ABSTRACT
Education, whether it is publicly or privately provided or publicly or privately financed, is of benefit both to society (or the nation) as well as to individual students. Very frequently the focus tends to be placed on the public benefits of public education because it is mainly financed by the public sector (or the government) and on the private benefits of private education because it is financed mainly by the private sector (or individuals). However, this means that the public benefits resulting from private education, particularly at the basic and senior secondary school levels, are very often ignored. This lack of awareness can lead to an underestimation or misunderstanding of the potential contribution that private education can make to the development of a country or a region.
