A/70/342 been driven by human rights concerns. On the contrary, a human rights perspective has often been absent from the discourse. 6 43. The impact of public-private partnerships on education needs careful consideration. Key issues include: whether it results in public disinvestment in education to the advantage of private sector; whether it is an abdication of State responsibility to meet its obligation to provide quality public education to all its citizens; the repercussions on education as a public good; and whether it is undermining the norms and principles of the right to education. III. Diverse modalities and arrangements of public-private partnerships in education: need for a differentiated approach 44. Public-private partnerships in education may take many forms and arrangements, such as contractual arrangements with the private sector for public school infrastructure or school management, to operate public schools or manage certain aspects of public school operations. 7 Public-private partnerships can also involve government purchases of education services delivered by private schools or private entities. 8 Capacity-building initiatives, the training of public school teachers and curriculum enhancement programmes delivered by the private sector are other forms of public-private partnerships. Voucher systems, which provide government grants for students from low-income families to enrol in private schools, also amount to public-private partnerships. Another modality of public-private partnerships is the provision of cash and in-kind resources by private sector partners to complement government funding of public schools or “adopt a school” programmes. 45. In contrast, one important form of public-private partnership is private sector philanthropy: assistance provided by a private organization or individual ranging from scholarships and sponsorships to supplies, uniforms, teachers’ fees, school facilities, furniture and equipment. 46. In its resolution 68/234, the General Assembly stated that partnerships were voluntary and collaborative relationships between various parties, both public and non-public, in which all participants agreed to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and, as mutually agreed, to share risks and responsibilities, resources and benefits. In the case of the right to education, of which society as a whole is a beneficiary, partnerships have a clear common purpose: to promote human development and social well-being. The norms and principles of the right to education provide a framework for partnerships to be predicated upon convergence rather than divergence of interest. The right to education is not a for-profit venture for public authorities. Nor should education be allowed to become a for-profit venture for private providers or partners. __________________ 6 7 8 8/25 Country experiences and issues of critical importance are examined in the report on the workshop, available from http://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/summary-report-from-oxhrh-osh-onlineworkshop-on-the-challenges-of-public-private-partnerships-in-realising-the-right-to-education/. For example, charter schools (United States of America), concession schools (Colombia) and management of government schools (Lahore, Pakistan). For example, Education Service Contracting (in the Philippines) and Fe y Alegría (in Latin America and the Caribbean and Spain, among others). 15-12538