Learning to live together: Working together with the private sector for better student learning: Cases from Hong Kong and South Korea

Participation of the private sector, including education businesses, in state education has been controversial. Many hail it expecting that it will allow for more choices for students and will ensure quality education with less cost. Others problematise it as they find that the quality of bought educational services are not necessarily better or as good as the ones provided by in-school staff and that it sometimes even creates the issue of equity through reproducing or aggravating socioeconomic gaps in terms of learning opportunities across schools serving communities of different affluence. Drawing on data from two on-going research projects on outsourcing of education in Hong Kong and South Korea, the paper discusses areas of potential conflicts between educational service providers and schools, and discusses preliminary solutions to them drawing on interviews with head teachers and service providers. The paper aims to contribute to understanding the harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship between the private educational businesses and the public education sector, and ultimately, to ensuring quality education for all students.