A/70/342
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education
Summary
The report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 8/4, 17/3
and 26/17. The Special Rapporteur examines public-private partnerships in
education, which are inextricably linked to rapidly expanding privatization. He
highlights their implications for the right to education and for the principles of social
justice and equity. Lastly, he offers a set of recommendations with a view to
developing an effective regulatory framework, along with implementation strategies
for public-private partnerships in education, in keeping with State obligations for the
right to education, as laid down in international human rights conventions, and the
need to safeguard education as a public good.
Contents
Page
I.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
II.
Right to education and the global dynamics of public-private partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
III.
Diverse modalities and arrangements of public-private partnerships in education: need for a
differentiated approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Key challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
A.
Financing education through public-private partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
B.
Fostering philanthropy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
C.
Quality imperatives and public-private partnerships in education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
D.
Public-private partnerships and skills development through technical and vocational
education and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
International legal framework for the right to education, State obligations and public -private
partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
VI.
Public-private partnerships in education: key principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
VII.
Regulating public-private partnerships and oversight and monitoring mechanisms . . . . . . . . .
17
A.
Regulatory framework for public-private partnerships in education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17
B.
Accountability and monitoring mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
C.
Monitoring public-private partnerships in education and the human rights treaty bodies
20
VIII.
Justiciability and enforcement of the right to education under public -private partnerships . . .
20
IX.
Public-private partnerships in the context of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda .
21
X.
Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
IV.
V.
2/25
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