Module III

The Town and Gown Approach to Local Development and Governance through
Service-Learning1

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

Upon the use and application of this module as guide for learning, the learners
shall:

1.) Be able to verbalize the importance of creating productive partnerships

between LGU’s and schools of public administration.
2.) Be able to apply the “Town and Gown” approach through Service-Learning to
foster partnerships between the LGU’s and the academe that would enhance
local governance and community development.
3.) Be able to use monitoring and evaluation tools to assess social development
initiatives by the LGU’s.
4.) Be able to interpret data and results of case studies, and evaluate its
significance to contextual learning as experienced in the classroom setting.

Intended Audience: Graduate students enrolled in the course in Governance and

Development

Introduction

As local institutions, the role of the schools or academic organizations in the

development and governance of the community cannot be overemphasized. Aside from
molding the character of the young, the schools or academic institutions works to
develop leaders who would be at the forefront of community development and
governance. Also, the schools or academic institutions by virtue of the values and
principles that they espouse, aims to earn a respectable place in the community where
they have developed certain linkages and alliances with community groups. Based on
these networks and alliances, it is hoped that to a large extent, a high level of public
trust and confidence that is deemed to be a valuable asset in building partnerships with
other institutions or organizations in the community particularly with the local
government.

The academic institutions or schools of public institutions or schools have also

the advantage of knowledge resources that can be shared with the local government

1
This module has adapted, with permission, the Town and Gown approach as developed by Dr. Perla Legaspi’s
“Handbook on Local Government Unit and Schools of Public Administration Partnership”, National College of
Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines. Service-Learning has been adopted as a
supplemental pedagogical means to bring into the classroom the academic significance of the “Town and Gown”
approach.
and other organizations. It is this expertise that can contribute to the capacity building
of institutions most especially local government. Thus the “Town and Gown” approach
to local development and governance implies a partnership between the school and the
local community, particularly, the local government.

What is the “Town and Gown” approach?

The Town and Gown approach implies a partnership between the “town” which is
the community or the local government and the “gown” which is the university or school
located in the local area. The relationship is seen to be more of a “partnership” where
each participant shares its resources for a common cause or goal, which is the
development of the local community. This notion also represents to each partner a
better strategy to address a specific goal or objective than each partner operating
independently. The partnership then adds value to the efforts of each individual partner.

Why is Service-Learning employed as a strategy to operationalize the Town and

Gown Approach?

Service Learning2 (SL) is a means to give the opportunity for the partners to
interact and learn from the partnership. The guiding principle of empowering learners
and the community allows SL to “seal” the partnership between the “town” and the
“gown”. This is so as a service is provided by the academe by introducing innovative
ways to improve governance which represents the “gown” and vice versa, learning is
brought back into the classroom as learners internalize the concepts and realities
brought about by the partnership experience. The “town” or LGU also provides a service
through the collaboration and sharing of resources to the academe therefore allowing
the schools to apply theories, concepts, and techniques of governance, thus giving the
opportunity to asses the applicability of what is learned in the classroom in the real
world.

The learning for the community or LGUs comes as the school introduces ways to
improve governance that results to community development. Thus, learning takes place
for the school, community or LGU. Service- Learning is a framework that allows the
“Town and Gown” approach to be a two way process, such that both the academic and
LGU serve each others common interests and in the process both also benefit by
learning from the partnership experience.

Lesson 1
2
Please refer to Figure 1, Module 2 to review the Service Learning strategy.
 Nature and Definition of Partnership

Specific Objectives:

At the end of the lesson the learners shall:

1.) Verbalize the meaning and significance of partnership and its contextual
implication to Academe-Community-LGU collaboration.
2.) Explain the “Town and Gown” approach and why service-learning as a
guiding framework for partnership.
3.) Interpret the substance and value of understanding the responsibilities of
partners in order to achieve a healthy/productive collaborative experience
between participants.

Pedagogical Activities

1.) Interactive discussion

2.) Slide Show

Defining Partnership

The concept of partnership has been defined in many ways. Some of the
definitions of the concept are the following (Legaspi, 2005:6):

• “An arrangement between two or more parties who have agreed to work
cooperatively toward shared and/or compatible objectives and in which there
is shared authority and responsibility; joint investment of resources; shared
liability or risk taking; and ideally, mutual benefits”
• “Collaborative arrangements made with organizations outside of the
government. These arrangements are usually designed to share the costs,
risks and benefits of particular initiatives, while at the same time increasing
the involvement of the clients being served and enhancing the general level of
goodwill with all parties”
• “A relationship in which government and other agents work cooperatively to
achieve a goal at the community level. It requires the sharing of resources,
responsibilities, decision making, risks and benefits, according, to a mutually
agreed upon formal or informal arrangement”

Key Elements of Partnership

 a.) Common goals and objectives between and among partners
b.) Shared risk and mutual benefits
c.) Contributions from both partners (monetary and non-monetary)
d.) Shared authority, responsibility and accountability

Partnership can also be viewed not only as an outcome but as a process or an

action called partnering. It adopts a proactive stance because the goals for partnership
are not static; they are always changing just like the abilities and relationships that
change between partners. The concept of partnering involves “exchange of purpose” in
a forum where the partners are treated as equals or peers; where each one has the
right to say “no”; and commitment from the partners. These requirements evolve over
time as the partnership grows and develops.

