noted that GoM statistics tend not to include disabled children, mostly mentally but often
physically disabled, who are not enrolled in school.
80 Gers are traditional tents commonly used in rural Mongolia and increasingly by migrants whose gers circle much of the
perimeter of Ulaanbaatar. In the Ger district as well as the countryside, household incomes tend to be lower and social services,
less accessible.