Education as a Service or as a Right

Interesting thought from a paper mentioned in the UNESCO IIEP forum on open educational resources:

An important debate is currently taking place within universities but also among researchers, diplomats and governmental sectors all over the world. Can education be considered as a commercial service and, as a result, regulated by the World Trade Organization (WTO)? If the reply is positive, does this mean that the rules and principles of GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services) apply to education or should it be considered as a public service? What are the implications of the answer to this question? And if the idea of public service is retained, what are the principles that must guide the organization, content and policies for higher education in developing countries in general?

The Objectives and Institutionalism of the Global University System was written by the former Director of the Division of Higher Ed of UNESCO.