Activities Undertaken by Partners (Legaspi, 2005:7-8)

1.) Knowledge Transfers which refers to the transfers of technology from the school,
which is presumed to possess knowledge and expertise, to the local government
via training.
2.) Improving Service Delivery in which the school may assist the local government
in improving the delivery of services by providing inputs through the conduct of
evaluation researches on on-going programs or those that have been completed.
The findings from the research may help the local government in deciding on
whether to make certain changes in the delivery of the program or projects or
whether there is a need to completely change the program or projects. It may be
the case that the findings may suggest that a similar program or project be
implemented for more impact on the local population.
3.) Reforming Public Policy in which the conduct of policy researches, the school
may assist the local government in coming up with new or reformed policies;
policies which may be deemed to be more relevant and responsive to the needs
and concerns of the local community.
4.) Community Development that places importance in the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is considered to be part of the community
development agenda of the local unit. The school may assist the local
government in its endeavor by taking part in the advocacy campaign; by helping in
the formulation of the local development plan, incorporating the goals and
objectives of the MDGs; by assisting in the prioritization of the programs and
projects taking into account the MDG goals and objectives; and by participating in
the implementation of these priority programs and projects via the schools
resource of knowledge and expertise.
5.) Providing Education which usually refers to the schools offering of short training
courses to the local government officials and employees on local government
officials and employees on local government administration, local development,
and local governance. This may form part of the continuing education to be
provided by the school.

What is Formal and Informal Partnering?

 Cooperation between organizations or institutions may take the form of a formal
or informal partnership. The informal way is done through the exchange of information
and resources to strengthen the partners’ activities as independent institutions or
organizations. This is usually done through the conduct of conferences or workshops
that enables each partner to learn information that is deemed of value to their respective
activities. In this kind of partnership structure, exchanges are usually in terms of skills,
knowledge, financial resources and general information.

Formal partnering takes the form of creating or establishing a new organization to

undertake certain activities, usually new ventures that may require different activities
from the core activities of each partner. The new structure may undertake or produce
new services, products or infrastructures. This kind of cooperation is often sealed with
a contract or a memorandum of understanding between the two parties.

Challenges of Establishing Partnerships

a.) Partnerships must be voluntary. In order for a partnership to flourish, each

partner should not be coerced into entering in a defined relationship with
another organization or institution. Each one should be willing to collaborate
or cooperate with each other in the pursuit of a common goal or objective.
The partnership should also allow ample time for mutual understanding and
trust to develop. These requirements cannot emerge immediately upon
agreement on a collaborative effort between partners.
b.) Partnerships must have commitment and shared decision making in
order for a partnership to be successful. It must show respect for the
commitment and contributions of the other partner through shared decision
making. It is important that one partner must not gain control of the agenda
over the other partner. There must be compromises along the way in making
certain decisions.
c.) Partnerships must achieve a balance of power between collaborators,
such that it must be avoided that the LGU becomes the “funder” making it the
dominant party and the school is the “doer” therefore assuming a lesser role
in decision making. This may not yield positive results and partnerships may
not last long.
d.) Partnering with the LGU may present some challenges. By virtue of the
structure and functions of the local government the partnership may face the
challenge of sharing the decision making powers since LGUs are bound by
laws, rules and regulations and are accountable for public funds.

Steps to follow in Establishing Strong Partnerships

 1.) Ensure top-leadership level attention to the partnership – It is necessary
to hammer out a good relationship with the local chief executive of the local
government to ensure successful alliance. The decision of the local chief
executive carries much weight in the forging of partnership with the local
institution.
2.) Codify the intent, structure and responsibilities of the relationship in a
written document that is negotiated between both parties. This is usually
carried out in a memo of understanding or agreement between the two
partners. Such agreement would have to be approved by the local legislative
body of the local development.
3.) Establish a designated unit within the organizations of both parties
sustain and nurture the relationship and to resolve disputes when they
arise. An established structure designated to carry out the agreed
responsibilities between the two partners would help push for the realization
of the set common goals and objectives of the agreement.

Academe and LGU Roles in the Partnership

As local institutions, both the local government and the school or university
servicing the local area, has the responsibility to develop the community. Both are
committed to pursue local development goals and objectives to make the community or
local area a better place to live in. Thus, each one has a role to play in the area of local
development and governance.

The local government is seen to have more resources compared with other
institutions in the local community. However, its resources are never sufficient to
provide the needed services to its growing population. It does not have the monopoly of
knowledge and expertise needed to undertake responsive programs and projects.
Poorer local governments may not even have the technical competence to implement
development programs and projects. They may have established structure or unit
mandated to provide services but they may lack the needed technical staff members
that have the technical competence to implement or manage the program. Such a
situation dictates the necessity of collaborating or partnering with other institutions in the
local community that can provide additional or supplemental resources particularly in
the provision of technical knowledge and expertise.

The responsibilities of the LGU are the ff:

1.) The Local Government should provide an enabling environment

for the partnership to grow and flourish - The local government
should provide the legal framework for the partnership to work. The
framework will spell out the areas of cooperation between the
partners. Partnership policies and principles also would have to be
clarified. What is important is the recognition by the local government
that it needs to collaborate with other organizations in the community
 particularly with the educational institution in the pursuit of local
development goals and objectives.
2.) The local government has to share monetary or non-monetary
resources with the educational institution as its partner in
developing and governing the community - The sharing of
resources does not only zero in on monetary resources but also on
non-monetary resources as well. It could be that the local government
has the technical staff that can help in the implementation of programs
and projects. Or, the partners in pursuing their common goals can tap
the resources of the LGU or structure responsibilities for the
implementation of the identified program or project.
3.) Local government should assume the greater role of sustaining
the developed partnership with the educational institution. By
virtue of its powers and authority provided for in the Local Government
Code, it can formulate more policies that can provide more flexibility in
maintaining and sustaining the collaborative undertakings between the
two partners.

