The Origin of the PPP Policy in USE in Uganda

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

Introduction

The world over, it is argued that investing in people through education enhances their active participation in the dynamics of the global society and market economy for increased social mobility, equity and better livelihood (Patrinos, Barrera-Osorio & Guaqueta, 2009; Gasperini & Acker, 2009; Rose, 2010; UNESCO, 2011; World Bank, 2011). Moreover, Brady and Galisson (2008) claim that the best investment with more sustainable long-term returns a country can make for its society is education. Outstandingly, sustainable provision of quality education for all is seen as the best equaliser in society through capacity-building (Amuche & Kukwi, 2013). Education is thus believed to be a key indispensable precondition for socio-economic, technological and political transformations of any nation, because investing in the human mind makes all other development objectives possible (World Bank, 2011; Mgaiwa & Poncian, 2016). Besides, education is seen as a dynamic tool that enhances national capacity-building and people‟s resilience to live as they strive towards sustainable development (World Bank, 2011; Amuche & Kukwi, 2013). This backdrop provides a justification for most governments not only to put much emphasis on „Education for All‟ initiatives but also to take up the constitutional responsibility of financing and providing it at all levels (World Bank, 2009; Rose, 2010).

The Origin of the PPP Policy in USE in Uganda

Historically, the Ugandan government, through its public sector, has been a major provider of education services at all levels. However, from the early 1950s, the government began to register and give licences to some private schools to operate alongside government-owned/aided schools in the provision of education services (MOES Report on USE in Uganda, 2014). Under this mixed education sector system, students may access education services either from private schools or government-owned schools at any level. The school choice is mainly influenced by the ability of the parent to pay the tuition fees and the perceived quality of education offered by the school, among other factors. However, owing to the relatively fixed number and inadequate capacity of existing public/government-aided secondary schools to provide subsidised public education services, the country has been experiencing challenges of excess demand for such services from an increasing poor population. As a policy response, there was need for the involvement of private sector actors in the delivery of secondary school education through PPPs.

Statement of the Problem

PPPs in education have gained much popularity and growing support as a mechanism for ensuring sustainable access to quality education, particularly in resource-constrained developing countries (World Bank, 2009; Malik, 2007). In this respect, Uganda, like other developing countries, adopted a similar policy of PPP in USE delivery in 2007 in anticipation of expanding easy access to subsidised educational services for its disadvantaged population. While the PPP policy in USE increased the number of PPP schools in Uganda from 289 to 880 and student enrolments for USE from 600,162 in 2007 to 873,476 in 2013 (MOES Report on USE & National Headcount, 2014), its prospects in transforming and improving access to as well as the efficiency and quality of USE delivery and outcomes remain debatable among its stakeholders. In spite of this, there has been little information on how the stakeholders in this policy understand, influence and experience its implementation realities since its inception in Uganda. In this respect, understanding questions regarding how this policy is understood, influenced and experienced by its stakeholders in the way they implement it, what motivates them to do so and what critical factors are perceived to contribute to its successful implementation (and why) have not been given much attention in the context of Uganda. Yet such understandings are critical in PPP policies that are not only context/country-specific but are also still new and controversial with regard to their implementation realities.

The Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to explore and gain a deeper understanding of how and why stakeholders understand, influence and experience the implementation of the PPP policy in USE and its realities in the way they do it, what motivated them to adopt this policy and what they perceived as critical success factors for its effective implementation in the context of Uganda.

