A New Dynamic: Private Higher Education

Introduction1IntroductionSvava BjarnasonThe 2009 World Conference on Higher Education is an opportunity to reflect onissues and trends that have emerged since the World Conference in 1998, as well asto look forward to examine how the landscape might continue to evolve. A decadeago, the topic of private, or non-government, higher education 1 was not addressedand yet over that period provision in this sector has expanded exponentially in manycountries. This report provides a brief overview of private/non-government highereducation in 2009 and examines some of the main themes relating to the provisionof private higher education (PHE). It is not meant to be an exhaustive exploration ofthe topic, nor is it meant to advocate for private provision to replace public education.It is meant to provide a balanced contribution to the dialogue that examines the roleof private/non-government higher education in meeting the need for increased accessto quality education provision.The success of the Millennium Development Goals in education has created anunprecedented demand for post-secondary education. Governments have investedheavily in early childhood and secondary education, resulting in a bulge of qualifiedlearners and frequently inadequate provision available to meet demand. Demand forplaces in higher education far outstrips supply of available seats globally. In manyemerging economies the demand can be 20 to 50 per cent higher than placesavailable in public institutions. It is predicted that the demand for higher education1 The definition of private/non-government education is explored in detail in Chapter 1 and includesfaith-based provision as well as for-profit and not-for-profit provision.1