The responsibilities of the Educational Institution are the ff:

1.) The school or university should share knowledge and expertise

with the local government – As an educational institution, the school
or university has the knowledge and expertise in many learning areas
which can be considered of value to the local government unit in
building up its capacity.
2.) The school or university should be able to provide technical
assistance to the local government - By virtue of its knowledge and
expertise, the school or university would be in a better position to
provide technical assistance to help enhance the capacity of the local
unit.
3.) The school or university could serve as resource linker in the
community – This means that the academe should not directly
provide resources to the local government unit but could provide the
necessary linkages and networks with other resource institutions in the
community for the purpose of building up the capacity of the local
government and for the purpose of contributing to the local
development initiatives in the community.

In Lesson two of this module, the learners will be given the chance to discuss
and understand the Operationalization of roles, duties responsibilities, as partnerships
are forged between the local government units and the academe.
 Evaluation

I. Essay

1.) What is the importance and uniqueness of the “Town and Gown” approach
through service-learning in its application to development and governance
collaboration/partnership between the academe, community, and local
government unit?
2.) Explain the elements that are needed to establish a healthy partnership
between the LGU and the academe.

II. Graded Recitation

Lesson 2
Strategies and Approaches towards the Operationalization of the Town and Gown
Approach through Service-Learning

Specific Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the learners shall:

1.) Verbalize the operational meaning of the “Town and Gown” approach through
service-learning.
2.) Demonstrate the ability and skills to do organizational assessment, assess
competencies of the academe and LGU, assess LGU needs, and to formulate
adequate goals and objectives in the context of partnership.
3.) Differentiate the various mechanisms for partnership and collaboration in
order to assess the application of these mechanisms in case studies.
4.) Formulate an action and resource partnership plan with a specific LGU.
5.) Conduct a case study on the state of social development in a particular LGU
by assessing its local government development plan with the use of a
monitoring and measuring tool.

Pedagogical Activities

1.) Interactive Discussion

2.) Group work for the formulation of an action and implementation partnership
plan with the academe (governance class) and the LGU.
3.) Group work for the implementation of a case study based on the partnership
forged between the governance class and a specific LGU/s.
4.) Integration and use of a social development monitoring and evaluation tool for
the case study.

In forging partnerships between the local government and the school or

university, there are some strategies and approaches that can be adopted to make the
partnership work. These include the organizational assessment of each partner which
involves the assessment of the competencies of the school and the needs assessment
of the local government; the identification by each partner of the areas where support
and assistance are needed; the establishment of a mechanism or mechanisms for
collaboration; and the formulation of the implementation arrangements for the agreed on
collaboration. In SL it is important that a real need is identified in order to direct the
nature and scope of service to be provided by the partners, so in the end, both benefit
from the experience which more bearing on the kind of learning that takes place for both
partners.
Organizational Assessment

Before making an in-depth assessment of the competencies of the school and

the needs of the local government, it is important for each partner to ask the following
questions to be able to know whether it is ready, willing and able to be a partner
(Legaspi, 2005:12):

1.) Does the organization’s mandate fit the partnership?

2.) Are the organization’s values compatible with the work that will be
undertaken?
3.) What resources (e.g. time, money, materials, space, and equipment) from the
organization might be available for the partnership?
4.) Is there someone who can represent the organization in a responsible way,
and can that person be spared the time of the partnership? How will the
organization support their representative in the partnership?
5.) How will the partnership benefit the organization? How will the organization
benefit from the partnership?
6.) How much time will it take and how will that time connect to the other
activities of the organization?
7.) Is there any reason why the organization would not wish to be involved?

Assessing the Competencies of the Academe

Once the school or university is ready, willing and able to partner with the local
government, it has to assess its own strengths and weaknesses. Its competency is its
ability in performing a certain task or activity which has been developed over the years.
Such competency is considered to be its strength. And it is this competency that the
school or university contributes to the partnership.

1.) Curriculum and Instruction – This includes programs, program designs,

courses or subjects, internship or community exposure and teaching
methodologies.
2.) Students – This involves admission policy, enrollment and profile of or
quality of students.
3.) Faculty – This includes education of the faculty, its expertise and related
fields, updated ness with developments in the field, research capability,
experience, and extension and consultancy engagements.
4.) Research and Publications – This includes textbook writing, writing,
journals, research outputs, publications, case writings, dissemination of
research results, institutional research agenda, faculty research capability,
and research funding.
5.) Extension – This involves training programs/courses, linkages or
partnerships with the community, other organizations and the local
government.
 6.) Learning Resources – This includes library, learning materials, classroom
or training room, and computers and other equipment.
7.) Administration – This involves resource mobilization, linkage or network
with national and international institutions, and faculty recruitment.

Assessing the Local Government Needs

As a potential partner of the school or university in local or community

development, the local government must also conduct an assessment of its strengths
and weaknesses. What is more important at this stage is the determination or
identification of the areas where it needs assistance and guidance and other
supplemental resources from its partner or collaborator.

