An investigation into the effects and outcomes of a school voucher system in Pakistan : multiple voices & perspectives

Abstract

Education vouchers are a highly contested issue. The question is, can education vouchers, using public funds to finance privately run schools, improve outcomes for disadvantaged children as well as to provide equitable access for girls and boys? Several countries have implemented such a scheme, producing positive to mixed results. At the heart of education vouchers lies serious issues such as equality and social justice. Education is a universal right, which defines a person’s life prospects. Inequalities in education and the lack of schooling for many children, shows the uneven distribution of wealth and lack of justice defining the lives of many of the worlds most disadvantaged children. Various voucher programmes have been adopted in different countries, each country devising their own scheme as an important provider for education. These models are often formulated on the basis of a liberal market approach or social policy reforms. Advocates of voucher programmes argue that they improve quality in public schools and private schools, opponents believe that quality does no improve and voucher programmes still do not ensure equitable access to education. Using data I collected in Pakistan, I examine the effect of education vouchers in low-cost private schools using multiple perspectives and voices. Questionnaires, IQ, maths and English tests were carried out with students to consider the impact of the programme on student outcomes. Interviews were conducted with school managers, parents, teachers and officials from the program, to investigate the overall effects of vouchers on a school community using multiple voices and perspectives. The main findings of this research shows that:  Girls empowerment and access to schooling can be facilitated through a voucher design that focuses on gender equality;  It is important to listen to multiple voices in the community when a policy is introduced and implemented;  Test scores and student outcomes are not the only measure of success for voucher programmes that are implemented in the Global South;  Education programmes can create stability within the schooling system not only to households but also to teachers and school owners.