Monday, April 2, 2012

Public private Partnership in Education Sector

Private investment in Education Sector ...... Should Nepal replicate the Indian model 

  •  In India- "The human resource development (HRD) ministry, which oversees education, has sought expressions of interest from companies in joining the public-private partnership (PPP) project to open 2,500 schools over the next five years.Private entities will procure the land, and design, develop, operate and manage the schools, the HRD ministry said in a document outlining the proposal. The government will offer a 25% infrastructure grant and the recurring cost of education for students sponsored by it." 
  • Of the private school population, about 7.1 million students pay less than Rs. 40,000 in annual fees, the firm said in a recent report.

Condition in NepalNepal has a poor record by international standards, but over the past decade significant progress has been made in terms of net primary school enrolment (81%[1]), and secondary education enrolment (46.6%[2]). However, the quality of education at the government-run schools has been discouraging. For example, in terms of SLC[3] examination 2004 results, the average passing rate for private schools students was 85% compared to 38% of students in public schools[4]. Similarly, while the majority of private schools had passing rates in the 80–100% range, less than 7% of public schools had such high passing rates.

Lack of quality education and educational reform in the public school system has drastically increased the demand for affordable private schools among the low income parents hoping for a better future for their children. The average monthly fee in the affordable private schools is usually under $16[1]. There are approximately 42,000 public schools and 11,000 private schools currently operating in Nepal. While the affordable private schools expand over time, the growth is slow due to a lack of available capital – expansion is only fuelled by the reinvestment of school profits.


[1] Does PRIVATE SCHOOL COMPETITION IMPROVE PUBLIC SCHOOLPERFORMANCE?,Thapa,2011


[1] Nepal Country Overview, World Bank,2011
[2] UNESCO Country program Document,2011
[3]  School Leaving Certification (SLC) is a standardized test and equivalent to 10th grade final examination, and the exam is administered by the government of Nepal every Year.
[4]  Does PRIVATE SCHOOL COMPETITION IMPROVE PUBLIC SCHOOLPERFORMANCE?,Thapa,2011

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