Community Participation

Community participation is not a new idea or practice. Historically, communities have played an important role in the provision and management of schools in different parts of the world and these were mediated through church or caste/ethnic associations or civil society groups2. In many parts of India too, parents or members of the community have provided land or other resources for the setting up of government schools3. It is on the basis of this that development organisations are actively advocating structured community participation in the management of schools.