The local government unit, in assessing its strengths and weaknesses, may look into
the following areas:

1.) Organizational Structure – The local government unit may look into the
organizational structures of all the units responsible for the delivery of
frontline services and assess whether the units needed to be reorganized or
restructured for more effective and efficient delivery of services. It may also
assess the effectiveness of the other units that provide support services to
the frontline offices.
2.) Organizational Functions – This may involve assessing the relevance of
the functions being performed by the various offices or units of the local
government unit; whether they need some revisions or changes to make the
performance of functions more responsive and relevant to the demands and
concerns of the community.
3.) Human Resources Management – The local government unit may look into
the quantity and quality of its workforce and may assess whether the
employees are qualified and possess the competencies required by the jobs;
and whether the number of the personnel is adequate to be able to
effectively deliver the needed services. This may also involve an
assessment of the HRM systems and procedures, whether they promote or
not the productivity and efficiency of the workforce.
4.) Financial Resources – This may involve looking into the financial
statements of the local government, its income and expenditures, and
determine whether it has adequate resources to implement programs and
projects at the community level. This may also bring about an assessment
of the problems and proposed solutions and recommendations concerning
resource mobilization and generation.
5.) Strategic and Development Plans – If the local government does not have
a strategic plan, then it may strive to come up with a strategic plan that would
 provide direction for the growth and development of the local unit. If it
already has, then it may involve revisiting the said plan and determine
whether it needs further revisions in accordance with the needs of the local
government and the community. The local government may also assess its
development plan and look into the relevance and responsiveness of the
plan to the demands and problems of the community. It may also look into
the incorporation of the MDG goals and objectives into the development
plan.
6.) Programs and Projects – The local government unit may assess the
efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of the programs and projects;
may determine whether they respond to the community problems and
concerns, and whether or not they address Medium Term Development
Goals set by the national government.

Identification of Areas Where Support and Assistance are needed

After the conduct of an organizational assessment by both partners, the next

logical thing to do is to identify the areas where support and assistance are needed. On
the part of the local government unit, it may identify the following areas where the
school or university may provide technical assistance or expertise:

1.) Capacity Building – The school or university may conduct training needs
assessment of the LGU employees. It may prepare a training plan for the
development and enhancement of the capabilities of personnel for more
productivity and efficiency of operations.
2.) Conduct of Policy and Evaluation Research Studies – The school or
university may collaborate with the local government unit in the conduct of
evaluation and policy researches. The policy research studies are needed for
the formulation of policies that have impact on the community. The
evaluation research studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of the
implementation of certain programs and projects, results of which could be
used by the local government administration in deciding which programs
should be continued, discontinued, or which should be revised for more
positive impact on the community.
3.) Preparation of Strategic and Development Plans – The LGU may need
the technical assistance of the school or university in the formulation of its
strategic and development plans. It may invite participation from the school
in the strategic planning exercise that may be conducted for the purpose of
drawing up its vision and mission statement. The school may even serve as
a convener for the exercise where other sectors of the community may be
invited to participate. The faculty of the school or university may also serve
as part of the team that would identify the priority programs and projects that
would be included in the development plan of the local unit.
4.) Resource Mobilization and Generation – The school or university may
collaborate with the local government unit in mobilizing and generating
 financial resources for the implementation of programs and projects in the
community, its assistance in the tax payment campaign may be of value to
the local unit.
5.) Establishment of Linkages and Networks – The academe may assist the
LGU in establishing linkages or networks with other community organizations,
non-governmental organizations, people’s organizations and other groups in
the local community. It may serve as a resource linker in the local community
where resources can be tapped from the other organizations and groups for
developmental purposes.

Negotiation and Agreement upon Goals and Objectives

After knowing the areas for possible assistance, the collaborators would have to
negotiate and agree on the goals and objectives of the partnership. It is very important
that the goals and objectives of the partnership should be clearly defined and agreed
upon by the partners. The negotiation of partnership goals may include the discussion
on the process- how would decisions be arrived at how would responsibilities be
assigned? Part of the negotiation would have to deal with a formal agreement that
would have to be prepared to include the goals of the project, timeframes and
investments. Following are some questions raised to serve as guides in the formulation
of the agreement (Legaspi, p.15).

• Are goals and objectives articulated adequately?

• Are goals and objectives agreeable to partners? Do they benefit the partners?
Do goals accommodate the needs of each partner?
• Are goals compatible with the organizations mandate?

It would be to the advantage of both partners if the agreed upon partnership

would be formalized into a memorandum of agreement (MOA). The MOA would be able
to stipulate all the terms and conditions necessary for the partnership undertaking. This
would provide for mandatory compliance of all the terms and conditions and would
provide good faith in undertaking the partnership.

The MOA should also clearly indicate the source of funding for the programs or
projects to be undertaken and the mechanisms for the disbursement of funds should be
clearly stipulated.

Mechanisms for Partnerships/Collaboration

Having agreed upon the articulated goals and objectives of the partnership, the
next step is to identify the implementing structure and systems and processes of the
partnership. The partners should agree on the kind of structural arrangements for the
implementation of goals and objectives of the partnership. Should the partnership
create a new structure or should it assign the implementation to an existing organization
or structure in the local government unit or in the academe?

Structural Models

There are several structural models in the implementation of the partnership

agreement. Some of these are reflected in the following alternative models.

