Private education and

nation building

E D U C A T I O N A N D D E VE L O P M EN T

L e c t u r e 11 PLG515 10 October 2012

 Contents

1. Privatisation of education

2. Types of private schools

3. Models of private education

4. Criticism of private education

5. Private education in Malaysia

6. Private higher education in Malaysia

 1. Privatisation of education

 Private schools: schools not managed by public authorities

 General pattern: the higher school level, the bigger private sector
 A global wave of privatisation since the 1980s:
 Economic and social pressures
 Budgetary constraints
 Excess demand
 Expansion of secondary/tertiary education
 Population growth
 Pressures from minorities
 When certain groups lose out in the national educational system, they would
resort to the private sector to continue their struggle to protect and preserve
their culture
 Ideological preferences
 Neoliberal ideology
 1st: Britain – Margaret Thatcher
 2. Types of private schools

 Source: Husen’s classification

1. Academically selective schools

 For high-achiever students
 May provide upward mobility to intelligent but low-SES students
 Criticism: comprehensive education theory

2. Socially selective schools

 Selection by location, fees or admission criteria
 Facilitate the reproduction of elite groups
 Some public schools also have covert elite functions
 2. Types of private schools

3. Schools of commitment
 Religious or ethnic schools
 Aimed at the socialisation of children according to the values and beliefs of
the sponsoring community
 Governments tend to subsidise this type

4. Community schools
 Open to all children in a particular neighbourhood
 Equality, tolerance, social cohesion
 Deemed to be an agent of social reform
 More prevalent in the public sector
 2. Types of private schools

5. Alternative schools
 Represent some educational or social philosophy
 Child centered education

6. Market schools
 For-profit ventures
 Mostly specialist or vocational schools which train for some particular jobs

7. Charity schools
 Education for poor or handicapped children
 The state tends to take over these schools from their founder organisations
 3. Models of private education

Source: Geiger’s model on private higher education

1. Mass private sector

 Restricted size of public sector
 Selective admission in public schools
 Mass provision of private instruction
 Relatively low standard of private institutions
 nation-wide inflation of educational credentials
 Institutional hierarchy
 few prestigious and expensive institutions and many low-quality and less
expensive ones
 inequality of opportunity
 Examples: Japan, Philippines
 3. Models of private education

2. Parallel public and private sectors

 Private schools are equal parts of the system
 Recognition and accreditation
 Full government funding
 Government control
 The quality of private education is in par with the public system
 Equal opportunity for all
 A potential solution for multicultural, multiethnic or multireligious societies
 Examples: Netherlands, Chile
 3. Models of private education

3. Peripheral private sector

 The public sector aims to provide the full range of education
 Education is mostly a state monopoly
 No recognition and financial support from the state
 Private schools fill the gaps: those small-scale tasks neglected by the state system
 For survival, private schools must find a special clientele, so as to avoid
competition with the public sector
 Typical forms of private education
 Vocational education
 Commerce trainings
 Trainings provided by private industry
 Schools for certain groups of particular needs (disabled people, religious
groups etc.)
 Singular, high-prestige institutions with a long history of excellence
 Examples: France, Turkey
 4. Criticism of private education

 It is a smart move to privatise education…

 Autonomy from government control

 Direct accountability to the concerned parties

 Voting with feet
 Voucher funding

 Freedom of choice

 Cultural, religious and political pluralism

 Adaptability, experimentation, innovation

 Efficiency and excellence driven by competition

 Lower cost of providing education

(Levy)
 4. Criticism of private education

 …or is it?

 Lack of public control and coordination

 Cost-efficiency may mean lower quality

 Weakens national unity and social integration

 Violates national economic interests < lack of manpower-planning

 Increase in inequality < no freedom of choice for the poor

(Levy)
 4. Criticism of private education

 Controversial issues:

Upwards mobility for some >< Restricted mobility for others

Academic excellence >< The really problematic tasks left to the public sector

Nonprofit contribution >< Hidden profits, sale of credentials

Preservation of minority cultures >< Segregation of classis and subcultures

Inspiring learning environment for some >< Ghetto classrooms for others

High academic performance >< Decline in the overall quality of education

Higher effectiveness of private schools >< Not if the social background of students is
taken in account
 5. Private education in Malaysia

 Beginnings:
 small tuition centres
 independent Chinese schools
 typewriting schools

 1960s:
 After Independence: a very selective public education system
 High attrition rates between primary and secondary level
 Private schools provide a second chance for drop-outs

 1970s:
 Nearly universal secondary education
 The private sector shifts towards the post-secondary level
 Commercial and sub-professional courses
 5. Private education in Malaysia

 1980s:
 A rapid expansion of private education
 Especially at the post-secondary level
 Shift from elite to mass education
 Growing demand
 Use of English as a language of instruction
 Second chance for minority and weak students who were left out of public
universities
 Innovative forms and solutions

 1990 onwards:
 Parallel growth of public and private higher education
 By 2005, 30 % of the respective age cohort are enrolled in higher education
institutions
 6. Private higher education in Malaysia

 Innovative solutions
 Collaboration with foreign universities
 Twinned- or split-degree programmes
 Joint programmes

 Creation of integrated student career pathes

 Credit transfer programmes
 Advanced standing programmes

 Distance education
 External degree programmes
 Distance learning programmes
 6. Private higher education in Malaysia

 Dominance of foreign-linked programmes

 Foreign universities enjoy preference over local private schools in the
validation and accrediation procedure

 Focus on quantity rather than quality

 Parallel programmes with the public sector

 Similar quality of education as in public universities

 Little role in vocational and technical education

 This would be critical to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of
the Malaysian labour force
 6. Private higher education in Malaysia

 The role of the state

 Language of instruction, ethnic divide

 Government control over foundation and accreditaion

 Access, equity and quality

 Expansion or consolidation

 Import and export of education

Thank you for your kind attention