Shadow education as local education policy: how secretariats of education promote privatisation of test preparation services for the Saber 11 exam in Colombia’s public schools

This article investigates how Colombia’s decentralised Secretariats of Education (SoE) institutionalise exam-oriented preparation for Sabre 11, the mandatory upper-secondary exit exam governing higher-education access. These state-procured services are conceptualised as shadow education, satisfying Bray’s canonical criteria – supplementary nature, academic focus, and fee-based delivery – while functioning as a publicly financed, contract-based modality. Operating beyond the core curriculum, these programmes often become mandatory through contractual mandates. Theoretically, the study is situated at the intersection of state responsibilization and privatisation; subnational authorities, under pressure to improve metrics, outsource service delivery while retaining accountability for outcomes. Methodologically, the research employs a documentary analysis of procurement dossiers (2021–2024), systematically coding service configurations, delivery modalities, and per-student expenditures. Findings reveal that local development plans mobilise public resources to improve Sabre 11 rankings, which are centrally monitored by the Ministry of Education. Despite significant data constraints – notably the absence of a national registry and the discontinuation of student-level participation surveys since 2012—the evidence demonstrates a sophisticated bundling of tutoring, teacher training, and curriculum alignment. This model effectively embeds shadow education within the public apparatus, illustrating how state-initiated private interventions are leveraged to advance subnational performance imperatives and quality assurance goals.