A new study published by Education International reveals the mechanisms that favour the privatisation of education in the Dominican Republic, exploring its impact on the education system and the right to quality education.
A new study published online today by Education International, entitled "Privatisation Trends in Dominican Education: Heterarchies, Networked Governance and New Philanthropy", focuses on the paradox of education privatisation in the Dominican Republic. In the document, D. Brent Edwards Jr, Mauro C. Moschetti, and Alejandro Caravaca outline the political and economic forces, rhetoric, and agendas and paradigms that have led to an alarming increase in educational privatisation in the country in recent decades.
The study includes a historical analysis within the framework of globalisation, a review of the existing literature, and a case study about Fundación Inicia Educación, which illustrates the influence of philanthropy in the education sector.
Heterarchy
The researchers argue that processes of privatisation in Latin America take on complex, "multi-faceted" forms that must be studied in the context of multiple factors and actors. The study details how government disinvestment has been a significant historical factor contributing to the growth of the private sector in the Dominican Republic's education sector.
Paradoxically, although the government has once again focused on promoting and financing public education since 2012, there are already pronounced trends towards privatisation, with non-state actors assuming an increasing role in the definition of educational policies. This is known as heterarchy, as opposed to the usual hierarchy in which the government determines public policy above other actors and serves as the guarantor of the human right to education.
The analysis will help to understand the significance and role of new actors concerning the right to education both in the country and at the international level, as this trend is observed in many other Latin American countries.
The study is available on Education International's Isuu page.