The involvement of private actors in education is not new yet in the last decade critical issues have arisen that demand close scrutiny. This volume explores emerging forms of the private through case studies from Africa, South Asia and South East Asia and makes three related observations.
First, what is new about these manifestations is their scale, scope and penetration into almost all aspects of the education endeavour – from the administrative apparatus to policymaking, and from formal provision in education settings to out-of-school activities, such as private tutoring. Second, what is particularly controversial about these developments is how education itself is being recast; as a sector it is increasingly being opened up to profit-making and trade, and to agenda-setting by private, commercial interests. Third, the learner is increasingly conceptualised as a consumer, and education a consumer good. The case studies therefore enable us to see more clearly how different forms of the private in education alter what is at stake, for whom, and with what outcomes, and the consequences for individuals and societies. In turn, these raise the very important question about what they mean for our conceptualisations of education, learning and teaching, on the one hand, and for education as a site and means for emancipation, on the other.
These are profound social justice concerns, and ones that make this volume distinctive. This book sets out to address these hard, but urgent, questions and will be of interest to academics and students of education, education researchers, government personnel and policymakers.

Contents

Ian Macpherson, Susan Robertson & Geoffrey Walford. An Introduction to Privatisation, Education and Social Justice

Caine Rolleston & Modupe Adefeso-Olateju. De facto Privatisation of Basic Education in Africa: a market response to government failure? A Comparative Study of the Cases of Ghana and Nigeria

Hamna Ahmed, Sahar Amjad & Masooma Habib. Private Schooling: determinants and implications for social justice in rural Punjab, Pakistan

Pramod Bhatta. Public Desire for Private Schooling in Nepal

Christine Sommers. Primary Education in Rural Bangladesh: degrees of access, choice and participation of the poorest

Govinda Subedi, Mandan Gopal Shrestha & Mukti Suvedi. Dimensions and Implications of Privatisation of Education in Nepal: the case of primary and secondary schools

Monazza Aslam & Paul Atherton. The Shadow Education Sector in India and Pakistan: opening Pandora’s Box

William C. Brehm & Iveta Silova. Ethical Dilemmas in the Education Marketplace: shadow education, political philosophy and social (in)justice in Cambodia

Prachi Srivastava & Claire Noronha. Early Private School Responses to India’s Right to Education Act: implications for equity

Ta Van Tuan. Socialisation Policy and Access of the Rural Poor to Education in Vietnam

Chona S. Sandoval & Cecilia V. Soriano. Education Service Contracting in the Philippines: assessing benefits for marginalised users

Francine Menashy, Karen Mundy & Momina Afridi. The Role of the World Bank in the Private Provision of Schooling in Pakistan

Curtis B. Riep. Omega Schools Franchise in Ghana: ‘affordable’ private education for the poor or for-profiteering?

Ian Macpherson. Interrogating the Private-School ‘Promise’ of Low-Fee Private Schools

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