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Private schools are an accepted reality in most low-and middle-income countries, especially in urban areas. While competition from private schools is theoretically expected to motivate public schools to improve, analysis of the effects of competition on public schools is virtually absent in low-and middle-income countries. Using a mixed methods analysis of public secondary school principals’ perceptions, I investigate what motivates and constrains public schools from reforming to compete with private schools in Nepal, a low-income country. I find that the mere presence of private schools is not enough to change public school realities. The obstacles to improvement and competition include not only institutional factors such as bureaucratic and financial constraints, but also lesser-recognized systemic impediments such as direct political influence on the education sector and long-term stigmatization of public schooling. The perception of barriers to reform are especially heightened in public schools that are in areas with a high concentration of private schools, and schools that are less selective.

Contact: Priyadarshani Joshi, p. joshi@ unesco. org