Contradictions and compromises on the ground: Unpacking the educational ‘Performance Commitments’ in Peru

This research aims to unpack how the ‘Performance Commitments’ policy challenges the roles of implementation of three types of agents, mid-level officials, principals and teachers through the lived experiences in Lima, Peru. The main question of the research is how these policy actors navigate the demands of their roles under the ‘Performance Commitments’ policy related to the student retention rate and the delivery of education materials within the framework of New Public Management? Through the lens of collaboration and relational work and sing qualitative methods such as semi-conducted interviews and classroom observations, I have presented the understanding of the roles from the perspective of the people on the ground, challenges and dilemmas trying to meet the performance targets, and the ways they cope with these problems. The findings unveil how the New Public Management sets expectations and managerial roles that end up undermining the ethical commitments, care and agency of the practitioners on the ground, creating more layers of bureaucracy.