Introduction on "Public vs. Private Kuwaiti Universities Tertiary Education"

Introduction 8 pages (2322 words) Sources: 30

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Public vs. Private Kuwaiti Universities

Tertiary education in Kuwait involves studying at either a private or a public institution of higher learning. The lingua franca at the private institutions is English while at the public institutions it is mainly Arabic. Previous surveys conducted by various researchers have shown that there are notable cultural disparities between the staff and students at the two categories of higher education institutions. The survey also showed that there are significant differences in the availability and usage of Information Technology infrastructure and knowledge between the public and private sectors. It is very popular among students in the public universities to employ standalone computers in their computer laboratories. Their laboratory computers and their dormitory computers also lack internet connectivity (Aldoub and Goodwin, 2007).

A perfect example of how technologically advanced the private universities are as compared to the public universities is the University for Science and Technology (GUST), a private university in Kuwait which in 2005, established an advanced and state-of -- the-art e-learning center commenced using e-learning to support learning activities. As opposed to other public universities, the students at private universities such as GUST are taught using English as the language of command. The other predominant feature of the Kuwaiti universities is that the private universities are predominantly attended by students whose backgrounds are either English or American High Schools. The use of computers is highly integrated into the school's curriculum.

Despite all the dominant differences that exist between the public and private universities, there is a common phenomenon or rather policy that dominates both universities. The male and the female student attend separate classes in the same locations. The students are however taught by both male and female teachers.

There are a lot desirable facilities in most of the private universities in Kuwait. At GUST for example; it is possible for the students to access the internet learning resource in the laboratories and also in their dormitories via a wireless network link which is also available in various hotspots across the campus. The e-learning facility is therefore available to the students in most private universities at any time.

In order to bring out the major contrast that exist between the public and the private Kuwaiti universities, we compare the excellent facilities and the demographics at GUST with those of CBS, a public university in Kuwait. Before we delve further into the details, it is worthwhile to categorically point out that the public universities in Kuwait are overseen by the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET) in Kuwait. The students are also separated and taught in two separate colleges as opposed to two separate classes.

In other words, in public universities there are male and female colleges located in two separate regions. The female students are however taught by both male and female teachers while the male students are taught by the male teachers only!

In the public universities there is lack of internet access in the computer laboratories and there is no access to the wireless network. There are no e-learning resources at the disposal of student in public universities.

Numerous studies have been carried out globally concerning both private and public universities. In these studies, findings have been recorded in similarities and differences of these institutions as well as other factors that have generated controversies among these institutions. Like other countries of the world, Kuwait has also various impacts that affect the structure and running of public and private universities. In this context, it is real that many students actually know that the difference between private and public university is that, public universities are supported by general taxation while the private ones are not. This is true but there are also many differences in these institutions that define the varied experience between these universities.

Public universities have always paid for higher education programs out of general public taxation. This has prompted more students to pay less or no tuition fees at all and has also enabled more admissions standards in the public universities than in the private institutions. Most students have been able to gain access to public institutions for higher education through selective exams programs; this is mainly for the provision of quality and performance in the universities which solely depends on the general ability of students. Due to the difference in students abilities and competition in public universities, students with low ability have a choice of increasing their education level or being uneducated depending on their financial capabilities. This simply means that a student with a low ability can equally be enrolled in a public university but after paying full tuition money which is always very expensive. On the other hand, a student with low ability and no money remains uneducated. But studies have shown more expansion of public universities due to high demand of higher quality education and the ability of students to compete for admission.

Different students have been enrolled in different universities majorly depending on the extent of their performance, this has always been the question mostly asked if students are better off in public universities than in the public ones. Many parents and guardians have developed the mentality that paying extra money for college education makes all the difference as far as quality and success is concerned. With this kind of belief in existence, more wealthy parents or guardians prefer paying so as to well secure the future of students in learning institutions. On the other hand, some parents, guardians, students and even college professors believe that education is generally the same whether it is from a public institution or a private one. This depends on the attitude and mental preparedness of the student towards his education and future.

When comparing the public universities to the private institutions, it is quite obvious that the quality of education in private universities is much lower than those in public universities. This is mainly reflected in the strategies used when competing for students. In public universities, there has always been a setting of qualification which must be achieved by a student before being accepted for admission; this kind of admission setting is designed to enable public universities act as monopolies whereby zero tuition fees for students with high abilities is initiated. When it comes to private universities, the mode of competing for students is not through the ability of a student but the financial capability. This means low ability students can be admitted so long as they can pay for the private fee; this has enabled many students to accede higher education, thus boosts total income in the economy.

Competition between private and public universities is determined by numerous variables including exams taken as well as general prices in the institutions. An active role paid by universities in setting the exams and the tuition fees determines the level of quality of education provided. While public universities have always maximized public surplus. That is, the total sum of students earnings less the all the costs spent in providing education, the private universities have always aimed at maximizing profits; which is, all income generated by the students who have been admitted in the institution less all the expenses incurred in providing education for the students in campus. This clearly shows that private universities use price as admission policy so as to ascertain their sustainability in providing higher education, this is because money from students is basically the only funding they use in running their institutions. As far as price is concerned, there are variations in pricing in different private universities depending on factors mostly of quality. Thus the better the quality level of a private university, the higher the tuition fees paid by the students.

There is also the question of diversity in education offerings in the institutions which vary according to the size of the universities. Most public universities have more professors, and more education facilities and therefore more faculties in which students are able to widely choose from. As opposed to most private universities, the sizes are usually small and they specialize in a smaller number of subjects such as business which requires fewer facilities. This fact still puts the public universities upfront when competition is at hand.

Students who attend public universities under public monopoly are basically the same students who are admitted in these institutions under competition. These students have always obtained similar quality in school in both cases. The existence of private universities for higher education has raised total welfare since students who have not been admitted in the public monopoly have been given a chance of joining the private universities and get educated. When observing the market partitions in which both public and private universities compete for students, there is a very unique equilibrium that exists in which the private universities are lower in quality than the public universities. This is because the public universities exclusively the use admission policy only, based on exams; and this provides a competitive advantage over the private institutions,… READ MORE

How to Reference "Public vs. Private Kuwaiti Universities Tertiary Education" Introduction in a Bibliography

Related Introductions:

Public vs. Private School Thesis

public vs. private schools. Parents, educators, and even politicians have joined the debate regarding public and private schools. Legislators have created legislation hoping to equalize the educational experience and millions… read more

Thesis 8 pages (2506 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Public vs. Private Security Research Paper

Public vs. Private Security

Private and public security forces have always been integral and critical components of ensuring safety and security in society. Although they may share some similarities especially… read more

Research Paper 2 pages (614 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Crime / Police / Criminal Justice

---

Comparison and Contrast Between Public and Private Schools Term Paper

Public v. Private Schools

The difference involving public and private schools is no longer as clear-cut as it once was. It may well be that the local public school is… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (962 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Tertiary Education Tends to Be the Domain Research Paper

Tertiary education tends to be the domain of the privileged few who can secure the finances, either by means of bursary or family funding, to access it. The impact of… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (2677 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Private v. Public in Social Networking Research Paper

Public vs. Private Social Networking

What do the words, private and public mean in terms of information?

Public information is defined as being suitable for use across a very broad… read more

Research Paper 5 pages (1928 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Computers / IT / Internet

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>