Private Education

This research paper examines the growth and impact of private education in Africa, noting a shift from charitable mission schools to profit-driven institutions driven by government failures and foreign investment. While some private schools provide high-quality alternatives to overcrowded and underperforming public systems, the trend is criticized for exacerbating inequality and draining resources from the public sector.

• Private school enrolments in Africa grew rapidly starting in the 1990s, with primary school enrolments doubling during that decade, while public school growth was approximately half that rate. By 2017, 19 sub-Saharan African countries had at least 20% of their primary and secondary students in non-state facilities. Specific high-proportion examples include Equatorial Guinea, where 54% of primary students are in private schools, and Liberia, which has the highest proportion of secondary students in private schools at 60%, followed by Mauritius at 57%.
• The expansion of private education has been fueled by foreign investors and the World Bank's lending and advisory services. In countries like Kenya, private education is highly sought after due to public school failures, such as classes of up to 100 students and findings that 40% of Grade 2 students were illiterate or innumerate. Top-tier basic education schools in Ghana and South Africa are typically private, though they serve only a small fraction of the population.
• Critics argue that the mass roll-out of private education increases inequality and diverts essential resources from public education. This creates a widening achievement gap because high-quality teachers and resources are attracted to the better pay and conditions of the private sector, leading to a simultaneous decline in public school standards.
• Not all private schools provide superior education; some fail to outperform the public sector despite higher costs. This is attributed to lax regulations that allow profit-seeking investors to operate schools with inadequate facilities and underpaid, poorly qualified teachers.

APA

Aikins, E. R., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Private Education. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=05-private-education

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy, and Jakkie Cilliers. Private Education. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=05-private-education.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Private Education |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=05-private-education |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026private, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Private Education}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=05-private-education}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }