Education disaster in Burundi

The BBC reports:

Burundi's primary schools are struggling to cope with a huge increase in numbers of pupils on the first day of term after fees were scrapped.

The move is in line with the UN's plans to make all primary schooling free by 2006 and for it to be universal by 2015. While the aim is laudable, the research of the EG West Centre has shown that in those countries where free provision is available, its introduction has destroyed high quality private schooling and replaced it with poor quality state education.

Free education for Burundi looks like a good thing. It will almost certainly be a disaster.