1.) Project Management Unit - The partnership may create a project management
unit to take charge of the implementation of the agreed upon goals and
objectives of the collaboration. This kind of a structural arrangement is usually
established if the project that would be implemented has a long life span, more
than one year of implementation. With the agreement of the partners, a project
manager is appointed to head the unit, and a number of technical staff to assist
the manager. The personnel complement and appointment of the manager and
staff would be dependent on the agreement by both parties.

The partnership may appoint personnel from the outside, or it may appoint insiders
who are employees of either the local government unit or the school. There are
advantages and disadvantages to appointing outsiders. In terms of advantages, the
partnership can select the best qualified personnel to staff the unit. Besides, the
outsiders can devote their full time and energy to the project without being hampered by
bureaucratic rules and regulations. However, a disadvantage would be in regard to the
payment of compensation. To attract highly competent personnel, the salary level
would have to be more than the regular salary level being offered by the LGU and the
academe. Further, the insiders have the advantage of knowing more about the
operations of the local government unit or the school. In this regard, the learning curve
is shorter than that of the outsiders which, in the long run is financially and efficiently
rewarding to the partnership. Below is a diagram of the PMU model.

Figure 1
Project Management Unit Model
 LGU School Management
Local Chief Executive President

Project Management Unit

Director/ Chief

2.) Ad Hoc Structure - This kind of a structure has a short life span. It takes the
form of a committee or a task force created for the purpose of the implementation
of the partnership. The ad hoc committee or task force ceases to exist once the
collaboration is finished. The staffing of the ad hoc structure would depend upon
the agreement of the partners. Usually, the personnel from the organizations of
the partners staff the ad hoc structure. The personnel requirements would
depend on the partnership agreement. An advantage of this alternative model is
that it would be cost efficient on the part of both partners considering the fact that
they would not be creating another layer or unit in their organizational structures.
Moreover, they would not be providing salaries for the staff for they would be
drawn from their existing regular personnel. Below shows two alternative models
of this kind of structure.
Figure 2
Structure A. Diagram of an Ad Hoc structure under the LGU

Local Government Unit

Ad Hoc Office
Chief of Office

Figure 3
Structure B. Diagram of an Ad Hoc structure under school management

School Management
 Ad Hoc Office
Chief

3.) Existing Structural Unit of the Organization – The implementing structure of

the partnership could take the form of an existing structural unit within the
organization of the LGU or the academe. This means that the partners, based on
mutual agreement, can assign the implementation of the partnership goals and
objectives to one of the designated units of the academe or LGU. For instance, if
the partnership is on delivery of services, then one of the offices that implements
frontline services could be the conduit of the partnership. One of the offices
concerned with frontline services in the school could also serve as the conduit for
such a project, depending on what is agreed upon by the partnership. An
advantage of this kind of set-up is that the staff in the designated organizational
unit would not have to “learn the ropes” of the operations in as much as they are
already involved in the said operations. This would be very cost efficient to the
partnership. Following are diagrams of two models of this kind of structure.

Figure 4
Structure A. Diagram of an existing structure in the LGU

Local Government Unit

Local Chief Executive

Frontline Offices
e.g., Health, Social, Welfare, Engineering

Figure 5
Structure B. Diagram of an existing structure in the academe
 School Management
President

Public Affairs Office or

Office of External Linkages

Systems or Procedures

Once the structure has been defined and agreed upon by the partners, it is also
very important to spell out the systems or procedures to be followed and applied
during the implementation of the partnership. These include the following:

1.) Shared Obligations, Rules and Responsibilities – It is said that shared

obligation is one of the key features of partnership. The partners are obliged
to invest in the partnership whether these investments are monetary or non-
monetary. In this regard, it is important for the partnership to define and
explain the system or procedure to be involved in securing or contributing
investments for the partnerships. For instance, if the school commits or
contributes expertise and knowledge to the partnership, how does it commit
such resources or investments? On the part of the local government unit,
what kind of resources does it share and commit to the partnership? What
system or procedure is followed?

Establish roles and responsibilities for each partner. What is the specific
role of each partner in the collaboration? What are the specific
responsibilities of each partner? In determining the roles and responsibilities
of each partner, the procedures in the exercise of such responsibilities are
established by the partnership.

2.) Decision-Making – In line with identifying the roles and responsibilities of

each partner, the partnership should be able to determine who makes certain
kinds of decisions in the partnership. Although, it is presumed that the head of
the implementing structure has to supervise and manage the operations of
the established partnership, there are certain decisions that have to be
elevated to the level of the local chief executive of the local government unit
and the president of the academic unit. It is thus important for the partnership
to clarify and identify the kinds of decisions to be made, the procedures to be
 followed in making and sharing the decisions, and who should be responsible
for making such decisions.

3.) Communication – Partnership creates relationships as it tries to achieve the

agreed upon goals of the collaboration. As such, good communication should
be emphasized inside and outside the partnership.

There are three levels of communication that should be considered

(Legaspi, 2005:20).

* Within the partnership group

* From the partnership group to the community
* From the community to the partnership group

The diagram below shows the flow of communication from the partnership
group to the community and vice-versa.

