Don’t let private interests derail the global education goal

2015 was quite a year for education policy: adoption by the United Nations of Sustainable Development Goals that included a stand-alone education goal and a framework for action aimed at turning promises to practices, an achievement by the international education community that was years in the making.

However, the privatization agenda being pursued in many countries and across all sectors of education poses serious challenges to the critical goal of “inclusive and equitable quality education… for all”.

Kishore Singh, the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to education, said recently: “I urge governments to refrain from privatizing education to meet these new goals if the education is not free to students, or if it increases inequality in society… The rapid rise of private providers, often unregulated and privileging the wealthy, must be replaced by efforts which reduce inequality and expand opportunities of good quality public education without exclusion.”

Given the size and political reach of the corporate world, there is a well-founded concern that governments may seek to open the door to private companies to allow, facilitate, and in some cases encourage the commercialization and privatization of education. While some argue this is a quick and easy way to achieving the education goals, it instead undermines them from the start.

For example, allowing the introduction and expansion of so called “low-cost” for-profit private schools and corporate-backed and owned school chains as we are seeing across the developing world simply rewrites the goal. Anything other than free quality education for all undermines inclusive and equitable schooling as any price put on it serves as a barrier for the poorest and most disadvantaged.

Corporate chains contribute to a deepening inequality and segregation in schooling and learning outcomes.

They also undermine the right of every child to a qualified teacher. In an attempt to maximize profits, corporate often chains employ fewer teachers, underqualified teachers and/or unqualified staff. The employment of unqualified staff earning a fraction of a teacher salary is central to the business plan of many corporate chains, as is the delivery of a standardized scripted curriculum that often shows little if any respect for inclusive education and cultural and linguistic diversity. This does not constitute quality teaching and learning.

With respect to the provision of appropriate and safe facilities conducive to quality teaching and learning, too often corporate actors fail to provide proper school facilities.

Before the promises give way to these pressures, governments need to implement laws that ensure the achievement of the goals; specifically Sustainable Development Goal 4: “inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

Governments must:

• protect and promote the principle of access and equity for all students through the provision of quality public education

• recognize the professional judgement of teachers and educators in questions of pedagogy and on matters of curriculum, assessment and reporting, and respect their professional institutions, including unions;

• legislate against for-profit schooling particularly when non-state actors are in receipt of government funding intended for the educational well-being of students.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, where non-state actors provide schooling, theywould be required to:

• adhere to strict financial requirements, including independent auditing and regulations to monitor how government funds are spent.

• demonstrate transactions made for goods and services are directly required for delivery of education are at reasonable market value.

The profit motive has no place in dictating what is taught, how it’s taught and assessed, nor how our schools are organized. In such a world, the global goal agreed to just months ago is at risk, with students, families, teachers and quality education the losers.

What was accomplished in 2015 represents an important step toward the achievement of quality education for all, but now is the time for clear political will and financial commitment to make it a reality. Let’s not squander it to profiteers.