A/70/342 public-private partnerships in education, linked to privatization, are becoming endemic at all levels. Lured by false propaganda, Governments turn to the private sector in search of financial support, better management of education and even for running the education system. 121. The Special Rapporteur stresses that the State is responsible for providing the right to education as the apex of its public service functions. Even when Governments collaborate with non-State providers in education through public-private partnerships, the State remains both the guarantor and regulator of the right to education, on account of its obligation to respect, protect, promote and realize the right to education. That education is provided through public-private partnerships does not change the nature of the right to education and the related obligations. 122. The corrosive impact of public-private partnerships in education needs careful consideration. It must not lead to public disinvestment in education to the advantage of the private sector; nor must the State relinquish responsibility for providing quality public education. It must not undermine the norms and principles of the right to education; nor must it negatively affect education as a public good. Governments should take full care that public-private partnerships in education are not intertwined with the commercialization of education. 123. The Special Rapporteur considers it important that Governments take a critical view of the euphoria around partnerships in the context of the sustainable development goals, analysing the implications of public-private partnerships for the right to education and the repercussions for education as a social good. For multi-stakeholder initiatives, as well as public-private partnerships, they should ensure that those partnerships do not impede access to quality education for all, free of cost, as called for in proposed sustainable development goal 4. The pursuit of private interests and the commercialization of education should have no place in the education system of a country or in any future education agenda. 124. Bearing in mind the above and the challenges highlighted in the present report, the Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations. 125. A differentiated approach to public-private partnerships is necessary to distinguish partners with for-profit business interests in education from those who are committed to a social interest in education, especially those with a genuine philanthropic spirit. When seeking partners, States should accord priority to those who act out of philanthropic interest and solicit partne rships with those who act in a public spirit. Governments should foster philanthropy, encouraging its contribution to education as a social cause. They should also encourage community participation in education. Governments should ensure that public-private partnerships in education do not lead to the private sector increasing its influence over education systems at the expense of the public interest. The norms and principles of the right to education should provide a framework for partnerships to be predicated upon convergence rather than divergence of interests. 126. In all situations, public-private partnerships must be underpinned by State responsibility and social interest in education. States should also 22/25 15-12538