The success of the Kingdom’s private schools is the best way to convince the skeptics of the benefits of privatization. Though the government spends per student in government-run schools double the amount paid for a child in a private school, the quality of the education in government schools is much inferior to that received in private schools.
Classrooms in private schools are not crowded; teaching methods are better and the campus more attractive. If the government decides to allocate half its educational budget to the private sector, most students will find a better educational atmosphere than what they are presently used to. Such a move would save half the government’s budget as well.
The present situation in our schools also suggests the following question: Why is the government not getting a return from its schools proportional to the amount of money it invests in them? In fact, this is a problem faced by all governments. Privatization is the solution on the assumption that private entrepreneurs operate efficiently without being weighed down by bureaucracy and they are also accountable for their actions.
Essentially I am not an enthusiast for the privatization of the education system on a wider scale. However, the experience makes us appreciate the private sector’s quality and apparent superiority. The quality of government schools s not because of a shortage of funds. At the same time, it is the sheer size of the government bureaucracy and machinery that weighs it down and renders it ineffective.
As the government is determined to privatize a number of its utilities, my request is to make the process as swift and painless as possible. I stress swiftness because I remember that a previous effort to privatize a hotel in the capital took two years. If a single hotel required two years to complete the formalities, what can we expect when it comes to a large service sector? The experience in the educational sectors can be applied to any others. The private sector’s ability to perform better at less expense also proves the need to reduce the size of government in order to ensure better performance. The government’s money is basically the wealth of the people.
A parent who sends his child to a government school is entitled to get the same services and opportunities as parents who sent their children to private schools — since, as we have noted before, the government is paying twice the amount for a child that the parent who sends his child to a private school is paying. We know, however, that privatization is not a comfortable option for governments because it involves the dismissal of government employees, an additional burden on the shoulders of remaining employees and loss of various other concessions.
The government will also have to convince the people of the need for privatization because some people are skeptical of the private sector which is basically motivated, unlike the government, by profit-making.
These genuine doubts notwithstanding, privatization is the best solution for most of our problems. Those government employees who believe that money grows on trees should understand now that times have changed because of our rapid population growth and the fall in revenues.
Arab News Opinion 17 November 2002
