Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Adequacy, efficiency and equity of higher education financing: The case of Egypt

  • Open File
  • Published:
PROSPECTS Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To meet its future challenges in financing higher education, Egypt has no option but to search for alternative funding arrangements. This article considers the question of how to do so, keeping in mind the need to ensure equitable access to good quality education for those who cannot afford it. To this end, the article begins by assessing public expenditure on higher education in Egypt, with respect to its adequacy, efficiency, and equity. Next, it analyzes the impacts that demographic changes, the demand for quality education, and the transition to private provision of education will have on the nature of financing higher education in the future. It concludes by suggesting alternative strategies to address the problem of financing higher education in Egypt.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We calculated the public expenditures by quintile based on the data from the Egyptian household survey, which identifies levels of education per quintile. We then multiplied by the corresponding cost per student.

References

  • Al-Lamki, S. (2006). The development of private higher education in the Sultanate of Oman: Perception and analysis. International Journal of Private Education, 1, 54–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Assaad, R., & Roudi-Fahimi, F. (2007). Youth in the Middle East and North Africa: Demographic opportunity or challenge? Population Reference Bureau (PRB) MENA Policy Brief. Washington, DC: PRB. http://www.prb.org/pdf07/YouthinMENA.pdf.

  • Birdsall, N., & Londono, J. L. (1997). Asset inequality matters: An assessment of the World Bank’s approach to poverty reduction. American Economic Review, 87(2), 32–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, D., Canning, D., & Sevilla, J. (2003). The demographic dividend: A new perspective on the economic consequences of population change. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calero, J. (1998). Quasi-market reforms and equity in the financing of higher education. European Journal of Education, 33(1), 11–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • CAPMAS [Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics] (2005). The household income, expenditure, and consumption survey 2004–2005. Cairo: CAPMAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • CAPMAS [Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics] (2007). Annual statistical year book, 2006. Cairo: CAPMAS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carnoy, M. (2006). Higher education and economic development: India, China and the 21st century. Paper presented at the Pan Asia Conference: Focus on Economic Challenges, The Stanford Center for International Development, Stanford University, May 31–June 3, 2006.

  • El-Araby, A. (2009). Financing higher education in Egypt. Information and decision support center. Arab Republic of Egypt (in Arabic). Cairo: IDSC.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Baradei, M., & El-Baradei, L. (2004). Needs assessment of the education sector in Egypt. Bonn: ZEF. http://www.zef.de/fileadmin/webfiles/downloads/projects/el-mikawy/egypt_final_en.pdf.

  • El-Berr, S. (2004). Non-German donor activity in education in Egypt. University of Bonn, Bonn: Center for Development Research (ZEF).

    Google Scholar 

  • ERF [Economic Research Forum] (2006). Egypt labor market survey datasets. Cairo: ERF. http://www.erf.org.eg/cms.php?id=ELMPS_Dataset.

  • WEF [World Economic Forum] (2009). World competitiveness report. http://www.cesoftco.net/2KMS/WorldCompetitivenessReport2008-2009.pdf.

  • Friedman, M. (1963). Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Friedman, R. (1980). Free to choose: A personal statement. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDSC [Information and Decision Support Center] (2008). Characteristics of university and higher education. Information reports, Year 2, Issue 16. Cairo: IDSC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, D. B. (2004). The applicability of income contingent loans in developing and transitional countries. Journal of Educational Planning and Administration, 18(2), 159–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, D. B., & Marcucci, P. (2007). Worldwide trends in higher education finance: Cost-sharing, student loans, and the support of academic research. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • MoF [Ministry of Finance] (2008). Monthly statistical bulletin, November 2008. Cairo: MOF.

    Google Scholar 

  • MoHE [Ministry of Higher Education] (2008). Higher education institutions in Egypt (in Arabic). Cairo: MOHE.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] (2010). OECD StatExtracts online database. http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx.

  • Perrot, P. (1988). Mobilization and management of financial resources for education: A synthesis of a few case studies. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pritchett, L. (1996). Where has all the education gone? Policy Research Working Paper Series. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • UIS [UNESCO Institute for Statistics] (2007a). Education counts: Benchmarking progress in 19 WEI countries. Montreal: UIS.

    Google Scholar 

  • UIS [UNESCO Institute for Statistics] (2007b). Global education digest, 2007: Comparing education statistics across the world. Montreal: UNESCO UIS.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (2003). Egypt human development report 2003. New York: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP (2008). Egypt human development report 2008. New York: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] (1996). Egypt human development report 1998. New York: UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Varghese, N. V. (2004). Private higher education in Africa. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (1994). Higher education: The lessons of experience. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2000). Arab Republic of Egypt: Higher education. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2002a). Arab Republic of Egypt education sector review: Progress and priorities for the future. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2002b). Arab Republic of Egypt Higher Education Enhancement Project (HEEP). Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2004). Arab Republic of Egypt: A poverty reduction strategy for Egypt. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2007). World development indicators 2007. Washington DC: World Bank.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2008). The road not travelled: Education reform in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2010a). Doing Business Project. http://www.doingbusiness.org/.

  • World Bank (2010b). EdStats database. http://go.worldbank.org/XRUNYCJET0.

  • WEF [World Economic Forum] (2009). World competitiveness report. http://www.cesoftco.net/2KMS/WorldCompetitivenessReport2008-2009.pdf.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yasmine Fahim.

About this article

Cite this article

Fahim, Y., Sami, N. Adequacy, efficiency and equity of higher education financing: The case of Egypt. Prospects 41, 47–67 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-011-9182-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-011-9182-x

Keywords

Navigation