South Asian Forum for Education Development (SAFED)

Right to Education

Seminar: Trends in Privatization of Education and Shadow Schooling in Pakistan

The South Asian Forum for Education Development (SAFED) and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) prepared the series of seminars devoted to the Article 25A, Right to education.

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SAFED has just submitted an Expression of Interest for an OSI and PERI funded initiative for 'Investigating Dimensions of the Privatization of Public Education in South Asia'

Observers agree that private provision and the privatizing of education services not only looks different in different regions and countries of the world, but that these services are shaped by a different set of dynamics between the global and the local, and between the state, economy, civil society and religious organizations. For this reason, this expression has invited proposals for research on the privatization of education or private provision of education that are focused on one or more countries in the following regions: Africa, East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia.

Regional and comparative studies between countries within and across regions was also welcome. This expression has a broad understanding of the term 'private' ranging from schools run by local entrepreneurs, NGOs, local community provision to madrassas. Expressions were to address one or more aspects of the coordination (or governance) of education services in the formal (schooling) and/or the informal (shadow schooling, home tutoring) sector. PERI views the governance of education as involving the aspects of:

(i) funding;

(ii) provision;

(iii) infrastructure and ownership;

(iv) regulation.

For instance, what is the role of the private sector in developing new education infrastructures? What is the relationship between the state and the private sector in these arrangements, and how is each influenced or shaped by the other?