Are public and private schools in Nepal competitors or partners?

What role should the private sector play in the achievement of Education for All? How can social and commercial concerns be reconciled? Currently, the public versus private school debate is restricted to measurable levels of efficiency and effectiveness. Research argues for a more critical and politically-engaged approach to understanding how private schools contribute to learning and livelihoods.

A study by the Open University in the UK uses the case study of Nepal toexplore thecontested nature of private education provision. The history of schooling inNepal is one of continual changes in how state and non-state educationproviders are judged. The expansion of public and private schooling since 1990has provided opportunities, but has also reinforced inequalities.

Attendingschool does not necessarily ensure status and employment. Instead, the prestigeof the institution attended becomes the mark of social distinction. As a resultof pressure from the Communist Party of Nepal, relations between the state andprivate schools have developed as an area of political concern.

Thecontent and management of schooling (and the outcomes and livelihoodopportunities it can lead to) are more contested than international policysuggests. The situation in Nepal is a clear demonstration of this:

• Focusing on regulation and fees does not address issues of lowperformance in student examinations, or the unmet aspirations of the majorityof children and their parents.
• While school principals claim that they are engaging with the needs ofpoor families, rather then simply catering to elite groups, they still have toconsider being profitable in the marketplace.
• Debates revolve around the effectiveness and efficiency of private andgovernment schools on the basis of completion rates and examination results.
• The broader issues of school curriculum and the purpose of education,raised in popular and political debate, remain unaddressed.
• There is increasing discussion of partnerships betweenthe state and the private sector. However, this masks contentious issues suchas the role ofthe state as both the lead sector and as the enforcer of regulations.

TheNepal case study highlights concerns that must be addressed to develop a deeperunderstanding of the private school sector. This is essential to developrelations between the government and private sectors in the pursuit of Education For All. There is a need to:

• develop the framework on whichinternational policies on private education are based. This should include agreater range and depth of case study material as well as debates around theissues.
• look beyond the sector, and the development ofregulatory frameworks, in order to understand the social, political andcultural significance of private schooling.
• understand the diversity of interests of different groups (pupils,parents and private school directors) as well as the choices they make inrelation to the broader educational and political context.
• put the relationship between state and private sectorat the centre of discussions, rather than each sector being treated inisolation.