Such schools enroll approximately 90 percent of primary and 70 percent of secondary school students and are free, or almost free. But tightening fiscal constraints in many countries have limited the public sector's ability to expand free public education, creating a particularly serious problem for the poorest countries, where demand for schooling is projected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. One possible solution is to charge a tuition fee for public school, and many countries have adopted this policy. Another option is to rely on private schools to handle at least part of the expansion by relaxing restrictions on establishing or expanding private schools, providing loans to and information about them, and restricting the number of available places in public schools. Such policies would not only generate more resources for education but could also lead to greater efficiency and improved quality.
Private schools compete for students, after all, and are accountable to parents who pay the bills.
This view holds that private schools have an incentive to adopt teaching practices and use staff and educational materials effectively and economically. And if public schools were also forced to compete with private schools for students, they too might become more efficient. The studies This article summarizes the results of the few studies that rigorously compare private and public school costs and achievement in developing countries. The studies share several characteristics, of which the two most important are a common methodology and comparable results. The common methodology is important for two reasons.