The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education

spotlight
Spotlight on Education for All in Africa
In Africa, a region in which the challenge to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is dire, a dynamic private sector has
expanded the access to and quality of education through a variety of public-private partnerships.
In many countries, the private sector
plays an important role in the
provision of basic education. Traditionally,
most nongovernment schools
have been faith-based and community-managed
schools catering to children
from low-income backgrounds,
and in some cases, these schools have
received public funds. Such is the case
in Burkina Faso, where the government
funds Catholic and secular private
schools, which enroll 35 percent
of all secondary school students. Some
countries use contracts to outline the
respective responsibilities of the public
and private sectors in the provision
of education, as in Côte d’Ivoire and
Uganda.
A worldwide commitment to ensuring
universal coverage of basic education
has led to public resources being
concentrated at the primary level. The
increasing flows of students completing
primary education resulted in competition
for limited places in high-quality
public or private-aided secondary
schools in many countries, thus giving
an advantage to academically superior
students. In Kenya, for instance, the
transition rate from the primary level
to public secondary schools was 57 percent
with completion rates of only 79
percent. This excess demand for highquality
secondary education resulted
in a growth in the creation of lowcost
private schools in many countries
including Benin and Nigeria. In Lagos,
it is estimated that in 2006, 36 percent
of total enrollments were in private
schools, and these figures may even be
an underestimate given the increase
in the number of private unregistered
schools. In Benin, enrollment rates in
private primary and secondary schools
increased from 8 to 25 percent between
1990 and 2005.
Increased private sector participation
in the provision of education
helps governments to absorb student
demand. Public perceptions of poor
quality education at public schools at
all levels are driving the expansion of
private schooling. Many of these new
private schools cater to low-income
families, are for-profit, and charge
low fees. The new private providers
are aiming to offer a more conducive
learning environment than the public
schools provide, sometimes with lower
pupil-teacher ratios, better infrastructure,
and more motivated and accountable
teachers. It is estimated that across
Africa, 10 percent of students attend
nonstate schools and that between
1991 and 2003, the number of private
primary schools increased by 113
percent.
Governments are increasingly
acknowledging the role that private
education plays in improving education
quality and widening access. Many
of them are devising ways to strengthen
the capacity of private schools to deliver
high-quality education (for example,
by facilitating loans to private schools
to improve school infrastructure as in
Mauritius and Ghana) and to ensure
greater coverage for poor students and
developing appropriate regulations to
govern the operation of private schools.
However, governments still face the
challenge of putting in place favorable
regulatory environments. It will be crucial
for governments to establish clear
guidelines for the creation of private
schools; set up quality assurance and
monitoring processes, and incentive
structures; and ensure the free flow of
information to parents about their education
options.
Sources: IFC 2006; World Bank 2008; UNESCO
2007; Fielden and LaRocque 2008; Verspoor
2008; Lewin and Sayed 2005.
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