School community collaboration

Jun 10

The sectoral component of the “Decentralisation and Local Government Reform Support in Armenia” (DeaLoG) programme, focusing on the decentralisation of general education, aims to enhance the effectiveness and quality of educational services. This implies the transfer of authority and greater decision-making powers to the local level, both to service providers (i.e., schools, principals, teachers, etc.) and to local authorities—as well as increasing local participation and voice in decision-making processes as a means of improving the system.

Within the framework of the DeaLoG programme launched in Armenia by SALAR International (a subsidiary of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions – SALAR), the Armenian team invited all communities and schools across the country to participate in an open call for partnerships in 2023–2024. The goal was to promote human development in communities by fostering collaboration between school governance and local development, and by expanding and deepening school-community cooperation.

As a result of this process, DeaLoG has established partnerships and effective cooperation with 10 communities in Armenia (Vayk, Masis, Martuni, Hrazdan, Khor Virap, Vagharshapat, Akhuryan, Vanadzor, Tashir, and Tatev) and 34 public schools to take preparatory steps toward education decentralisation.

Over the past several months, the partner communities have been working with schools to develop cooperation plans and clarify the development programmes they intend to pursue. The selection of communities and schools was based on a straightforward principle: evaluation of expressions of interest in deepening school-community cooperation. All regions of Armenia are represented, except for Tavush and Aragatsotn. Recently, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS), the communities of Goris (2 schools), Yeghegis (1 school), Abovyan (1 school), and Akhuryan (1 school, which is already a partner) joined the initiative. These schools were selected because they are newly built, modern, modular schools intended to serve as educational complexes and community development centres.

At this initial stage of the decentralisation process, the MoESCS and the DiaLoG programme agreed on key activities and actions that have guided the programme’s work throughout 2023–2024. The approved work plan consists of four components:

Promotion of policy dialogue

Strengthening school-local community cooperation

Further clarifying the role of communities in education and school governance

Improving the fiscal aspects of decentralisation in the education sector

To support the promotion of school-community cooperation, the DiaLoG programme developed and implemented the “Maturity Model” as an organisational assessment tool.

Given the descriptive nature of the concept of “cooperation,” this model is expected to serve as an effective tool to promote functional cooperation between communities and schools.

The objectives of the “Maturity Model” for enhancing school-community cooperation include:

Increasing mutual understanding of the benefits of school-community collaboration and its potential impact on educational outcomes and overall community development

Creating opportunities for dialogue between communities and schools on shared development issues

Encouraging the partners to recognise their strengths and areas for improvement

Contributing to the creation of a shared development agenda, including joint action planning

One of the practical steps taken to create an enabling environment for education decentralisation was a series of online meetings initiated by SALAR International’s Armenian team (in late 2023 and early 2024) with the participation of community and school representatives. These meetings culminated in the “School-Community Cooperation” workshop held on January 17, 2024, which aimed to discuss cooperation issues at a more practical level.

During the workshop, letters of intent were signed between SALAR International and the ten partner communities, under which communities and schools agreed to create a unified development agenda and define roles and responsibilities based on local needs, residents’ preferences, and national challenges and priorities.

In March–April 2024, the DiaLoG programme conducted self-assessment workshops in all partner communities to review and evaluate the current status and potential of school-community cooperation. These discussions were carried out using the “Maturity Model” methodology and its related tools.

Following the completion of the workshops, the DiaLoG programme summarised the findings in collaboration with the partner municipalities and schools and discussed achievements and lessons learned.

As of December 2024, the Armenian team of the programme continues to collect and consolidate the cooperation plans developed by the communities in preparation for the next phase of work.

Specifically, in early 2025 (January–February), the DiaLoG programme will provide targeted support to communities and schools for the implementation of the cooperation plans.

Planned support includes community visits, during which the programme team will offer hands-on assistance to municipalities and schools. This support process will also include, as needed and where relevant, training sessions, seminars, and inter-community experience-sharing initiatives.

In the summer of 2025, the programme will develop a package of recommendations on decentralising authority and decision-making in the education sector. This package will include a clear roadmap, a list of delegated powers and functions, a timeline for the process, required capacities, legal amendments, and more.

This work will be based on the findings of a functional review of the education sector conducted by short-term experts engaged by the programme in December 2024, as well as the knowledge and experience gained from efforts to promote school-community cooperation. This latter aspect is especially important for ensuring a “bottom-up” approach in the development of public policies on decentralisation.

Ultimately, all of this will feed into the national strategy on decentralisation of authority in Armenia, the development of which has already begun and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.