Public Private Partnerships in Primary Education in Mexico City

Abstract

Globally, public private partnerships (PPPs) have been on the rise in the education sector in recent years, including in Mexico. The effects on the local level have largely been unexplored for this country. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the extent to which PPPs are achieving quality education goals in Mexico City primary schools by looking at two PPP entities operating in the marginalized outskirts of the city. Perceptions of key stakeholders were gathered through interviews and a focus group and then analyzed in terms of Freire’s problem posing model of education. A case study format is used to present the findings in terms of four emergent themes. The study concludes that the efforts of the two PPPs in question constitute a problem-posing model of education and have contributed to the formation of genuine learning communities centered around the children and the schools.