A case study of community participation in primary education in three rural village schools in Ethiopia

This study examines community participation in education in the rural Ethiopia villages of Khisha, Triab, and Shinkah by an NGO, Improvement for Ethiopian Education and Development (IEED). This study used a case study methodology to address a problem that current literature does not adequately cover; mainly, community participation in rural communities or by NGOs in Ethiopia in the area of education.;The study's results demonstrated that community participation occurred in the schools of the three villages of Khisha, Triab and Shinkah in several different ways. The NGO, IEED, integrated the concept of community participation into their mission, which resulted in the community directing the priorities of the school project. The NGO also built a trusting relationship with the community, which also positively influenced community participation in the villages. Interviews with the community's parents and teachers in Khisha, Triab, and Shinkah showed that geography and history influence the level of community participation, as seen particularly in the village of Khisha. Parents also indicated they were motivated to participate in school improvement because of child health and safety. The community was represented by the active participation of local school improvement committees and farmer's cooperatives. Finally, the study found that most often community participation was influenced by the positive interaction between IEED and the Ethiopian government sub-district official.;An important finding of the case study was that the concept of community participation includes more than just a particular community (or village) and how the community participates. In this case community participation included the government and the NGO, IEED. Each stakeholder took an interest in how community participation in education occurred in the three villages. The implication from these research findings is that understanding the perceptions of stakeholders expands the dialogue at the local level and can be used to inform larger policy goals, such as increased access to education.