Higher Education Ph.D. Dissertations

Private Higher Education in Jamaica: Expanding Access in Pursuit of Vision 2030

Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Higher Education Administration

First Advisor

Patricia K. Kubow

Second Advisor

Candace Archer (Committee Member)

Third Advisor

Michael D. Coomes (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Robert DeBard (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Gary St.C. Oates (Committee Member)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain insight on why private higher education institutions have flourished as key providers of higher education in Jamaica, how these institutions facilitate access to higher education, and to what extent private higher education institutions contribute to the achievement of Jamaica's national higher education goals. The researcher also examined the extent to which the neo-liberal framework, which supports the notion of education as a tool for economic development, is appropriate for understanding how higher education is unfolding in Jamaica. Although the neo-liberal principles are evident within the Jamaican higher education system the neo-liberal framework alone is insufficient in providing a full understanding of how private higher education is unfolding in Jamaica. The findings of the study suggest that local private higher education institutions in Jamaica serve to challenge the status quo by making higher education accessible to members of the society who have been previously marginalized and underserved by the public higher education system. Local private higher education institutions in Jamaica have emerged in response to excess demand for higher education that the government was unable and unwilling to supply.

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