DECLARATION
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Origin of the PPP Policy in USE in Uganda
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 The Purpose of the Study
1.4 Research Question
1.4.1 Main research question
1.4.2 Sub-research questions
1.4 Rationale of the Study
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Study Scope and Boundary
1.7 Structure of the Thesis
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Understanding of the General Concept of PPP
2.2 Rationale of PPPs in Education
2.2.1 Role of the state in PPPs
2.3 Forms of PPPs in Education
2.3.1 Private management of public schools
2.3.2 Contracting of educational service delivery
2.3.3 Outsourcing of professional education and support services
2.3.4 Education vouchers and subsidies
2.3.5 Infrastructure PPPs
2.3.6 Educational philanthropy
2.4 PPPs and Their Impacts in Education
2.5 Challenges Experienced in the Implementation of PPPs
2.5.1 International challenges experienced in implementation of PPPs
2.5.2 Stakeholders‟ experiences in implementation of PPPs
2.6 The Critical Success Factors for PPPs
2.7 Summary
CHAPTER THREE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Overview of Stakeholder Theory
CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Research Design
4.1.1 Why use case study approach?
4.1.2 Philosophical underpinnings of the study
4.2 The Scope and Study Area
4.3.1 The study population
4.3.2 Sampling procedures for this study
4.3.3 Piloting study
4.4 Data Collection Methods and Sources
4.4.1 Interviews
4.4.2 Document analysis
4.5 Data Analysis Method
4.6 Trustworthiness of Findings
4.7 Locating My Position in the Study
4.9 Ethical Considerations
CHAPTER FIVE STAKEHOLDERS‟ UNDERSTANDINGS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PPP POLICY IN UNVERSAL SECONDARY EDUCATION
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Understanding of the Policy Purpose
5.1.1 Increasing access to USE
5.1.2 Supporting the influx of UPE learners seeking USE
5.1.3 Providing affordable secondary school education to all for equity purposes
5.1.4 To overcome the inadequacy of government secondary schools in USE delivery
5.2 Understanding the Policy from Its Economic and Political Perspectives
5.3 Stakeholders‟ Understanding of PPP Policy Guidelines for Its Implementation
5.4 Understanding of the Policy Impacts and Its Success
5.4.1 Understanding of PPP policy impacts on USE access, quality and equity
5.4.2 Why the quality of USE outcomes of the PPP policy is low and declining
5.4.3 Understanding value for money as an indicator of policy impacts and success
5.4.4 Stakeholders‟ perceptions of PPP policy success in USE delivery
5.5 Experiencing Policy Implementation
5.5.1 Positive experiences in the implementation of the PPP policy
5.5.1.1 Government relationships with committed private schools
5.5.1.2 Increasing access to affordable USE by underprivileged children
5.5.1.3 Improvement in school management, student enrolment and income
5.5.2 Challenges experienced in the implementation of the policy
5.5.2.1 Lack of accountability for PPP funds
5.5.2.2 Corruption in policy implementation
5.3.2.3 Delayed disbursement of funds for policy implementation
5.5.2.4 Non-flexible policy terms and conditions
5.4.2 Non-compliance with policy guidelines and weak enforcement mechanisms
5.5.2.6 Political interference in policy implementation
5.5.2.7 Management and communication challenges
5.5.2.8 Human resource inadequacies for policy implementation
5.5.2.9 Inadequate planning, monitoring and supervision of the policy
5.5.2.10 Lack of commitment to partnership roles
CHAPTER SIX STAKEHOLDERS‟ MOTIVATIONS AND INFLUENCES INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PPP POLICY IN USE
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Stakeholders‟ Motivations to Enter into Public-Private Partnership in USE
6.1.1 Internal stakeholders‟ motivation to take up the policy
6.1.1.1 Lack of adequate capacity to deliver USE independently
6.1.1.2 Constitutional responsibility to deliver affordable USE services
6.1.2 PPP schools‟ motivations to implement the PPP policy
6.1.2.1 Money and profit making motives by school proprietors
6.1.2.2 Mission of the stakeholder organisation
6.1.2.3 The need to improve student enrolments and resource security
6.1.2.4 The need to support the government in USE delivery
6.1.3 External stakeholders‟ motivations to implement the PPP policy
6.1.3.1 Community responsibility incentives for external stakeholders
CHAPTER SEVEN CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR PPP POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN USE
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Stakeholders Should Be Committed to Partnership Roles
7.2 Selecting Suitable Partners with Adequate Capacity for Policy Implementation
7.3 Consistently Reviewing the Policy Guidelines with Clear Targets
7.4 Sufficient Funding and Responsible Financial Management in PPP Schools
7.5 Enhancing Regular Monitoring and Supervision of Policy Implementation
7.6 Strengthening Regulatory and Accountability Enforcement Mechanisms
7.7 Regularly Sensitising and Adequately Communicating Policy to All Stakeholders Conclusions
CHAPTER EIGHT DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Understanding the Policy Origin, Purpose and Its Guidelines
8.2 Understanding PPP Policy Success and Impacts in USE Delivery
8.2.1 Stakeholders‟ understanding of the PPP policy success in USE delivery
8.2.2 Understandings of equity impacts of PPP policy in USE
8.2.3 Stakeholders‟ understanding of the quality impacts of the PPP policy in USE
8.3 Experiences in the implementation of PPP in USE
8.4 Stakeholders‟ Motivations for Engaging in PPP Policy Implementation
8.4.1 Government‟s key motivations to implement the PPP policy in USE
8.4.2 School-based stakeholders‟ motivations to implement the PPP policy
8.4.3 Comparative Analysis of stakeholders‟ influences and Freeman‟s theory
8.5 Critical Success Factors Recommended for the Implementation of PPP in USE
8.6 Contribution of the Study to Kn owledge
8.7 Limitations of the Study
8.8 Policy Recommendations
8.9 Areas for Future Research
8.10 My Reflections on the Entire Study Process