Privatization of education refers to the shift of some or all of the cost of education from the government to students and their families. Private education can take several forms. It can be in formal private education institutions, or it can be informal in the form of private tutoring. This entry provides an overview of the increasingly privatized educational systems in the Middle East as well as a discussion of the factors that have contributed to the rise of privatized education in the region. The entry concludes by addressing some major concerns with the privatization of education in the Middle East.