Ei-iE

Public private partnerships in education

published 9 September 2009 updated 10 January 2022

In an era of stretched public budgets and reduced taxation revenues, the involvement of private resources is increasingly seen as a strategy to sustain expansion of education opportunities both in quantity and quality. This view is shared not only by governments and industry, but also by many unions.

This report maps and analyzes various reactions to PPPs in different contexts, seeking explanations, common trends and conditions under which some types of PPPs may be acceptable to unions. The only way unions can influence them in order to avoid their negative and dangerous impact and to foster any positive aspects, is to enhance their involvement in the PPP debate. Such engagement requires strategic thinking and an international perspective on the issue.