Educational Planning in a Decentralised System

Decentralisation emerged as a prominent policy trend during the 1960s and 1970s, in both industrialized and less developed countries. In the latter, it became a popular reform for immediate post-independence governments, and Papua New Guinea was no exception.

With only three million people but 19 provincial governments and 20 ministers for Education, Papua New Guinea appeared at the time to have one of the most decentralised systems in the world. Within this framework, however, there were many contradictions and centralist strings. Originally published in 1984, Educational Planning in a Decentralised System is the first detailed account of decentralisation in the education sector in Papua New Guinea, presenting a clear analysis of the complexities of the system and the impact of decentralisation on inequalities, efficiency, and participation.

From 1981 to 1984, Mark Bray was employed by a National Department [Ministry] of Education project in Papua New Guinea. He was based at the University of Papua New Guinea, and provided in-service training in educational planning for officers at all levels of the system. This required considerable travel to all provinces, and he gained close acquaintance with the realities within the system.

Before moving to Papua New Guinea, Dr Bray taught in secondary schools in Kenya and Nigeria and at the University of Edinburgh. He had also been a consultant to the World Bank Fourth Primary Education Project in Pakistan, and had travelled extensively in both less developed and more developed countries.

Subsequently, Mark Bray moved to the University of Hong Kong where he currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education. Between 2006 and 2010 he worked in Paris as Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).