Paul Bennell

The Internationalisation of Higher Education: Exporting Education to Developing and Transitional Economies

Abstract This article assesses the extent to which higher education in UK and Australia has been internationalised in two key areas: the growth in foreign students and the growth of foreigners studying in their own countries for qualifications offered by higher education institutions (HEIs) in these two countries. The rapid emergence of overseas-validated courses as part of collaborative links between the HEIs in the North and the South is analysed, drawing, in particular, on survey results from the UK and Australia.

Using and Abusing Rates of Return: A Critique of the World Bank's 1995 Education Sector Review

Abstract The World Banks 1995 Education Sector Review relies very heavily on conventional rates of return to education (RORE) analysis in support of three (out of a total of six) key recommendations. This paper (i) critically examines how the Review draws on RORE research, (ii) shows that none of the alleged global RORE patterns exist; and (iii) more generally, questions the role of RORE analysis as an economic tool for education policy makers.

Privatization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress and prospects during the 1990s

Abstract The analysis of the privatization of state-owned enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been based on very incomplete and out of date data. This paper presents and discusses the preliminary results of a comprehensive survey of privatization transactions in SSA up until the end of 1995. While previous research has concluded that the privatization process has made only very limited process since the early-mid 1980s, the survey reveals 1. (a) a generally much higher level of privatization activity than that indicated by existing data sources; 2. (b) a very considerable range of country experiences with privatization; and 3. (c) a marked increase in the number and overall value of privatization transactions since the early 1990s. While serious economic and political constraints continue to hamper the implementation of privatization programs in SSA, there is a strong likelihood that the intensity of the privatization effort will continue to accelerate during the next 5–10 years.

The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic on the Schooling of Orphans and Other Directly Affected Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

This is the second of two articles that assess the available evidence concerning the impact of the AIDS epidemic on teachers and the schooling of orphans and other directly affected children in sub-Saharan Africa. The two main conclusions of this article are, firstly, that current and future projections of orphan country populations are likely to be serious overestimates. And secondly, while the impact of losing one or both parents on educational attainment is often much less than has been suggested, Ministries of Education need to act decisively in order to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on the schooling of these children.

Vocational education and training in developing countries: has the World Bank got it right?

Abstract The World Bank argues that vocational education and training in developing countries is best left to individuals, enterprises and private sector training institutions with government interventions kept to a minimum. This article argues that this policy prescription is seriously flawed both conceptually and in relation to the current VET policies adopted by governments in the advanced industrial economies as well as the high performing Asian economies.

General versus vocational secondary education in developing countries: A review of the rates of return evidence

This article questions the prevailing orthodoxy concerning the social rates of return to general and vocational secondary education in developing countries. A critical examination of all the rates of return studies that have been used to establish this orthodoxy reveals that for the large majority of them, social RORs to general secondary education are not significantly higher than for specialist secondary vocational education.

Hitting the Target: Doubling Primary School Enrollments in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015

Abstract This paper estimates the number of children who will need to attend and complete primary school in sub-Saharan Africa in order for the current international development target of universal primary education (UPE) by 2015 to be attained. In addition, a variety of demand constraints that will also affect the attainment of UPE are identified and assessed. The main conclusion of this analysis is that target enrollment growth for the region as a whole between 2000 and 2015 is not much greater than enrollment growth during the 1990s. For at least half of all countries in the region, however, this will require very high levels of sustained enrollment growth during the next 15 years. There are also major concerns about the overall level of demand for primary education by individuals and households. In particular, formal sector employment contracted in many countries during the 1990s and returns to education in the smallholder agriculture and informal sectors continue to remain low. But, with sufficient commitment from governments and donor agencies to increase educational capacity and improve the quality of schooling, the UPE target can be attained as part of a comprehensive strategy for poverty reduction in each country.

Where has all the education gone in sub-Saharan Africa? employment and other outcomes among secondary school and university leavers

Abstract Anecdotal evidence and generalisations abound concerning the employment outcomes of secondary school and university leavers, but there is very little solid, accurate information on what these groups in African countries do after they have completed their education. Using tracer surveys, this paper presents comprehensive time-series information on the activity profiles of representative samples of secondary school leavers and university graduates in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The paper shows that much of the anecdotal evidence surrounding the labour market outcomes of these groups is spurious. While employment outcomes are generally much better than expected, the tracer surveys highlight the enormous challenges of educating and subsequently utilising secondary school leavers and university graduates in an efficient and effective manner in low-income African countries. In particular, given the paucity of new employment opportunities in the formal sector, much more needs to be done in order to ensure that both these groups are better prepared for productive self-employment, especially in high growth and higher skill activities.

Privatization, choice and competition: The World Bank's reform agenda for vocational education and training in sub-Saharan Africa†

This article assesses the extent to which the reform strategy presented in the World Banks 1991 Sector Policy paper on vocational education and training (VET) has been implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa. The two main conclusions are, (1) to date, only a small group of countries in Africa have seriously attempted to implement the Banks reform agenda for skills training; and (2) as currently conceived, it is unlikely that demand-led VET systems and related policies will be successfully introduced in most SSA countries.

British Manufacturing Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Corporate Responses During Structural Adjustment

A recently completed survey of British manufacturing investment in 14 anglophone African countries indicates that there has been major disinvestment during the last five years. This process of corporate disengagement is occuring despite concerted attempts by African governments to improve the overall investment climate for both national and foreign investors. The article analyses the pattern of disinvestment by country and industrial sector and considers some of the key causal factors.