Prof. James Tooley's Photo

The Centre's Director is James Tooley, PhD, Professor of Education Policy at the University of Newcastle. Professor Tooley directed the global study of investment opportunities for private education in developing countries for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - the private finance arm of the World Bank - which led to his publication The Global Education Industry, (IEA, 1999), now in its 2nd edition. This study explored the private education market and the regulatory and investment climate in a dozen countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, together with detailed case studies of 20 private education companies or institutions. Professor Tooley is currently directing an international research programme examining the role of private schools serving low income families in Asia and Africa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. Research is currently on going in India, China, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. Professor Tooley has also done considerable consultancy work for the IFC, World Bank (IBRD), UN, UNESCO, and Asian Development Bank Institute on private education in developing countries. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences on the global education industry.