Figure 6

Partnership Group Community

For each level of communication, procedures should be established to be able to

determine the flow of information to and from each level. It must be emphasized that
communication should be clear, concise, timely and relevant. Likewise, a
communication strategy should be formulated. This would provide some guidelines in
organizing the information to be provided, as well as in identifying somebody to take
charge of the communication. Such strategy would include:

• The day-to-day information for the partnership group

• Overview information for interested other groups – e.g. brochure or handout
• Specific information as required, for media or for funding sources
• Very focused information for support and lobbying purposes
• Information for the public or community at large

Implementation Arrangements

After establishing the mechanisms for the partnership, the arrangements for the
implementation of the partnership follow. As pointed our earlier, the partnership may
take a more formal form of agreement or a less formal one. However, in a more formal
agreement, the partnership can be provided with an opportunity to clarify goals, roles,
responsibilities, obligations, timeframes and investments. This would hold the
partnership through difficult times.

What is important at this stage is to come up with an action plan where the
detailed steps are spelled out in reaching the goals agreed upon by the partnership. In
other words, an outline of what is to be done, by whom, by what method and when, as
well as the monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Steps or Tips in Making an Action Plan (Legaspi, 2005:21)

1.) Assess the current situation – What is the current situation in the local
government or school? What problems and concerns are besetting the local
government or school? What can be done? Does the local government have
the necessary resources to be able to respond to the problems and
concerns? Can the school help in addressing the problems and concerns? In
what ways can it help? Does it have the sufficient resources – knowledge and
expertise – to address the problems and concerns?
2.) Compare the current situation to the goals – Define the gap between
where you are now and where you want to be based on the goals. What
goals have the local government and the school identified in undertaking the
partnership? The identified goals are the “ends” of the undertaking and thus,
provide the direction for the activities to be undertaken.
3.) Determine how to get from where you are to where you want to be – With
the identification of the goals, the next logical thing to do is to determine the
activities, programs and projects to be undertaken by the partnership in order
to reach the goals. For instance, if the goal is to capacitate the local
government officials and employees, then the partnership would have to
come up with a series of training activities or courses to be conducted for the
said officials and employees.
4.) Assess the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
(SWOT) or barriers – Apply SWOT analysis. Each partner should be able to
analyze its own strengths and weaknesses by taking cognizance of its
existing resources (material and non-material). Given their current strengths
and weaknesses, how would they be able to reach their set goals? If the
partnership is to implement a development program, then it has to determine
the opportunities that would arise from the program implementation. For
instance, in implementing an immunization program for the infant population
in the barangay, the partnership can network with the regional office of the
Department of Health for the supply of vaccines. The presence of the
regional health office is seen as an opportunity for the partnership
undertaking. The threats to the implementation would be the lack of technical
competence on the part of the implementing staff as well as the lack of
resources to backstop the resources to be provided by the regional health
office.
 5.) Gather Input – Search out the information or data needed. In preparing for
the partnership undertaking, research activities should be conducted where
the sources of data or information are identified and how these data are to be
gathered.
6.) Prepare an action plan or plans for things that have to be done and
place them in a logical order. Determine who could best do them, how, and
when. Action plans are designed to break the goals down into manageable
pieces. Below is a template of an action plan.

Table 1
Action Plan

Goals Objectives Projects/Programs Responsible Time Frame

Activities Unit/Person
(s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

7.) Write down the action plan and get an agreement on it.

Resource Plan

A resource plan should address the physical, financial, and human resource
requirements of the partnership. For instance, how many staff members are needed to
be involved in the implementation of the partnership? If the partnership decides to
establish a task force, who and how many should be involved in the task force? If the
partnership decides to establish an office for the partnership, then where would it be
located? What office equipment or supplies and materials are needed for affective
operations?

In terms of financial resources, how much is needed to manage the operations?

How much should one collaborator contribute to the partnership? As indicated earlier,
there may be resource sharing between partners. For instance, the school may not
necessarily have the financial resources to share but it could contribute its knowledge,
technical competence, and expertise to the partnership. These are considered to be of
non-monetary value to the collaboration. Following, is a template for a resource plan.

Table 2
Resource Plan
Office Requirements Human Resource Financial Resources
 Requirements
Location
Equipment How many staff needed? How much resource
Supplies available?
Materials

* The diagram below illustrates how each approach to forging partnerships leads to the
formulation of an action and resource plan. Both plans should be guided by the tables
provided above. The approaches serve as a guide in identifying objectives and goals
and a means to identify how to formulate an action and resource plan to fit into Case
study 1 and 2.

Figure 7
Summary Diagram of the Approaches to Partnership

Assessing the Identifying areas of

Organization support and assistance

Negotiating and Entering

Into agreement

Establishing structures
& Mechanisms

Formulation of Action and

Resource Plans

Case Study 1 LGU Development Plans and the Millennium Development Goals

The following steps are to be taken:

 1.) Using the steps previously discussed, learners are to formulate an Action and
Resource plan for the assessment of the local development plan of a chosen
LGU using the MDG’s as a benchmark.
2.) This Action and Resource is to be approved by the teacher in charge before its
implementation and shall be guided by him/her all through out.
3.) Using the table guide below, the groups are to report in class their findings, it is
up to the teacher how to group the learners.

