Issues in Education and Global is at Ion in Southeast Asia

8/6/2019 Issues in Education and Global is at Ion in Southeast Asia

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Issues in Education and

Globalisation inSoutheast Asia:

Contending mindsetsin MDGs and GATS

Raquel D. CastilloNational Coordinator

E-Net Philippines25 October 2005


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Education has been considered asone of the most importantcontributors to the achievement of MDGs to halve extreme poverty by2015


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Education for All (EFA)

Universal Primary Education (UPE)Vs

Universal free compulsory basiceducation


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The performance of South

East Asia on educationaloutcomes has been varied

Education Devt Index (EDI) for a countryis the arithmetical mean of the valuesof the indicators selected to measurethe four EFA goals:

gender parityuniversal primary educationquality of education, andadult literacy


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Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand andVietnam are in the intermediateposition with an EDI score of 0.8-0.94

Cambodia and Lao (PDR) with a scoreof less than 0.8 are unlikely to achievethe EFA goals by 2015


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Total Debt Service and Education & Health Expenditure as % of GDP (2001/2002)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Cambodia Indonesia Lao PDR Malaysia Philippines Thailand

Total Debt Service

Education & Health


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Post the ratification of the EFA andMDG goals in the year 2000,ironically bilateral aid toeducation($16 B promised by2006) has in fact experienced adownward trend from an averageof 4.5 percent in the 1990s to only4.2 percent in the first three yearsof the new millennium (GMR 2005)


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Contending principles1. Education is a basic human right . The

State is duty-bound to provide it as apublic good .

2. M arket is more efficient than

government in providing goods andpushes for formation of internationalmarket in public service delivery .


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Political tension betweenMDGs and GATs

MDG s place expansion andimprovement of basic public servicessuch as education at the heart of international development policyGA TS expands corporate access

through privately-owned, privately-financed, privately-delivered services


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It has been argued that GA TS isbeneficial as services liberalizationhelps developing countries byincreasing efficiency and providingrequired inputs .


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Trends in so-called publicservice reform according

to WB (NPM)

Separation of policy making fromservice delivery responsibilityIncreased public-private partnerships

D ecentralisationContract-based accountabilityUsers as consumers


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1. Direct impact of GATS on

policy: Standard prescription of privatisation of education

Cost recovery through user fees,

(Aka community financing)Greater private sector participationin educationDecentralization of education (PhilsRA 9155)Abolishment of subsidies fortertiary education


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Private enrollment as a

percentage of total (GMR 2005)Preschool Primary Secondary

Cambodia27.4 0.9 0.4

Indonesia 98.8 16.0 42.7

M alaysia 41.1 3.8 6.6

Philippines 46.0 7.1 21.5

Thailand 20.2 13.6 6.4


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Impetus for GASTPE LAW

Exodus from private to public highschool

Perennial financing constraints


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Growth of Education

Services Contracting(ESC)Y E AR NO . OF

REC

IP

IENTS

NO . OF

P AR

TIC

IP

. SCHOOLS

1986/87 4 ,322 158

2003/04 280 ,216 1 ,517


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Some hard questions

W ill performance indicators be better?W hat values ?W ill they go to under-served areas ?W hat impact on teachers welfare ?

W ill it really cost less, given need tomonitor standards ?


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2 . Indirect Impact of WTO on

school push-offs (dropouts)

In A tok, Benguet, Philippines, vegetable-growing communities have become

poorer because of plunging farmprices . A s a consequence, child

workers and OSC and OSY

numbersare significantly high .


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1000 Grade 1 entrants 312 drop

439 will finish in 6 yrs

249 will finishin 9.6 yrs

Only 7 will have 75% scores in

Science, Math, English

Learner outcomes


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H ow many are theynationwide? 11. 2 M

Out-of-School-Youth

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1989 1994 1999 2004

i n M i l l i o n

Number o f am o ng 7 -24 years ol d, 1989 -2004


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More hard questions:W ould governments come under pressure to change the conditionsunder which public services areprovided with GA TS?


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A rticle I of GA TS:The definition of services covered in theagreement gives an exception to servicessupplied in the exercise of governmentala uthority .

BUT

G overnment services provided on a commercialbasis are subject to GA TS provisions, as aregovernment services supplied in competitionwith any other suppliers .


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Once the public service is privatized, itceases to be an exempted governmentservice . Even in a case whereprivatization is partial, or where thegovernment still maintains its servicebut allows private entities to alsoparticipate in supplying that service, interms of A rticle I.3 (c) of GA TS, such aservice may no longer qualify as aservice supplied in the exercise of governmental authority and thus couldbe brought under GA TS . (M artin Khor)


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The way to go1. D eveloping countries can choose toliberalize selectively and autonomously,without making binding commitments atthe W TO; thus, if the liberalization turnsout to have negative effects, they can

reverse course without having to payany compensation . National policy-making sovereignty can be upheld .


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2. D esigning good governance shouldembed defined roles for private andNG O delivery while strengthening andnot undermining public institutions .


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3. Education is a basic right,not a commodity!


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Thank you!

Documents

Issues in Education and Global is at Ion in Southeast Asia