Deadline- 6th August 2012
Countries/Region- Africa
Papers are invited by The Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the Privatisation in Education Research Initiative (PERI) for Africa regional conference on Globalization, Regionalization and Privatization in and of Education in Africa.
Privatisation in and of education in Africa is occurring at a rapid pace. Non-state provision (NSP) of education is delivered by a mix of community, NGO, faith-based, philanthropic and private providers and takes a myriad of forms including low-fee private schools, for-profit private schools, community schools, education public-private partnerships, private tutoring, and religious schooling through madrasas and church schools. While the drivers of NSP in education have historical anchors, the relatively recent tide of low-fee private schools and educational public private partnerships is couched within a neo-liberal agenda and a discourse of state failure. Central to the neo-liberal argument for greater engagement of the private sector in education are arguments of increased effectiveness, efficiency, competition and choice that altogether drive better quality learning outcomes in both state and non-state education.
The goal of the conference on Globalization, Regionalization and Privatization in and of Education in Africa is to bring together a range of institutions and representatives for two days to critically debate the relative merits and demerits of privatization in and of education on education quality, equity, effectivenessand efficiency. The intention is for the event to contribute to greater knowledge production and knowledge sharing on privatization in and of education in Africa, and the critical engagement of a broader range of stakeholders in policy discussions and process occurring regionally and nationally across Africa.
Eligibility-
- Quality of educational services as a result of alternative educational service regulation and delivery mechanisms
- Quality and/or efficiency of educational governance under conditions of educational liberalisation and marketization
- Equity effects of educational liberalisation and marketization
- Educational Public Private Partnerships (ePPPs) in regional multi-lateral education policy and different forms at national levels
- Feasibility of a unified set of criteria for codifying and / or assessing public and / or private school effectiveness
- Role of international targets, especially the Education for All goals and the Millennium Development goals on privatisation in and of education, and implications for the post-2015 agenda
For more information, visit this link
