Understanding the Emergence of Education Public-Private Partnerships in Higher Education in Guyana: A Seventh Path Toward Education Privatization

• In Event: Influence and Power: The Evolving Role of Private Actors

Proposal

The privatization of education, increasingly through the expansion of education public-private partnerships (ePPPs), challenges the view that education is a public good to be governed solely by the public sector. Some scholars view ePPPs as innovative mechanisms to fund education using both public and private resources, while others regard ePPPs as part of a broader effort to replace public actors with private ones in education governance (Verger & Moschetti, 2016). Existing research on ePPPs calls for more understanding of private actors’ motivations and the emergence of ePPPs in the Global South (van Fleet, 2012; Verger, Xavier & Zancajo, 2016).

My study examines two multi-stakeholder ePPPs funded by ExxonMobil at the University of Guyana (UG) to understand private and public sector motivations for establishing these partnerships in a new oil-producing country: (1) the 100,000 Strong in the Americas grant fund, which seeks to equip Guyanese students with the knowledge and skills needed to support the oil and gas sector; and (2) the Guyana Resilient and One (GRO) program, which aims to create a diversified economy, including green jobs, while progressing Guyana’s environmental and development goals.

I answer the following research questions: (1) How does education privatization unfold through ePPPs in an emerging natural resource-wealthy developing country? (2) What are the motivations for stakeholders’ engagement in ePPPs? (3) Which stakeholder’s interests are most reflected in the ePPP design and implementation?

Previous studies investigate the impact of ePPPs and government rationales for their adoption (Verger, 2012; Ginsburg, 2012; Menashy, 2014; Davis & Resnick-Ault, 2015); however, less is known about the emergence of the partnerships themselves — how and why private actors become involved and how their motivations shape these partnerships. While Verger, Fontdevila, and Zancajo (2017) contribute to the literature by systematizing existing research to highlight six paths to toward education privatization, the authors do not consider how a key economic factor, natural resource wealth, alters identified drivers of education privatization. Similar to Verger et al. (2017), I use the analytical framework of variation, selection, and retention (Jessop, 2010) to analyze the emergence of two ePPPs in Guyana and identify a new path toward education privatization driven by the particular economic and political factors of this oil-rich developing country.

My qualitative multiple case study draws on data collected from July to December in 2019. I will present findings based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 19 partnership stakeholders from UG, ExxonMobil, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, Partners of the Americas, Conservation International, and the Private Sector Commission of Guyana. The interviewees are actors who were involved in the development of the partnerships or who could provide insight into the education policyscape in which these ePPPs are situated. The data also includes a document analysis of government and stakeholder reports, policies, and press releases; news articles and social media related to the ePPPs and the broader political context in Guyana; as well as observations of workshops and events at the university related to the green economy and the oil and gas sector.

My analysis reveals that while the motivations of stakeholders across both cases vary according to their strategic goals, the ePPPs primarily reflect the interests of ExxonMobil. In both cases, ExxonMobil’s interests supersede the interests of other stakeholders. Furthermore, ExxonMobil is able to exert this influence by remaining “hidden” within partnerships – that is, engaging in partnerships through intermediary nonprofits that benefit from corporate relations and funding in the implementation of ePPPs. Finally, these cases suggest a new, seventh path to education: privatization by ePPPs linked to industry.

My findings present a useful foundation to conduct more research on the relationship between changing economic and political contexts and drivers of education privatization. Education PPPs may become a popular mechanism for funding education as Guyana’s economic development depends not solely on the government, but on its links to multinational corporations in the oil industry. As Guyana navigates the challenges of becoming one of the top oil reserve-holders in the world (O’Toole, 2019), it is important that the government does not fall into the trap of the resource curse – underinvesting in public education and relying on wealth from the oil sector. Ensuring that ePPPs reflect the needs of the people and improve the sustainability of Guyana’s higher education institutions is important for “inclusive and equitable quality education” (UN, 2015).

Author

• Katrina Malinda Webster, Teachers College, Columbia University