Appraising the Effectiveness of School Management Committee towards Enhancing Educational Outcome in Primary Schools of Bangladesh

School Management Committees (SMCs) are an important institutional mechanism for decentralized school governance in the primary education sector of Bangladesh. Although they have been charged with improving accountability and involving the community at the school level, there is little evidence about their effectiveness in practice. This study explores the contribution of SMCs in improving key primary education outcomes (student enrolment, attendance, drop out reduction and academic performance) and systematically identifies bottlenecks in the structures and operations of SMCs that limit their effectiveness in achieving these outcomes. Using a quantitative-dominant concurrent mixed-methods approach, empirical data was collected from a range of educational stakeholders in primary schools in the Cumilla District, Bangladesh. Quantitative results show that SMCs have a moderate positive impact on school deliverables which include optimizing academic performance, creating school friendly environment etc. but less positive impact on distal school behavior outcome such as student dropping out of school and chronic absenteeism. Qualitative thematic analysis interprets these patterns and reveals entrenched systemic obstacles such as entrenched political interference, grossly underfunded schools, lack of trust in institutions and the socioeconomic shut-out of marginalized parents. The study demonstrates macro-level structures that limit local action using two theories: Systems Theory and Participatory Governance Theory. The study is a valuable addition to the global debate on school-based management in developing countries and is directly relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education) and 16 (Strong Institutions). Policy implications are based on moving beyond tokenism in administrative compliance to structural decentralization through the use of independent electoral oversight, school block grants and competency based pre-appointment induction.

Communication, Community Participation, Decentralization, Educational Governance, Primary Education, School Management Committees

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