Which Factors Fueled the Growth of Public Schools and Transformed American Public Education?

In Kathmandu, Nepal, 78% of schools are private, and 70% of children attend private schools. Photo © Simona Cerrato/Flickr

In Nepal, non-state schools make up about 19% of the education provision. For Pramod Bhatta, a lecturer of sociology at the Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, the private sector's rising influence is a cause for concern.

Why are more children in Southeast Asia attending private schools?

"In some areas of the country that have seen rapid population growth, there have been no new state schools established in the last ten years," he said. "This means that whatever new population is migrating there, they are going to attend private schools."

"In Nepal, one's socio-economic status is closely associated with which type of school one goes to."

Bhatta is sceptical of the argument that these private schools cater to families from all socio-economic groups.

His research found that while more than 65% of children from the richest 20% of the population go to private schools, only 6% from the poorest quintile do so as well.

"In Nepal, one's socio-economic status is closely associated with which type of school one goes to," he said.

Bhatta's research also shows that private schools consistently outperform their public counterparts in annual board examinations, such as the school-leaving certificate examinations.

Nepal has achieved near-universal access to education, but quality of state education has not stayed on par, said David Archer. Photo © World Bank

Combined with the fact that private schools cater to children from more affluent backgrounds, the risk is that students from public and private schools will never meet. This, Bhatta said, is "an even bigger concern for greater social harmonisation and integration of the country".

What is the socio-economic impact of the growth in private education?

In terms of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Nepalese government has increased public access, with an impressive 97% enrolment in primary education.

Nevertheless, this has resulted in the decline of quality of state education, mainly due to the lack of adequate public investment.

As a result, Bhatta added, the public system has become overloaded, and standards have dropped, so parents who can afford it move their children into the private system.

There have been attempts to raise education levels through, for example, the Education Amendment Act in 2016 and Education Regulations, which cover both the state and private sector. These regulations stipulate the curriculum, text books, teachers' pay and conditions, and general norms and standards.

What can happen if the private education sector outgrows the public one?

However, Bhatta said, such regulations are difficult to enforce on the private sector.

"When the private sector becomes bigger in size, it also risks becoming too powerful."

"When the private sector becomes bigger in size, it also risks becoming too powerful," he said.

"We have seen that in the case of Nepal, where private schools have become increasingly organised, interest groups establish and push for certain arrangements, like the stripping of fee ceilings."

Bhatta is wary of the increasing role of the private sector, but he realises it is there to stay. He said that while regulatory oversight is crucial, the government should not attempt to remove private schools altogether.

"These regulatory mechanisms need to act as filter between schools that are doing well and schools that are doing completely unrelated things in the name of education," he said.

Which Factors Fueled the Growth of Public Schools and Transformed American Public Education?

Source: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/articles/debate-over-private-and-public-provisions-education

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