Education & Health
From The Report: Peru 2015
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Public spending on education and health is set to increase significantly in coming years as the government attempts to address one of the biggest challenges facing both sectors; a sizeable infrastructure gap that continues to perpetuate a significant urban-rural divide. In the process, opportunities for the private sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs) should abound. In the education sector, the government’s most recent effort to improve quality came in the form of a new university law which will increase oversight and requirements for students and professors. Meanwhile, in the health sector, a reform package passed in 2013 and the allocation of $8.4bn to address the infrastructure gap in the public health system are indicative of the government’s commitment to raising sector standards. A new emphasis on PPPs to boost public health infrastructure is expected to generate opportunities for an already dynamic and fast-growing private sector.

This chapter contains interviews with José Dextre Chacón, President, Federation of Private Institutions of Higher Education and Elsa Del Castillo, President, University of the Pacific.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Government spending is increasing as efforts to improve the school system continue
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Government efforts to diversify the economy away from mineral extraction have made education a political priority. Education reform is a central goal for the current administration, which faces the task of improving the quality of education at all levels – not an easy one in light of Peru’s poor performance in recent national and international evaluations. Public spending is set to increase significantly in the coming years as the government attempts to address some of the sector’s most pressing…

Interview

José Dextre Chacón, President, Federation of Private Institutions of Higher Education: Interview
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Interview:José Dextre Chacón With PEN2.8bn ($1bn) in underspending, what can be done to ensure that the Ministry of Education spends its full annual budget? JOSÉDEXTRE CHACÓN: The investment needed to close the gap in education is close to 20 times the unspent amount. This means that, even when spending the full budget allocation, it would take 20 years to catch up. The government’s strategy has to look at strengthening the link with the private sector. Historically, the Ministry…

Interview

Elsa Del Castillo, President, University of the Pacific: Interview
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Interview: Elsa Del Castillo What more needs to be done to improve the tertiary education system in the country? ELSA DEL CASTILLO: Education is a key factor in the country’s wider development and remains central to ensuring sustainable, long-term economic growth. The fact that less than 20% of the over 80 universities currently operating in Peru would meet the requirements of the new University Law shows that the process of university accreditation has been misguided. As we already know, establishing…

Overview

Partnerships with the private sector are on the rise as the government prepares to address infrastructure gaps
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After decades of underinvestment, the Peruvian government is now prioritising the health care sector. A reform package passed in 2013 and the allocation of $8.4bn to address the sizeable infrastructure gap in the public system are indicative of the government’s commitment to raising sector standards. A new emphasis on public-private partnerships (PPPs) to boost public infrastructure is expected to generate opportunities for an already dynamic and fast-growing private sector. System The Peruvian…