"In many developing countries, private unaided schools are serving the poor in large numbers. Some commentators view their presence as undesirable - in particular assuming that there is a conflict between 'commercial gain' and 'concern for the poor'. We show one way in which there is no conflict...

"It is unclear why Watkins ignored a fundamental point of my article: education for the poor can be financed by the state or through private means, by those who are not poor so affordability of education need not be an issue. The fact that the poor are willing to pay fees when alternative state...

"Government schools cannot provide quality education for all. If the goal of education for all is to be achieved, the private sector must be encouraged and not squeezed out. Development agencies need to wake up to this because large-scale government education leads to failure on a large scale...

Copyright Institute of Economic Affairs 2003