180 Brooke Zobrist and Patrick McCormick
culture, there is limited delegation. Rather, people in positions of power
retain their privileges. Greater delegation and deconcentration will happen
within that context. We also note that there is a certain amount of de facto
devolution in education provision in ceasefire areas, which we discuss in
greater detail below. Some of the ethnic national education systems follow
government curriculum, but the extent to which the central government
will recognize them and oversee them, remains to be seen.
Privatization is often part of decentralization and falls under
devolution because private companies handle decision-making and other
responsibilities. A recent change in law has allowed private schools
to be registered more easily. There are now sixty-two private schools
providing basic education nationwide.^32 Looking elsewhere in the region
for possible outcomes of this development, India provides an example
of decentralization which features the growth of private schools. In
India, this system has exacerbated inequities in access and differences in
quality.^33 In Myanmar, many private schools provide intensive English
language instruction, as English skills help in gaining education and
work abroad.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Overview
The following are the main themes that emerged from our research:
administrative, which focuses on distributing managerial responsibilities
among different levels of government or administration; fiscal, or how
expenditure responsibilities are assigned and corresponding resources
provided; and political, which involves the transfer of decision-making
and accountability to lower levels of administration.^34
Administrative
- The government created a new level, the khayaing “district”, in 2012.
Some decision-making power has been moved up to the district from
the township, although as of this writing, this is more theoretical
than actual. Interviewees explained this development as bringing the
Ministry of Education in line with all other ministries, which have
this level. This move will shift some responsibilities up one level,