This presentation provides and overview of PERI's Privatisation and Human Rights Project. The project on using human rights to address privatisation in education which PERI is involved in, the approach it is piloting, and the overall framework used.

1. The Privatisation in Education
and Human Rights Project
Research, participation and change:
multi-country experiences of using
innovative advocacy on privatisation in
education
Trine Petersen - @trinevpetersen

2. The Privatisation in Education Research Initiative
(PERI)
• A global research and networking initiative seeking
to provide an accessible, open space to engage in
informed and critical debates about privatisation in
education.
• Examining the social justice implications of changes
in the governance, provision and financing of
education.

3. Key motivations behind PERI
• Little critical discourse on privatisation in the public domain –
restricted to grey literature
• Polarised ideological debate
• Privatisation is a deeply complex issue and takes many forms
and names
• Lack of a social justice/equity lens
• Lack of evidence base
• Lack of engaged debate

4. 32 Research grants in
Africa, Asia, Latin
America and Middle
East and North Africa
and publication of a
book
31 grants to
organisation and
strategic partners for
communications and
awareness raising, civil
society mobilisation
and capacity building
2 summer schools on
privatisation in
education and building
a network of 1000
academics and
practitioners
interested in the topic
7 documentaries on
key themes and case
studies in privatisation
in education
2010-2013

5. 2014
• The goal of PERI is to develop the
evidence base on specific areas of
privatisation, strengthen a critical
community of practice that supports the
social justice analysis of privatisation,
and support the application of informed
critique to policy debates at national,
regional and international levels.

6. Privatisation in Education and Human Rights
Project
• Multi-country research and advocacy project on the
impact of privatisation in education on the right to
education.
• It critically examines the global development of
privatisation in the light of human rights standards.

7. Morocco
• One-year empirical research on the impact of
privatisation in education in urban areas in Morocco
started in September 2012.
• The results of this research were used in parallel to
conduct advocacy at the UN level with the UN
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

8. The Review & Recommendations
• Private education is developing very quickly, especially
at primary level without the necessary supervision
regarding the conditions of enrolment and the quality
of education provided, which has led to the
reinforcement of inequalities in the enjoyment of the
right to education as well as teachers increasingly
engaging in private lessons in public
schools and giving priority to the work they undertake
in private schools.
— UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Concluding
Observations on the Third and Fourth Periodic Reports of
Morocco, September 19th, 2014 (emphasis added)

9. • Sustained media
interest in
privatisation in
education
• Ministry of
Education and
domestic starting
to scrutinise and
reform private
education policies

10. Project Inception – Geneva June, 2014
• Develop a collective approach to research and
advocacy in and of privatisation in education and
its impact on the right to education (GCE, RTE,
ASPBAE, ANCEFA, CLADE, EI, Results, national
coalitions and litigation experts).
• Side event at the UN Human Rights Council and
an expert meeting on privatisation.
• Formal engagement with the UN Special
Rapporteur on the right to education.

11. • In each country, we work with local partners to
produce research and parallel reports to relevant UN or
regional human rights bodies (CRC, CEDAW CESCR, UPR
and Africa Commission).
• Two main goals:
1) Research, mobilisation and advocacy to raise
awareness about the impact of privatisation in
education at the national level
2) Develop a set of principles and jurisprudence at
the international level to clarify States’ obligations
with regards to privatisation in education.

12. 1.
Inception
training,
planning
2. Research
and data
collection on
private
education
3. Writing
of the
parallel
report
4.
Presentation
of the parallel
report to UN
human rights
bodies
5. Use of
UN
recommen
dations for
national
advocacy/
mobilisatio
n
6.
Evaluation
and
planning
to
replicate

13. Specific Aims
• Reinforce capacities for partners;
• Awareness raising amongst key constituencies;
• Advocacy with international actors leading to new standards
in the area;
• Developing an international set of principles;
• Momentum is built through a more coordinated community
of practitioners working on privatisation; and
• Methodology using international mechanisms advanced and
can be replicated.
• Exploring the possibility and laying the ground for potential
future litigation around education rights.

14. Key Highlights So Far
Oct/14
• CRC formally ask the Ghanaian Government to explain itself on the
growing privatisation in education in the country and the effect it has on
the realisation of the right to education for all.
Oct/14
• In report to UNGA, Special Rapporteur on Right to Education warned the
global rise and lack of regulation of privatization further deepens
inequality in education.
Nov/14
• Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
expressed its concerns “about the trend towards privatisation of
education and the priority given to schooling of boys over girls” in Ghana.
Dec/14
• The CESCR raised issues on the impact of privatisation in education on the
realisation of the right to education in Uganda

15. Key Highlights So Far
Nov/14
• 70 civil society organisations condemn the African Development Bank and
other international organisations’ support to privatisation in education
Dec/14
• CESCR questions Chile on progress on providing free quality basic
education and elimination of fees and selectivity
Feb/15
• Global Campaign for Education World Assembly motion on the role of the
state regarding the role of private actors and providers
March/15
• CIES 2015 – Workshop on principles on the role of private actors in
education

16. • Continue research and parallel reporting
• Another side event an UN Human Rights
Council (June 2015) and launch of report by
Global Campaign for Education and expected
report by UNSR on regulation.
• Develop human rights based principles on
private actors in education in the next 18
months
• Continue to build partnerships with civil
society actors and researchers
Next Steps

17. • http://privatisationeducationhumanright.ning.
com/
• http://www.periglobal.org/
• http://www.right-to-education.org/
• http://globalinitiative-escr.org/
Get Involved