The business of education: a look at Kenya's private education sector, Part 63

Karmokolias, Yannis, Maas, Jacob Van Lutsenburg This case study surveys the educational services provided by the private sector in Kenya, identifies the major issues and discusses a possible role for the World Bank Group, especially IFC (International Finance Corporation). The demand for all types of education at all levels has greatly outpaced the capacity of the public school system. This has allowed "edupreneurs" to provide academic and vocational education, catering to many socioeconomic segments of the population. Although enrollment in private schools has been increasing rapidly, the supply-demand gap continues to grow. Many private schools wish to expand, but face prohibitive constraints, primarily related to scarcity of financial resources and inadequate management skills. Development institutions, including IFC, can help alleviate these constraints, provided that they are ready to comprehensively address the particular issues faced by private educational institutions. Appended are five tables presenting the data. (RJM) This case study surveys the educational services provided by the private sector in Kenya, identifies the major issues, and discusses a possible role for the World Bank Group, particularly the IFC. The demand for all types of education at all levels has greatly outpaced the capacity of the public school system. This has allowed "edupreneurs" to provide academic and vocational education, catering to many socioeconomic segments of the population. Although enrollment in private schools has been increasing rapidly, the supply-demand gap continues to grow. Many private schools wish to expand, but faced prohibitive constraints, primarily related to scarcity of financial resources and inadequate management skills. Development institutions, including IFC, can help alleviate these constraints, provided that they are ready to comprehensively address the particular issues faced by private educational institutions.