ABSTRACT
The early post-independence period in South Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries was associated with efforts to dislodge or bypass religious bodies in the delivery of key health and education services, and there was little research interest in their ongoing contribution. However, by the 1980s, market-style reforms in public management and collaboration between governments and private or not-for-profit non-government actors sought to achieve improvements in service delivery, opening the door to recognition of the ongoing role of religious organisations and changes to the working relationships between them and governments. This chapter focuses on the provision of basic general education for children, examining research on the precolonial, colonial and contemporary contributions of religious actors. Driven in part by the evidence available, it addresses the questions of whether Christian and Muslim religious schools reach the poor and disadvantaged, the quality and performance of religiously motivated education providers, and the relationships between such providers and governments, as demonstrated through policy dialogue, ‘partnership’ arrangements and regulation (including madrasa reform programmes). Patchy evidence and uneven research coverage hinder a systematic assessment of the scale and contribution of religious organisations.
