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UK qualification suppliers in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe

Liberalisation allows foreign qualification suppliers to operate in states from which they were previously excluded. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have both attempted a process of economic liberalisation, but with varying results. Do UK-based qualification suppliers operate in the same way across these two countries or vary their operations in response to the local context?

This study by the Institute of Education at the University of London, in the UK, examines the role of foreign qualification suppliers in the trade in education and qualifications in two countries – Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It compares the behaviour of seven UK-based qualification suppliers in the two contrasting contexts to determine whether they operate in similar or different ways.

National economic development policies could encourage an environment that is favourable to foreign private trade in education and qualifications. This is true even if the setting up of private schools and universities is legally prevented or discouraged by national education policies.

In Sri Lanka, for example, education is becoming increasingly international, despite national education policy to the contrary. This is due to the relaxing of foreign currency restrictions and greater foreign investment as a result of economic liberalisation. The country is experiencing a high social demand for foreign qualifications at a time when there is little policy coordination between the education and economic development authorities.

The research demonstrates how suppliers operate globally but act locally in response to local conditions. More specifically, it finds that:

Economic liberalisation and growth in Sri Lanka since the 1970s has led to the decentralisation of the supply of, and demand for, qualifications.
Qualifications at the school level in Zimbabwe have been localised, while the country has seen a decline in economic growth and structural adjustment.
UK suppliers reported different interactions with their consumers due to these differences.

Factors that influence the interaction between UK qualification suppliers, their perceptions of local markets and their students’ needs and ambitions are:

the availability of foreign exchange
legal frameworks and constraints
the country’s technological and economic development
external political relationships
the availability of alternative qualifications and course delivery systems
local, national and foreign labour market opportunities
the ‘brain drain’ in Zimbabwe, due to the political and economic situation.

These findings have implications globally for research into education and qualifications:

The demand for, and supply of, foreign qualifications is produced by a mix of external and internal factors.
Foreign education suppliers offering more than just examinations and qualifications – for example pedagogic activities – are more inclined to adapt to national and local contexts; foreign education suppliers focused on assessment, examinations and qualifications are more likely to operate in a standardised way across contexts.
Some of the activities of these suppliers may be standard across contexts (such as textbooks), and other activities may vary greatly (such as the type of delivery).

Source(s):
‘The Role of UK Qualification Suppliers in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe: A Comparative Evaluation’, International Journal of Educational Development 27, pages 525 to 541, by J Evans and A W Little, 2007

Funded by: The UK Department for International Development (DFID)

id21 Research Highlight: 28 August 2008

Further Information:
Angela W Little
Department of Education and International Development
Institute of Education
University of London
20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL
UK

Tel: +44 20 76126623
Fax: +44 20 76126632
Contact the contributor: a.little@ioe.ac.uk

Department of Education and International Development, Institute of Education, University of London, UK

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