Table 3
Case Table A

City/Municipal Aspects of the MDG Goal Comments on why

Development Millennium Reflected your group
Plans Declaration believes this
Reflected aspect of the
development plan
is congruent with
or reflects the
Millennium
Declaration and
the MDG’s
1.) 1.) 1.) >

2.) 2.) 2.) >

Table 4
Case Table B
Aspects of the Millennium MDG goal NOT reflected Comments on why your
Declaration NOT in the local development group believes the
Reflected in plan Millennium Declaration
the local development and the MDG’s are not
plan reflected in the
development plan of the
city/municipality
1.) 1.) >

2.) 2.) >

Case Study 2 - The Use of the Quality of Life Index (QLI) for Monitoring and
Measuring MDG Targets

The Quality of Life Index (QLI)

(Adapted from the Social Watch Philippines Monitoring Report, 2003)

The QLI is a pure capability-based measure that is similar to the UNDP‘s Human
Development Index (HDI). As developed by the Action for Economic Reforms (AER),
the indicator measures achievements in three dimensions of human capabilities: the
capability to be well nourished; the capability for healthy safe reproduction; and the
capability to be educated and to be knowledgeable. The index is computed by assigning
equal weights to the corresponding component indicators: under-five nutrition, attended
births, and elementary cohort survival rate. The QLI is a cost effective indicator that can
be generated easily using available administrative data and applied at both national and
local levels. The index serves as an effective advocacy tool to promote human
development as priority concern in local planning resource allocation.

Table 5
Pathways Linking Early Child Development-Human Development-Millennium
Development Goals
Benefits of Education Health Social Equality MDG
ECD Capital Targeted
For Higher Less morbidity, Higher self Reduced Goals 1-
Children intelligence, mortality, concept, disadvantages 8
(Immediate) improved malnutrition, more of poverty,
practical stunting, child socially improved
reasoning, abuse, better adjusted, nutritional
eye/ hand hygiene, and less status,
coordination, health care aggressive, cognitive and
hearing and more social
speech, cooperative, development,
reading better and health
readiness, behavior in
improved groups,
school increased
performance, acceptance
less grade of
repetition instructions
and dropout,
increased
schooling

For Adults Higher Improved height Higher self- Equality of Goals 1-

(Long-term) productivity, and esteem, opportunity, 8
increased weight,enhanced improved education,
success cognitive social health, and
(better jobs, development, competence, income
higher less infections motivation,
incomes), and chronic acceptance
improved diseases of norms
child care and values,
and family less
health, delinquency
greater and criminal
economic behavior
well-being
For Society Greater Higher Improved Reduced Goals 1-
social productivity, less utilization of poverty and 8
cohesion, absenteeism, social crime, better
less poverty higher incomes capital, societal
and crime, enhanced health,
lower fertility social values increased
rates, social justice,
increased higher
 adoption of sustainable
new economic
technologies, growth
improved
democratic
process,
higher
economic
growth

The Quality of Life Index and Human Development

As discussed in Lesson 1 of Module II, development is about people and the kind
of life they live. How people live is an important factor in measuring the quality of
development they have through the services provided for them by government. To
extend this understanding further, economic growth is dependent upon human
development. The main guidelines of the QLI survey instrument—under-five nutrition,
attended births, and the elementary cohort survival rate are classified within the
services provided that affect early child development (ECD)3, which is a vital factor to
consider with total human development (HD). By looking at ECD benefits for children,
adults, and society these can be better understood and measured with the QLI. Since
people are the center point of the MDGs it is crucial to understand how services
provided affect the kind and rate of development at the earliest stages of life.

The table below summarizes the benefits of ECD --- better education, improved
health, increased social capital, and greater equality. All of these outcomes are of value
in themselves, and the benefits are immediately tangible at the time of intervention
during the child’s early years. ECD programs are most often justified by the immediate
benefits to a child’s social and cognitive development, health, and nutritional status.
These outcomes have positive, long-term consequences for the children as they mature
into adults and for the nation as a whole. Except for education, in the case of the
Philippines, government officials and policy makers often ignore these long-term
benefits. Thus, there is now a clear link between ECD and HD that also relates to the
MDGs.

Education, health, social capital, and equality are important contributors to

economic growth. Together with economic growth, they constitute the mutually
reinforcing elements of a comprehensive framework for HD. Well-executed and well-
targeted ECD programs are initiators of HD. They stimulate the benefits of ECD that

3
The concepts of Early Child Development (ECD) used in this module are those found in the book of Mary E.
Young, ed. From Early Child Development to Human Development. The World Bank, Washington, D.C., 2002.
have immediate and long-term benefits for the children participating in the programs.
Investments in ECD programs are, in many ways, investments in the future of a nation.

Table 6
Links of Early Child Development (ECD) to Human and Economic Development

ECD Programs (QLI indicators)

Nutrition
Health
Education

Education Health Social Capital Equality

Attainment of the MDGs 1-8

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Economic Growth

A. Guidelines for Survey Instrument

Three component indicators will be used to generate the QLI, namely:

 1.) Under-five nutrition
2.) Attended births
3.) Elementary cohort survival rate

A five to ten-year time series of the index will be generated using 1990 as the
base year. This is to establish the benchmark for 1990 which has been agreed upon as
the reference year for the MDGs. At the municipal level, health statistics are available
usually with breakdown by barangays. For education, the breakdown is not necessarily
by barangays, but by school. In this case, there is a need to identify the barangays
where schools are located. It is also unlikely that the data will go back to 1990. In this
case data will be gathered based on the available years.

