Based on her review of a recent World Bank “World Development Report,” Newcastle University (UK) Economist Pauline Dixon concludes that poor parents have been getting a bad deal with regards to government education for their children. According to the World Bank report:

In many of the poorest countries there are enormous deficits in affordable access. Poor people have less access, lower attainment, and lower quality than those better off. In many countries public sector provision is close to dysfunctional and rife with corruption. The technical quality of instruction and learning outcomes are shockingly low, especially among poor people. (World Bank 2003, 111)

Yet, in many parts of the developing world (India, Pakistan, Africa, etc.) where governments have failed to provide a decent education, there is a growing supply of low cost private schools that are providing access to K-12 education for the poorest of the poor. The academic research on private education in the developing world examined by Dixon reveals 1) how private schools often must bribe government officials to be deemed accredited and stay open, 2) how they provide a much better education than government-run schools, and 3) how many international organizations and aid agencies act as if these schools do not even exist.

Dr. Dixon's full piece is an eye-opener about how private schooling is helping the least of our brothers and sisters around the world to realize their human potential. She concludes that international aid agencies, academics, and policymakers should support the growth of, and access to, private schools in developing nations.

The full article can be found here: http://econjwatch.org/articles/why-the-denial-low-cost-private-schools-in-developing-countries-and-their-contributions-to-education