Privatization in Higher Education: Emerging Commonalities and Diverse Educational Perspectives in the Philippines, Australia, Poland and Iran

Abstract

Over the past two decades, public funding to higher education systems in many parts of the world has been reduced on a per capita basis, even as student enrolments continue to increase. Paralleling this phenomenon has been rapid privatization of the university sector, achieved through the transfer of costs to the community, either through state universities imposing student fees or new private institutions being established. The paper analyzes the course of privatization in the higher education system of Poland, Iran, Australia and the Philippines and concludes that the various privatization pathways being followed are reflective of the differing national traditions of the countries concerned.