The implications of education privatization on teachers in lower-income countries

The role of the private sector has become a central theme in the Education 2030Agenda, particularly in relation to southern countries, where this phenomenon is increasing rapidly. Policies promoting the involvement of the private sector include charter schools, voucher schemes, the contracting out of private schools, or the promotion of low-feeprivate schools. These policy solutions advance under different rationales. They are usually presented as a way to expand access to education efficiently, but also as a way to increase the quality of the education system, foster innovation and/or promote education diversification. Drawing on recent scholarly sources and covering, as far as possible, the five geographic regions of the ILO, the paper will examine trends in privatization of primary and secondary education and its impact on teachers. The paper will not focus on high-end private education (elite schools) but on the growing trend of low-and middle-income settings.