ABSTRACT
One feature of current education in many societies is the outsourcing of curriculum delivery to third parties using government funds (state-funded ed-outsourcing). State-funded ed-outsourcing is now being widely practised in Hong Kong. Previous research suggests that outsourced education perpetuates or even aggravates educational inequity observed in overall education. However, empirical research documenting school-level practice is very limited in the Asian context, as the phenomenon is often hidden from public scrutiny. This chapter addresses this research gap. Drawing on the school documents of 131 Hong Kong secondary schools with different socio-economic profiles and government documents, this chapter maps out the current practice of state-funded ed-outsourcing in the city. It then analyses the implications for equity and the factors that might contribute to it. The findings show that while there are efforts to ensure educational equity through ed-outsourcing, the equity landscape is rather complex. The factors that contribute to or hinder educational equity were explored in three dimensions of the policy process: policy features, people involved, and contextual features. This chapter concludes with directions for future research, as well as suggestions for governments in order to help make third parties’ participation in public education contribute to quality education for all.
