EQUIPO DE ÓSMOSIS INVERSA

governments is

to develop

publicly financed

and operated

primary schooling

of good quality

for all children

R A I S I N G Q U A L I T Y A N D S T R E N G T H E N I N G E Q U I T Y : W H Y G O V E R N A N C E M AT T E R S

C h o i c e , c o m p e t i t i o n a n d v o i c e : s c h o o l g o v e r n a n c e r e f o r m a n d E FA

Box 3.12: In Pakistan, a questionable public-private partnership The Government of Pakistan, with support of aid donors,

has made public-private partnerships the ‘anchor’ of its strategy to address the challenges of education access, quality and equity. A 2004 policy paper spelled out the premise underpinning the current policy framework: ‘Government has officially recognized that the public sector on its own lacks all the necessary resources and expertise to effectively address and rectify low education indicators.’

Low-fee private schools figure prominently in this strategy. Such schools are expanding rapidly in parts of Pakistan. Coverage is variable: there are more of the schools in the relatively prosperous Punjab province (where enrolment is already higher) than in rural Sindh or Balochistan, which have the lowest enrolment rates overall and particularly wide gender gaps (Figure 3.7). Although equity concerns have figured in the design of public-private partnerships, experience in Punjab illustrates just how difficult it can be to achieve more equitable outcomes.

The Punjab Education Foundation has been running two different but overlapping public-private partnership models. Under an education voucher programme for selected slums, parents can use state funding for entry to low-fee private schools. Meanwhile, a Foundation Assisted Schools programme provides a per-child subsidy for children enrolled directly in private schools in selected high-priority areas. While there is some initial evidence of positive influence on enrolment and learning outcomes, serious problems have been identified:

Fragmented authority and inequality of financing. Responsibility for running public-private partnerships rests not within the Ministry of Education but with

semi-autonomous education foundations that depend on their ability to raise external funds. Provinces such as the Punjab that are already in a stronger position in terms of education can benefit more because they have the possibility to recruit qualified staff, have more potential NGO and private sector partners, and are a priority client for most donors.

Financial sustainability. Public-private partnership

models have been an important component of

education-sector World Bank loans in Punjab and Sindh. Their continuation and expansion is contingent on sustained donor support, as the Ministry of Education has so far not decided to mainstream the models. That support cannot be taken for granted.

Limited scope.Notwithstanding the international

attention Pakistan’s public-private partnership programme is receiving as a potential model for other countries to follow, the school voucher programme reaches only 10,000 students and the Foundation Assisted Schools programme only 50,000 (Punjab Education Foundation, 2008). This is in a country with 2.7 million boys and 4.1 million girls out of school. Whatever the course of public-private partnership projects, the majority of children from poor households in Pakistan rely on government provision — and will continue to do so. Reaching children who are not in school will require expansion of the public education system, with a far stronger focus on wealth, gender and regional inequalities. Chronic underfinancing of education is an immediate problem, with just 2.7% of GNP (12% of total government expenditure) allocated to education.

Sources:Andarabi et al. (2006, 2008); Aslam (2007); Bano (2008).

Gross enrolment ratios (%)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Urban

Balochistan NWFP1 _{Punjab Sindh}

Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural

Male Female

Figure 3.7: Primary gross enrolment ratios in Pakistan by location and gender, 2004/2005

1. North West Frontier Province.

0

0

2

Education for All Global Monitoring Report

C H A P T E R 3

Conclusion

Governance reform in school management has been widely cited as a positive force promoting a wide range of important goals in basic education, including improved quality and enhanced equity. Strengthened choice, competition between schools, devolved authority and increased public

participation have all been identified as drivers of more accountable education provision. Disadvantaged households are commonly presented as first among equals in the list of beneficiaries.

Evidence presented in this section calls into question some of the more optimistic assessments of school governance reform, particularly with regard to the ability to promote free, good-quality, equitable education for all citizens. Increasing accountability and participation are important ends in themselves in the design of education policy. But devolving authority to schools does not automatically confer increased voice in school management on parents or communities, especially if they are poor and marginalized. Similarly, while choice and competition between providers may

have the potential to play a role in improving education quality, there is little evidence of that potential being realized on a significant scale. For marginalized, vulnerable and impoverished households, choice remains highly constrained – and access to basic education remains contingent on public education provision. The rapid emergence of low-fee private schools may be a response to real demand, but there is little evidence to suggest that low-fee providers offer a genuine choice of affordable, accessible, quality education. All this points to a strong case for governments to focus their energies and resources on public provision of quality basic education for everyone. Private finance and private providers have a role to play, and governments need to ensure that they are integrated into properly managed national strategies. However, transferring responsibility to schools, parents, communities and private providers will not address the underlying problems faced by education systems in providing equitable opportunities for quality education. These will only be revealed through governance systems that combine strong institutional arrangements with a commitment to equity.

For marginalized,

vulnerable

and impoverished

households,

choice remains

highly constrained

R A I S I N G Q U A L I T Y A N D S T R E N G T H E N I N G E Q U I T Y : W H Y G O V E R N A N C E M AT T E R S

Strengthening teacher