From Informed Choices to Collective Action: Empowering Inclusive School Budgeting

• In Event: Social Theory and Social Change

Proposal

A social movement is a collective endeavor by individuals, organizations, or communities aimed at instigating societal change, encompassing domains like culture, politics, and structure. These movements coalesce around shared values and identities, driven by grievances of marginalized communities against perceived injustices. Employing collective actions such as protests and advocacy, they rally support and exert pressure on authorities to address their concerns.

In the context of societal transformation, the mobilization of socially and economically disadvantaged groups has emerged as a dynamic force, finding its most potent expression within the domain of social movements. These movements, characterized by their informal structure and adaptive nature, stand in stark contrast to the rigid confines of formal institutions that often perpetuate exclusion and disempowerment among marginalized communities. Grounded in their inherent flexibility and accessibility, social movements serve as a conduit for these groups to actively partake in shaping policy decisions.

At the core of comprehending the intricacies of movement dynamics lies the Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT), a seminal conceptual framework formulated by John McCarthy and Mayer Zald in 1977. RMT asserts that the viability and sustainability of movements pivot more on the strategic mobilization of resources—spanning from financial and organizational to leadership assets—rather than solely on the presence of grievances. Applying the tenets of RMT to the historical canvas of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States illuminates resources and networking have been always pivotal to make the movement success.

However, in Bangladesh, marginalized communities often lack knowledge, awareness, mobilization capacity, and the means to amplify their voices to broader audiences. Moreover, these communities face the fear of persecution for participating in protests or anti-government mobilization. Despite initiating movements, marginalized groups sometimes struggle to maintain their leadership until tangible outcomes are achieved.

Recognizing this underrepresentation and limited capacity, and resources, IID has taken the initiative with funding from GPE to enhance marginalized communities' abilities to access information, engage in decision-making, and give feedback in the school budgets. This empowers them to rightfully shape the educational landscape.

The study chose the PPS sampling method, which ensures fair representation by considering group sizes when selecting from Dhangora village and Rajghat tea garden. These areas were chosen due to their marginalized populations, letting the study focus on overlooked perspectives in budget processes. Data collection used a tool developed by IID titled “Citizen Score Card” to gauge awareness, involvement, and satisfaction with budgets and educational funding.

The study reveals that the tea worker community, for instance, is particularly in need of budgetary information, a factor contributing to their limited participation in decision-making processes, as well as their needs not being adequately reflected in the budgetary allocation. The study also shows that teachers and administrators have more influence in decision-making due to their access to information and networks. On the other hand, marginalized groups, such as parents, feel excluded due to a lack of information and chances for meaningful input in budget decisions. The differences in engagement across demographics highlight the need for fair and inclusive participation. Even the meetings, and scope of putting opinion is also highly restricted for the people from the marginalized communities.

However, their limited capacity in terms of information, resources, and mobilization power keeps them consistently in a disadvantaged position, leaving the authorities unaccountable in providing them with their rightful rights.

Based on the study's results, IID is committed to advocating and planning interventions at the community, local, and national levels. At the local level, IID will collaborate with stakeholders, including parents, students, youth, schools, local government, and community-based organizations in the education sector. By using the study's findings, IID will facilitate dialogues to raise awareness about citizen involvement in budget planning and implementation. This advocacy aims to empower stakeholders with knowledge and tools for active engagement in decision-making.

To ensure progress and adjustments, the assessment will occur every six months, providing ongoing review of education financing and citizen involvement effectiveness.

Furthermore, nationally, IID will use the study's findings to advocate for policy changes and reforms in education financing. By presenting evidence-based recommendations and community experiences, IID seeks to influence decision-making and promote education-focused reforms aligned with people's needs.

Authors

• Falguni Reza, Institute of Informatics and Development (IID)

• Muhammad Tanbirul Islam, Institute of Informatics and Development (IID)

• Sharmin Sultana, Institute of Informatics and Development (IID)