Collaboration in delivering education: relations between governments and NGOs in South Asia

Abstract

Collaboration between governments and non-state providers of basic services is increasingly a focus of attention by international agencies and national policy makers. The intention of such collaboration is to support common goals for achieving universal provision. Drawing on research in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, the contribution shows that collaboration can be successful where NGOs do not depend on limited sources for their funding, and invest time in building an informal relationship with government officials. In such cases, not only can collaboration strengthen NGO service provision directly, but it also provides opportunities for NGOs to engage in broader policy advocacy through insider influence.

Collaboration dans la prestation de services d'éducation : relations entre gouvernements et ONG en Asie du Sud

La collaboration entre les gouvernements et les prestataires non publics de services de base suscite une attention croissante de la part des agences internationales et des décideurs nationaux. Cette collaboration cherche à soutenir des buts communs pour parvenir à une prestation de services universelle. En se basant sur des recherches menées au Bangladesh, en Inde et au Pakistan, cet article montre que la collaboration peut porter ses fruits lorsque les ONG ne dépendent pas de sources limitées pour leur financement et investissent du temps dans la construction d'une relation informelle avec les officiels gouvernementaux. Dans ces cas, non seulement la collaboration peut renforcer directement la prestation de services par les ONG, mais elle donne également l'occasion aux ONG de s'engager dans des activités de plaidoyer plus larges à travers l'influence qu'elles peuvent exercer de l'« intérieur ».

Colaboração para promover a educação: relações entre governos e ONGs no sul da Ásia

A colaboração entre governos e provedores não-estatais de serviços básicos é cada vez mais o foco de atenção de agências internacionais e formuladores de política nacional. A intenção de tal colaboração é apoiar objetivos comuns para se alcançar provisão universal. Baseando-se em pesquisa realizada em Bangladesh, Índia e Paquistão, o artigo mostra que a colaboração pode ser bem-sucedida quando as ONGs não dependem de recursos limitados para o seu financiamento e investem tempo no desenvolvimento de uma relação informal com representantes do governo. Nestes casos, não apenas a colaboração pode fortalecer a provisão de serviços de ONG diretamente como também oferece oportunidade para as ONGs engajarem-se em políticas e advocacy mais amplas através de uma influência interna.

La cooperación en el sector educativo entre gobiernos y ONG en el Sur Asiático

Las agencias internacionales y quienes diseñan políticas nacionales cada vez prestan más atención a la cooperación entre los gobiernos y los proveedores de servicios básicos no estatales. El objetivo de esta cooperación es apuntar hacia metas comunes y así lograr una cobertura universal. Este ensayo demuestra, basándose en investigaciones realizadas en Bangladesh, India y Pakistán, que la cooperación puede lograr avances reales cuando las ONG no dependen de sus limitados recursos de financiamiento sino que dedican más esfuerzos a la construcción de relaciones informales con funcionarios gubernamentales. Estas relaciones de cooperación no sólo pueden fortalecer los servicios que proporcionan las ONG, sino que también generan oportunidades para su incidencia en la determinación de políticas públicas a través de sus contactos con funcionarios.

Keywords:

• Civil society
• Governance and public policy
• Social sector
• South Asia

Notes

This contribution is based on research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council under the Non-Governmental Public Action Programme (Project Number RES-155-25-0045). Besides the authors, the research team included Masooda Bano, Padmaja Nair, S. M. Nurul Alam, Kevin Sansom, Natasha Palmer, and Kelly Teamey. For further information, see http://www.idd.bham.ac.uk/research/service_providers.shtml.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Richard Batley

Richard Batley is Emeritus Professor of Development Administration at the International Development Department, School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham. His research interests are in government, regulation, urban policy, service delivery, non-state service provision, public–private partnership, and aid management. He is also Director of the DFID Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (www.gsdrc.org). <[email protected]>

Pauline Rose

Pauline Rose is Reader in International Education at the University of Sussex. She is currently on leave of absence from her post, working as Senior Policy Analyst for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report based at UNESCO. Her research relates to educational policy and practice from a variety of perspectives – including financing and governance, non-state provision, democratisation, and the role of international aid in shaping the education agenda.