Privatization of Public Higher Education and Skill Training: Case Study of University of Applied Science and Technology

The role of higher education is undeniable in the sustainable development of developing and developed countries. In developed countries, the importance of these specialized training centers has been properly recognized and the governments have invested in developing the higher education system based on economic, social, political and cultural policies so that this system trains the specialized human resources for different economic, social and cultural sectors of the society. In the developing countries, the governments have adopted the privatization of higher education policy in the form of privatization of public higher education and entry of private sector in higher education for different reasons such as increasing demands for higher education, inability of governments to respond to the increasing demands of higher education because of the shortage of funds, demographic changes of higher education applicants, emphasizing and encouraging of international organizations such as World Bank, changes in work market trends and the need for diverse expertise. In Iran, the privatization of public higher education has taken place in the form of Payam-Nour Universities, University of Applied Science and Technology, evening courses and students’ admission along with receiving tuition fees. Universities of Applied Science and Technology need to consider some requirements for their quality development in order to succeed in private higher education. This article attempts to introduce the privatization of higher education and the important requirements for the quality development of Universities of Applied Science and Technology.