Voucher program for secondary schools : the Colombian experience

This report examines the voucher program created in 1991 for secondary schools. It analyzes the implementation of this system of demand subsidies, focusing on the following issues: Was there a need for a voucher program? Which considerations did the government take into account? Why was the program relatively easy to implement? How did it start? What are its accomplishments? What are the program's main problems? and, What is expected for the future? Overall, the voucher program was found to have successfully expanded private education to low-income families, although some adjustments have to be made regarding the timeliness of payments and the educational quality of the new schools which rely mainly on vouchers for their existence.