Public-private partnerships for education: what makes them work?

Partnerships for Education (PfE), led by UNESCO and the World Economic Forum, brought together supporters of public-private partnerships for education at a workshop on 25 and 26 June in Geneva, Switzerland.

"It is truly an honour to be part of such a groundbreaking educational model
where private, public and non-profit organizations come together
to drive the marriage of education and technology for the greater good."

John Chambers, President and CEO, Cisco Systems

The workshop focussed on the success and sustainability of education partnerships.

Participants from UN agencies, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions, governments, and teachers from all regions of the world described examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships in education (MSPEs), identified common factors for success and review capacity for delivering such partnerships worldwide. They will also study how best to co-ordinate existing MSPE initiatives.

Partnerships for Education (PfE) is an unprecedented collaboration between governments, the private sector, international organizations and donors to help deliver effective private sector contributions to meet the goal of providing Education for All (EFA) by 2015. The partnership was signed between UNESCO and the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2007.

Read more about UNESCO catalyzed partnerships for education.