Centuries-Old Private Provision of Higher Education in Egypt

Private provision heralds the establishment of modern higher education in Egypt. Although there are at least 30 private universities, private higher education (PHE) accounts only for around 15% of total enrollment. A robust analysis of the development and contribution of PHE is still lacking. This chapter aims to fill this gap by critically analyzing the literature, data, and national policies and strategies. The analysis revealed the following interesting findings. The expansion and further development of PHE have academic (better quality education), economic (contribution to the economy in the form of taxes and other services), socio-cultural (cross-cultural understanding), and political (PHE as part of the liberalization and internationalization of the economy) rationales. Although issues of equity, relevance, and quality are raised, PHE broadens the choices available to parents and students and contributes to access to higher education. Moreover, the expansion and development of PHE in Egypt is partly due to the promulgation of favorable national laws and policies. The challenge lies in the degree of control exercised by the various structures and organs of the state machinery. It is difficult to draw a line between institutional autonomy and academic freedom on the one hand and state regulation and control on the other. However, empirical studies that explore the lived experiences, viewpoints, and challenges of the various PHE stakeholders across institutional types are required to further deepen our understanding and then better inform educational policy-making and planning linked to this fast-growing higher education sub-sector in Egypt.