Monitoring
Aga Kahn Foundation Network
One the most controversial areas where NGOs’are involved is at monitoring level. Arrangements for the regulation of educational programs are often provided outside of government initiatives and occur independently of ministries of education, and NGOs are often not assessed on the basis of education-related criteria. Rose (2006) states that regulation of NGOs’ by governments is more frequently related to the government’s desire to maintain control of financial resources that international NGOs’ hold. This raises important questions about domestic accountability of such NGOs, particularly those supported by donor funds from the Global North, which make them non-accountable to the local population that they serve (Rose, 2006). However, sometimes when NGO provision is subject to the same regulations as formal schools, experience indicates that this can result in imposition of rigid criteria on systems that are intended to offer flexible provision. Most of the innovations of the program’s that are implemented to meet the needs of local communities are a departure from the government norms and standards, raising fears by government that if NGOs were given a free rein, they would lose control over the education system (Rose, 2006).
The Critical literature reflects that NGO self-regulation can play positive role as some organizations, (like the AGA Kahn Foundation) have established a certification process for NGOs, endeavoring to set sector-wide standards of good internal governance, transparent financial management and effective program delivery. Self-regulation is often developed in contexts where government regulation is either absent or dysfunctional. Experience with self-regulation suggests that it tends to be controlled by more established and better-resourced providers (Rose, 2006).
The Critical literature reflects that NGO self-regulation can play positive role as some organizations, (like the AGA Kahn Foundation) have established a certification process for NGOs, endeavoring to set sector-wide standards of good internal governance, transparent financial management and effective program delivery. Self-regulation is often developed in contexts where government regulation is either absent or dysfunctional. Experience with self-regulation suggests that it tends to be controlled by more established and better-resourced providers (Rose, 2006).
An alternative to self-regulation that some NGOs’ utilize is to support “short-route” accountability of schools directly to the communities they serve. The roles that community members can take can range from recruitment of teachers, discipline of teachers with regard to punctuality and performance, attendance and discipline of students and timetabling. In this scenario communities and school committees have been observed to perform more diverse roles than school committees in government schools, most of which were dysfunctional (Rose 2006).
The role that NGOs’ play at the monitoring level can again vary based on the ability of community, government to link its social capital with NGO programming. At best NGOs’ seem to take on a collaborative role and involve the local community in assessing the value of the program. At there worst NGOs’ may ignore government and local standards of education and attempt to monitor themselves taken on the role of patriarchal, benevolent benefactor. That is, a role that we know best and we are going to deliver what you need.