The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

EDUCO’s success exemplifies a technical program affecting the institutional
and political environments. As has been mentioned, the goal of EDUCO was to
respond to the need for education in underserved communities. The technical
solution was decentralized governance and school finance for community
schools. Repercussions of this technical intervention included the creation of new
institutional entities (ACEs and CDEs), new institutional arrangements (between
schools and teachers, teachers and MINED, and MINED and communities), and
new legislation formalizing the entities interactions (Bejar, 1997). Widespread
recognition of EDUCO’s impact, through evaluations and publicity, strengthened
the public perception and acceptance of community and parent involvement in
school management. Politically, it increased MINED’s visibility and credibility
and altered the dynamics of interaction within MINED and the education sector
to significantly reduce political patronage or clientismo.
A long-term review of the reforms demonstrates the iterative processes that
characterize Salvadoran education. ACEs, for instance, were first instituted in
1992 to promote local participation and school-based management in EDUCO
schools. Similar structures, CDEs and CECEs, were institutionalized by 1998
for all traditional public and religious schools. However, it became apparent
that the quality of the school management committees varied widely (Cuéllar-
Marchelli, 2003). By 2001, MINED introduced school management tools, known
as PEI and PEA (Proyecto Educativo Institucional and Proyecto Eduactivo Anual)
that were supposed to improve the effectiveness of ACEs and CDEs. These are
mission, vision, and planning tools that each school is legally required to have:
the PEI is the school’s five-year plan, and the PEA is an annual list of activities
that the school intends to implement, such as fundraising, special events,
learning activities, or lesson plans. More recently, MINED is applying a School
Report Card methodology to further improve the quality and utility of the
PEIs and PEAs.
The Role of Donors
MINED was heavily dependent on the financial and technical resources
provided by external donors, particularly in the beginning of the reform period.
Donor assistance has been a catalyst in enabling the continuing reforms and
strengthening the education sector. For example, from 1991 to 2005 the IDB,
World Bank, and USAID contributed over $552 million to the Salvadoran
education sector. Other donors included the United Nations (UNESCO), the
European Union, and the Organization of Iberian-American States (OEI).
Donations and technical assistance were also received from the governments
of Japan, Mexico, Spain, Israel, France, and Germany (Guzmán, 2002).
SECTION 2: lESSONS fROM COUNTRY CASE STUdIES
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