Knight, Jane (2002) “Trade creep: implication of GATS for higher education policy” in International Higher Education v. 28 (www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/News28/text002.html)
GATS – General Agreement on Trades in Service – first agreement to focus specifically on services, rather than products. Administered by the WTO – with 144 member nations – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda all signed on as of Jan 1, 1995. Kenya currently has no higher education-related postings on the WTO website (http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/kenya_e.htm)
DETRACTORS - GATS is seen by some as a threat to national sovereignty over public policy in regard to education, conceptions of education as a “public good” (rather than a privately purchased product).
SUPPORTERS - GATS is seen by others as device to open doors to new players in higher education, new delivery modes (think distance and virtual here), increased student access, and increased economic gain.
What role for government in a more open trade (free trade) realm such as that envisioned with GATS conceptions, where “the market” - especially in developing countries where state resources are limited – constructs a two-tiered system of education – private and well-supported for those with money, and public & underfunded for the have-nots?
In such a case, should the government do anything to restrict private higher education? Use policy decisions to “manage the market”?
Any chance that governments will see private higher education investment from outside their borders as a pathway to reducing their expenditure on higher education?
How will government regulate – and by what means – any increase in higher education offerings? Do as Kenya has done with its Commission for Higher Education – register-charter-accredit? What of the cost for this kind of regulation?
How will greater mobility of education workers (instructors, researchers) affect nations that are less able to pay “average international wages” for such work – whatever those averages might be? Just another contributor to old-style BRAIN DRAIN?
Homogenization of culture – as more American colleges establish campuses in Kenya, is there anything to worry about re: Americanization of Kenya?
