THE EFFECTS OF LOCAL INTERPRETATION OF DECENTRALIZATION POLICY ON SCHOOL AUTONOMY IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE OF CHINA

Abstract

The decision to decentralize education systems is often predicated on the assumption that such a move will enhance the autonomy of local schools. According to this line of reasoning, in a decentralized system, schools will use their heightened authority to make curricular content more relevant to local interests and demands. Such discussions, however, have largely ignored local interpretation of decentralization policies. It is important and necessary to examine educational decentralization policies from the local perspective, for the ways in which local education stakeholders understand, interpret, and react to policy changes will have a direct impact on their implementation in the schools. China has been experimenting with educational decentralization for almost two decades. Financial considerations have provided the primary motive for decentralizing the Chinese educational system. The state, which has been struggling to provide adequate funds for the nation’s schools, has been searching for new financial and administrative models (Bray, 2003; Hawkins, 2000; Paine, 1998). To this end, transferring the fiscal burdens from the central government to the local level (which includes several levels of local government, communities, individuals, and even the private sector), was viewed as a means of remedying the nation’s financial problems. It is interesting to note that while the primary catalyst for educational decentralization in the West has been the New Right Ideology, the allure of marketization in education has driven the Chinese government’s policy shift. Interestingly, research on educational reform in China has not devoted significant attention to the voices of principals and teachers. This study, in contrast, takes a close look at how principals and teachers from seven schools in Guangdong Province viewed and interpreted decentralization policies designed to promote local school autonomy. I explore individual interpretations of educational reforms, and link the individual dimension of this process to larger issues related to state control and market principles in the education sector. In this chapter, I examine the extent to which autonomy is transferred to the school level, as well as the mechanisms the state has utilized in attempt to augment its own authority. Another factor I explore is the link between culture and educational practice. Previously published research on educational decentralization has tended to avoid consideration of the cultural dimensions of policy implementation. As I will show, China’s unique cultural heritage