To simplify the historical trending, QLI will be generated at five-year intervals and
for the last two years, thus—1990, 1995, 2000, and 2001. Therefore, it is not necessary
to fill up the grid for all the years indicated. Concerned agencies may have already
computed the required indicators. In such cases, there is no need to fill up the grid for
raw data as long as the computational procedure is clear and consistent with the QLI
computational procedure.

B. Data Source and Computational Procedure

Under-Five Nutrition
Source of Data: Provincial Health Office/Municipal Health Office of Rural Health Unit

Raw Data Format: The data on nutrition are based on weight for age standard for
Filipino children. The system categorizes under-five children according to the following:

Number Per Cent of Total

Normal (NO)
Mildly Malnourished (MI)
Moderately Malnourished
(MO)
Severely Malnourished
(SE)
Overweight (OW)

Rate of Malnutrition = __ MO + SE__________

Total Under-Five Children Weighed

Nutrition Index = 1-Rate of Malnutrition

Attended Births
Source of Data: Provincial Health Office / Municipal Health Office of Rural Health Unit
Raw Data Format: The data on attended birth categorize deliveries by type of health
personnel assisting, thus:

Number Percent of Total

Doctors
Nurses
Midwives
Trained Hilot
Untrained Hilot
Not Specified

Safe Reproduction Index = No. of Deliveries Assisted by Doctors, Nurses, & Midwives
Total Live Births – Not Specified

Elementary Cohort Survival Rate

Source of Data: DepEd Division; District Supervisor or High School Principal.

• Cohort survival rate based on the number of children who entered Grade
One and survived up to Grade Six after the prescribed number of years.

Cohort Survival Rate = Number of entrants in Grade One (base year)_

Number surviving to Grade Six (base year + 5)

C. Computing the QLI

The QLI for a particular LGU is obtained by taking the simple average of the
three component indices: the Nutrition Index, the Safe Reproduction Index, and the
Elementary Cohort Survival Rate. Results are to be compared to other QLI in regions as
well as the national figures. The closer the figure is to 1.00, the higher the QLI4.

QLI = 1/3 (I1 + I2 + I3)

Where, I1 = Nutrition Index

I2 = Safe Reproduction Index
I3 = Elementary Cohort Survival Rate

Monitoring and evaluation offer valuable learning opportunities that can be used
to strengthen stakeholder accountability5. The QLI is actually a rights-based evaluation
4
Please refer to the Reader Volume, Statistical Annex Table A18 and A19, to compare Provincial QLI figures all
over the country.
5
The aforementioned concepts on monitoring on page 57 was taken for the PowerPoint presentation of Atty. Anita
M. Chauhan, PhD delivered on July 15, 2005 during the ASPAP conference held at NCPAG, UP Diliman. Its link
to QLI was provided by the module writer.
that is not just a technical exercise in data collection and analysis. It is a dialogue and a
democratic process to learn from each other, to strengthen accountability and to shift
power from duty bearers to rights holders.

In using monitoring and evaluation tools to strengthen accountability, it is

important to involve all relevant stakeholder groups (e.g., children, adults, community
leaders, government officials) in the process. Stakeholders need to have real
opportunities to influence the judgments reached. Their priorities and experiences
should have an equal part in the process. Stakeholder involvement is not optional. It is
the responsibility of a rights-based organization towards its stakeholders.

Also important to remember is that every human right article represents a broad
minimum standard that generally cannot be measured with just one single indicator.
Human rights are also interdependent and interconnected. Changes in people’s lives
are brought about as a result of changes in government policies, legislation and
programs, institutional practices and of changes in individual attitudes and behaviors. It
generally takes a long time for changes in policies and practices to translate into
measurable changes in the lives of children and adults. This is one of the major
reasons why the QLI is used, looking at how it can tell about services that affect early
child development which in turn can affect further needs of people as grow older within
the context of the MDGs.

Evaluation

Essay

1.) How does the use of the QLI serve as a measuring tool for social development?
2.) How and why do ECD programs lead to the attainment of the 8 MDGs?
3.) What rights are being reflected and what MDG is targeted upon using the QLI as
a measuring tool for social development?
4.) What are the factors that permitted a high or low QLI in the area of your study?
Explain each.

Material Output

1.) Print out of Action/Resource plan of case study one and two to be submitted to
the faculty in charge.
 2.) Student-sponsored forum on the nature and scope of the MDGs to be held at the
chosen LGU and attended by its officials.
3.) Submission to local officials of the assessments of the LGU development plan in
the context of the MDGs.
4.) Submission to the LGU of the findings of the state and condition of social
conditions reflected and related to the QLI.

• Note to the faculty: these suggested case studies may be modified to fit certain
logistical limitations in certain LGU areas. However, it is crucial that the main
essence the activity be maintained, that is --- both the academe through its
students, and the LGU is providing a service for each other and that both are
expected to learn from the partnership experience for the promotion of good
governance that would result to community development.

Please refer to the interactive CD and the Reader Volume for

more discussion materials for each Module. It is important that
the faculty should familiarize themselves first with
these materials before using this learning tool.

References

Legaspi, Perla, Handbook on Local Government Unit and Schools of Public

Administration Partnership, National College of Public Administration and
Governance, University of the Philippines, unpublished material, 2005.
Social Watch Philippines. Tracking Progress Accomplishments and Shortfalls in
Local Social Development. 2003 Monitoring Report, Philippines, 2003.

Young, Mary E., ed. From Early Child Development to Human Development. The
World Bank, Washington, D.C., 2002.