Abstract

GERARD, Etienne. Private Universities in Africa, Latin America and Asia: Rankings, Distinctions and the Production of Inequalities. Propuesta educativa (Online) [online]. 2021, n.55, pp.73-86. ISSN 1995-7785.

Private higher education institutions are multiplying, both in Africa and Latin America and in Asia, as a result of the liberalization of higher education and its commercialization, which has been ratified across the continents since the structural adjustment policies of the 1990s. The proliferation of these IESPs gives rise to their very great heterogeneity, both from an institutional and structural point of view and from a social point of view. Public policies adopt different regulatory mechanisms in this respect, in particular university accreditation and ranking systems. The article shows that these systems deepen the segmentation of higher education, rank institutions and increase the marginalization of those that do not meet quality standards. They thus reinforce the social distinction of private higher education enterprises and participate in the construction of 'classes' of institutions. They therefore constitute the substrate for distinguishing student populations on the basis of their economic, cultural and social capital, to the benefit of the upper classes and the IESPs who hold a dominant position.

Keywords : Private universities; Segmentation; Rankings; Distinctions; Inequalities; Africa, Latin America and Asia.

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