ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of the private sector in education have become increasingly polarised between those who feel its contribution should be expanded, and others who believe the opposite. It argues that the Right to Education (RTE) provisions are not ultimately in the best interest of children since they exclude five key non-state education providers and thereby eliminate schooling options for millions of children. The chapter examines the key arguments advocated by those supporting this move, and ultimately calls for a shift from a competitive to a collaborative public-private partnership (PPP) model to enable us to achieve our common goals. Ironically, the RTEs strategy, rather than facilitating quality education for more children, will end up closing educational options for millions of children. To truly uphold every Child's right to quality education, the strategy we need is to have a variety of schools that all children can choose from, both well-functioning government schools and non-government options.
