Decentralisation in Education Systems – Seminar Report

• Main Author: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
• Other Authors: Verity Donnelly, Edda Óskarsdóttir, Amanda Watkins
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2017
• Subjects: international co-operation; policy analysis; Iceland; Reykjavík
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5562076

The extent to which national education systems are decentralised clearly affects policy and practice for inclusive education. Decentralisation is a key variable in context analysisand change management at all levels of the education system. This paper builds on the various discussions held within the Thematic Seminar on Decentralisation in EducationSystems , jointly organised by the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the European Agency, held in Reykjavík in October 2016. The seminarparticipantswere representatives from 29 European countries, along with key decision-makers from national level and local municipalities in Iceland. The seminar included keynote inputs and workshops. It explored the strengths and challenges of countries' different approaches through discussion around four key topics that arise within decentralisation debates in all countries: Governance Regional disparity Quality assurance Data collection The paper presents the key issues raised by these country examples, in line with discussions around the need to buildcapacity across and between levels within education systems and the need to examine 'dimensions of decentralisation'. Download the seminar report below as a PDF in English. This publication has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.