The logics of policy privatisation in schooling, including decentralisation, school autonomy, and discretionary funding mechanisms, shift responsibility for particular types of students onto individual schools and their staff. Burch (2021) asks to what extent the most disadvantaged students in government schools are able to access services most…

The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has in some contexts been described as privatization by default rather than by government policy. An allied literature shows that while such tutoring claims to supplement, it may also undermine schooling. This paper, with data from Myanmar, identifies ways in which shadow…

Every province and territory in Canada has the authority to oversee higher education policies. In recent provincial and federal policy reforms, neoliberalism and academic capitalism have been gaining influence in Canadian higher education. This particularly applies to the policy reform plan "Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs," which…

Vocational colleges' social role has been under-developed because they have been marketised and privatised, and because the idea of the vocational college has not been advanced and institutionalised. The paper describes this for public vocational colleges in Australia, which are at the vanguard of competency-based education and in being…

This qualitative case study from Zimbabwe drew inspiration from the sharp rise of for-profit, high-cost private schools to explore and discuss the perspectives of the parents, teachers and private school owners on the nexus between the emergence of private secondary schools and the applicability of "Ubuntu" values. Tapping insights from…

In the wake of the triumphant university student movement that took place 17 years ago, in defense of Article 16 of the Greek Constitution -- a provision which stipulates that higher education should be accessible at no cost and should be provided exclusively by public institutions -- the right-wing conservative government of New Democracy has…

School systems worldwide struggle with socio-economic segregation, often worsened by private schooling, which affects student learning and inequality. By dividing students along socioeconomic lines, both private schools and segregation can affect the development of essential skills for the twenty-first century. This study examines the link between…

Unions have played a decisive role in promoting democracy and social justice in Tunisia. In 2023, two teacher unions led a yearlong 'silent strike' of withholding student marks from administration. Based on interviews with 60 teachers, this article analyses teacher views on the unions and on ongoing protests. While unions are still considered the…

Students are experiencing high levels of stress and mental health distress and are at greater risk of suicide, resulting in calls to provide appropriate mental health supports in schools. In response, provincial governments are outsourcing K-12 mental health supports to private organizations (both non- and for-profit). Through a review of Manitoba…

This study aims at the contribution of education to ASEAN low-and-lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) economic development and particularly the role of higher education in avoiding the low-and-lower-middle-income trap (LLMIT). Panel data analysis indicates a positive relationship between GDP per capita and higher education enrollment, though…

The central argument of this article is that post-colonial states operate--and have always operated, due to their roots in colonialism and capitalism--according to an "ethos of privatization," through which state agents derive private benefit from positions ostensibly responsible for providing public services. The article offers a…

This article challenges mainstream discourses of girls' education during COVID-19 that sexualize girls in the Global South and reproduce racialized differences. We draw on a longitudinal cohort study of Malawian young women conducted from 2020 to 2023 to offer counternarratives of the intersecting risks to school retention. We argue that the…

Employing Stephen Ball's notion of network governance, this study examines the relationships between private companies, non-profit organizations, and public institutions involved with music education in the United States (US) and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify which public and private actors had a hand in shaping music education…

This paper investigates and compares the policy trajectories of two halted privatisation reforms -- autonomous private high schools in South Korea (2002-2019) and converted schools in China (1992-2008). The two reforms, ambitiously announced, were put under scrutiny and ultimately halted, when the public discontent about education inequalities was…

This paper explores the contrast between the policy vision for public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges in South Africa, and governance and funding models that have shaped institutional forms and functioning over time. Policy aspires for TVET colleges to play a role in social inclusion and local economic development.…