The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education

Foreword
Education is widely believed to be critical for any nation’s economic, political, and social
development. It is widely believed to help people escape from poverty and participate more
fully in society and in the market place. These are a few of the reasons why governments
around the world assume the responsibility for providing and financing education, especially
basic education. But this responsibility is a large and complex one for any government
to meet adequately, which is why it is important for governments to explore diverse ways of
financing and providing educational services.
This book presents the results of the first phase of a multi-year program to examine the
role of public-private partnerships in education. It focuses on contracting models at the primary
and secondary education levels. It reviews the conceptual underpinnings for why such
partnerships might contribute to achieving a country’s education goals, reviews empirical
evidence, and offers some guidelines for operations. The next phase of this agenda will
focus on international and multi-stakeholder partnerships, including philanthropic initiatives
on the one hand and for-profit activities on the other.
The book examines five ways through which public-private contracts can help countries
meet education goals. First, public-private partnerships can increase access to good quality
education for all, especially for poor children who live in remote, underserved communities
and for children in minority populations. Second, lessons for innovative means of financing
education can be particularly helpful in post-conflict countries undergoing reconstruction.
Third, lessons about what works in terms of public-private partnerships contribute to the
development of a more differentiated business model especially for middle-income countries.
Fourth, the challenge of meeting the education Millennium Development Goals in less
than a decade is a daunting one in the poorest countries. Understanding new partnership
arrangements within a broad international aid architecture in education can help bring us
closer to those goals. Fifth, some very innovative public-private partnership arrangements
are happening in Arab countries, and lessons can be drawn from their experience.
Evidence is emerging from evaluations of the impact of projects funded by the World
Bank, particularly with support from the Dutch government through the Bank-Netherlands
Partnership Program (BNPP) Trust Fund. These evaluations are expanding knowledge
about the benefits and the costs of these arrangements through rigorous analytical
strategies and unique data from investment projects. In education, the BNPP is supporting
evaluations in Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, and the Philippines of initiatives aimed at reducing
service provider absenteeism; giving financial and technical support to the expansion of
private schooling for the poor; and funding school facilities, new education technologies,
and parental participation. Although much is being learned from these ongoing evaluations,
they are also raising more and deeper questions, helping policymakers and the
development community to explore various ways to meet shared education goals.
Delivered by The World Bank e-library to:
Elizabeth M. King unknown
IP : 192.86.100.35
Director, Education Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:16:23
Human Development Network
The World Bank
ix
(c) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank