This presentation provides an overview of the global trend towards privatisation in education, and an analysis of the many different drivers and models.

1. PRIVATISATION OF EDUCATION:
GLOBAL TRENDS, MULTIPLE
MANIFESTATIONS AND COMMON
CONCERNS
ANTONI VERGER

2. Education
Privatization
Pure
privatization
Public-private
mixes

3. PURE PRIVATIZATION:
LOW-FEE PRIVATE SCHOOLS
• “Private school that has been set up and is owned by an
individual or group of individuals for the purpose of making
profit, and are supposed to be ‘affordable’” (adapted from
Phillipson 2008)
• Countries: India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi,
Perú
• Growing phenomenon: “In Punjab, Pakistan’s urban areas 67%
of students attend low-cost private schools. In Accra, Ghana it
is 64% and in Lagos, Nigeria it is 70%” (Pearson Inc)
• From an esponatenous to a celebrated and promoted
phenomenon.

4. WHO IS PROMOTING LOW-FEE
PRIVATE SCHOOLS?
Aid
Agencie
s
Int’l
organiza
tions
Internati
onal
Funds
Micro-
financing
initiative
s
Foundati
ons

5. REASONS
- “LFPSs are inherently better than governmental
schools”
- “They are affordable”
- “Provide with choice opportunities to the poor”
- “They are a cost-effective way to advance
education for all”
- “Teachers are more committed in LFPs”
- “Profit goals are compatible with more noble
goals like education for all”

6. From individual village entrepreneurs to international chains

8. WARNINGS & QUESTIONS
1. ‘Choice’ or lack of/inappropriate public education offer?
2. Are LFPs growing because the public sector does not recognize
sufficiently linguistic or religious minorities?
3. Are LFP schools really ‘affordable’ for the poor?
4. What happens to kids that cannot pay the daily fee?
5. Are LFP schools aggravating gender inequalities?
6. What its the quality/level of accountability and participation in
LFP schools?
7. What are the career prospects for teachers that are so badly
paid and not trained (“trained in-house”)?
8. Is profit-generation legitimate in education systems with scarce
resources?

9. Education
Privatization
Pure
privatization
Public-private
mixes

10. THE CASE OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS
•Contract between the public and the private
sector: public sector buys a service to the private
sector for a certain period of time at a certain price
(and according to results)
Objectives
•Cost-efficient way to provide ‘public’ education
•Promote competition between schools
•Promote innovation and diversification in the
education system

11. PPPS AS A ‘CONTINUUM’
Contracting out Charter
schools School
choice
& vouchers
• The
Netherland
s
• Belgium
• Spain
• Argentina
• US
• Colombia
• Chile
• UK

13. PPP REPORTS

14. SCHOOL CHOICE AND VOUCHERS

16. WARNINGS
• Choice is restricted by physical constrains and information
limitations
• To overcome information limitations, standardized
evaluations systems are created.
• Standardized evaluation conditions excessively teaching-
learning processes and contributes to standardization (not
diversification)
• Competition between schools provides incentives to
schools to choose the most favorable students > market
segmentation and segregation
• Addressing all these ‘market imperfections’ requires of
substantive public investment > Challenges the idea of
markets in education as a cost-efficient measure

17. Education
Privatization
Low-fee private
schools
PPPs