Représentations Sociales et Pratiques de la Décentralisation de l’Éducation par les Acteurs niveau des Écoles Primaires : une étude menée dans la Commune de Mfou

Abstract

The present study is entitled: “Social Representations and practices of education decentralization by local actors in primary schools: a study conducted in the municipality of Mfou". The finding that led to the issues raised in this study is that, despite the multiplicity of laws that govern decentralization in Cameroon, benefits are still to be noticed in the education sector, particularly at the basic education where the effectiveness of primary schools in relation to these skills still do not see a shiny face. To this end, the present research answers the question: How do social representations of local actors determine the effectiveness of decentralization of education in primary schools? To better understand this question, it has been broken down into three specific questions: does the knowledge function determine the effectiveness of decentralization of education in primary schools? Does the identity function she determine the effectiveness of decentralization of education in primary schools? Does the guidance function determine the effectiveness of decentralization of education in primary schools? The goal here is to identify and analyze the social representations functions that determine the effectiveness of decentralization of education in primary schools. To carry out this study, the research addressed local actors of the municipality of Mfou, based on a sample of eight subjects divided into two groups: two political actors and six actors in the educational chain. The choice of the sample was pre-determined by the choice of the study site. Individual interviews, more specificaly semi-structured interviews, have been carried out with each of the participants. From these analyzes, it appears that the knowledge function, the identity function and the guidance function of social representations of the decentralization of education by local actors significantly determine the level of efficiency of primary schools. Content analysis in turn, helps to understand that the identity function marked by empowering local actors and their recognition as such is the key to improve the effectiveness of decentralization of education. Among other possible improvements, we propose a consultation of local stakeholders on public policy in education, redefining the statutes of each player in the chain, identifying priority to allocate resources to schools and the establishment a resource assessment program allocated to schools.