Public-Private Partnership in Higher Education Provision: Agenda for Stimulating Sustainable Development of Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss public-private partnership in higher education provision as an agenda for fostering sustainable development of Ethiopia. As in most developing countries, higher education establishment in Ethiopia had for long been dominated by government agencies. The burden of the ownership and running of education institutions in general and higher education in particular had for long rested on the shoulders of the government of Ethiopia. However, in recent years, certain factors in Ethiopia have provided impetus in favor of providing opportunities for the private sector to participate in higher education funding. Against this background, this paper x-rays the historical development of higher education in Ethiopia and the predominant role of government in higher education ownership and control. The need for publicprivate partnership as well as the roles that each partner can play is analyzed in the paper. Some suggestions are proffered with regard to the roles that public and private partners can play. The paper dwells on provisions of higher education by private sectors in the United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, and other countries. In these countries, corporate organizations and wealthy private owners have partnered with governments in establishing and funding higher education. By allowing private organizations and individuals to own and/or fund programmes and run colleges and universities, the aggregate cost of higher education provision has been systematically spread among different stakeholders for the overall benefit of sustainable development of the respective countries. All the above contain lessons that can be usefully learnt in the Ethiopian context.