ABSTRACT
The higher education systems in many countries today are at the crossroads. There is a gradual transition from a system that operated on a welfare state philosophy to a market-oriented one. The transition is not complete. The higher education system the world over is in a flux, hanging between the conflicting interests and varying powers of the state and the market. Many consider the public sector to be inefficient in the field of education and correspondingly the market-focused private sector as efficient and therefore desirable. Nevertheless, the case for public provisioning of education remains strong. It is imperative for the state to play a dominant role in this field.
