Public–private mix in the provision of higher education in East Africa: stakeholders' perceptions

Abstract

Arguments in the international literature suggest that public–private partnership (PPP) can positively transform [higher] education as it leads to increased access, competition, efficiency and quality. But there are those who disagree and question whether PPP can deliver any one or all of these. This article does two things. First, it presents a discussion on higher education in three East African countries with a common history in the establishment of higher education, mapping their emerging PPP pattern on to the global patterns of public–private differentiation. Second, it analyses perceptions by key stakeholders: university students, lecturers and administrators on East Africa's experience with public–private mix in higher education based on theories of public–private differentiation.

Keywords:

• East Africa
• higher education
• privatization
• public–private mix
• university education
• education finance

Acknowledgements

This study was made possible by a small grant from the British Academy. The paper benefited from useful comments of two anonymous reviewers, but the author solely bears responsibility for the ideas. The ideas in this paper are not in any way shared by the funding agency.

Notes

1. Since the 1990s public universities in Uganda and Kenya have enrolled two groups of students. One group is fully sponsored by the government based on merit. Hence they pay no fees; and the other group privately pays the full cost of their university education. This has resulted in a dual‐track system, called the parallel programme.

2. Unlike Kenya's and Uganda's state universities that have parallel students, Tanzania's state university students are still funded by the government and there are no parallel programmes as yet.