Open government in education: Learning from social audits in India

This case study developed as part of IIEP‑UNESCO Research Project ‘Open Government: Learning From Experience’ examines the first social audit of education carried out in India, under the aegis of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). It was conducted as a pilot study across ten states of India to test the principle that citizens can act as effective monitors of their entitlements.

The study highlights the fact that accountability can be established through such processes, lead‑ ing to the empowerment of marginalised social groups, particularly women. But it also demonstrates that for such citizen‑led monitoring to take place, tools and processes of engagement, as well as platforms for citizen‑state interaction, are required to get started and be sustained. A facilitating organization or agency may also prove necessary before the social audit methodology can be institutionalised.

The study concludes that building bridges between stakeholders and state actors, and working on the basis of collaboration rather than confrontation, play an important role in making social audits work.

ISBN: 978‑93‑81482‑10‑0

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