Representation and Participation of the Community in Community Colleges

Abstract

This paper explores the current status of Nepali community colleges (CCs) regarding representation strategies and community participation in their internal governance. It draws on qualitative data from unstructured interviews with nine participants sampled using a non-probabilistic purposive sampling procedure, followed by a document study of the respective colleges. The sample included the head of college management, a CMC member, the campus chief, and student representatives from three colleges in Koshi province. The study reveals that the representation is highly local and donor-centric; therefore, little space is left for citizen- and parent-level representation in governance. The study further revealed that the level of participation in the decision-making process is not static; rather, it ranges from 'non-participation' to, at most, 'partnership ', in which the power lies with the secretary and the CMC chair to make the decision. The study also showed that the degree of participation was largely determined by the agenda's localization; the more localized the agenda, the higher the degree of participation in the CMC meetings.