This ethnographic study examined the (un)intended 1 consequences of increased privatization of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Nepal and Kenya. Qualitative data showed overreliance on high-stakes standardized tests increased competition for ‘good grades or examination scores’, thus (un)intentionally creating ideal conditions for proliferation of for-profit private schools that predominantly taught culturally decontextualized education at all levels of schooling. Private schools in both countries served high-income families and children, while low-income families and children did not have access to ECE or attended government and not-for-profit programmes. Rather than bridging the gap between low and high-income families, these educational spaces influenced existing social divisions and inequalities. Therefore, this study concluded that private schools in Nepal and Kenya function like businesses, which (un)intentionally promoted educational injustice 2 against children from low-income families. Consequently, authors recommend enactment of new educational policies and practices that promote culturally contextualized curricula in ECE programmes.

中文翻译：

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幼儿教育的私有化（ECE）：对尼泊尔和肯尼亚的社会正义的启示

这项人种学研究调查了尼泊尔和肯尼亚幼儿教育私有化增加的（非预期）后果1。定性数据显示，对高标准考试的过度依赖增加了对“好成绩或考试成绩”的竞争，因此（无意）为在各个教育水平上主要教授文化脱背景教育的营利性私立学校创造了理想条件。两国的私立学校都为高收入家庭和儿童提供服务，而低收入家庭和儿童则无法获得儿童早教，也没有参加政府和非营利性计划。这些教育空间没有弥合低收入家庭和高收入家庭之间的鸿沟，而是影响了现有的社会分化和不平等现象。所以，这项研究得出的结论是，尼泊尔和肯尼亚的私立学校像企业一样运作，有意（无意）助长了针对低收入家庭儿童的教育不公正现象2。因此，作者建议制定新的教育政策和做法，以促进欧洲经委会计划中文化背景化的课程。