Abstract
Abstract: The educational system of Argentina has undergone a process of decentralization along with a steady growth in private schools enrolment. This complex process is usually subsumed under the general concept of ‘privatization’. We have considered it necessary to provide a deeper understanding of the multiple dimensions this process of privatization encompasses. In this article we intend to analyze and reflect upon the transformations of the Argentine educational system and to understand the specific levels and aspects where privatization has taken place. We note that the public and the private sectors seem to have experienced divergent trajectories with compromising effects in terms of equity and social cohesion. We argue that the uneasy coexistence of a deregulated independent private sector and a hyperregulated public sector is the result of a partial and inadequate implementation of a public-private partnership scheme.
Highlights
The educational system of Argentina has undergone a process of decentralization along with a steady growth in private schools enrolment
We argue that the uneasy coexistence of a deregulated independent private sector and a hyperregulated public sector is the result of a partial and inadequate implementation of a public-private partnership scheme
We have presented a characterization of the different forms adopted by the underlying education governance structure as from the reconfiguration driven by pro-privatization and de-regulation policies
Summary
The traditional and mutually excluding public-private distinction that has characterized a vast majority of research work on privatization appears to have become less and less operational (Burch, 2009; Robertson et al, 2012). Without disregarding the dynamics of the categorization of Ball and Youdell (2008), Bellei and Orellana (2014) highlight the value of the definition of privatization as stated by Belfield and Levin (2002) based on the grounds that it offers a wider perspective to understand the current public-private scenarios in the field of education. According to this approach, ‘privatization is the transfer of activities, assets and responsibilities from government/public institutions and organizations to private individuals and agencies’ (2002, p.19). We will briefly discuss these two categories that we use in our analysis
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