Public-Private Partnerships in Education A Critical Analysis with Reference to Pakistan_Syeda Sania Zehra.docx

<p dir="ltr"><b>Abstract</b><br>This paper critically examines the role of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in education, with a particular focus on Pakistan. It explores global PPP models such as voucher systems, charter schools, and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) schemes and analyzes their adaptation in developing contexts. The study identifies Pakistan’s persistent educational challenges, including limited access, poor infrastructure, inequity, and weak governance, and evaluates how PPPs have been introduced as an alternative mechanism to address these issues. Drawing on examples from both international and Pakistani experiences, the analysis highlights potential benefits such as increased enrollment, resource mobilization, and innovation, alongside risks including commercialization, inequity, weak accountability, and possible weakening of the public education system. The paper concludes that while PPPs can complement state efforts in the short term, sustainable improvement in education requires strong regulation, context-specific adaptation, and a government-led vision that prioritizes equity, quality, and accountability.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Keywords:</b> Public-Private Partnerships, education policy, Pakistan, educational equity, school reform, governance</p>