Conceptualisation of higher education: The neoliberal approach

• Main Author: Đuković Anđela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pedagoško društvo Srbije i Institut za pedagogiju i andragogiju Filozofskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Beogradu 2019-01-01
• Series: Nastava i Vaspitanje
• Subjects: neoliberalism; higher education; free market; commercialization of higher education; instrumentalization of higher education
• Online Access: https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0547-3330/2019/0547-33301901007Q.pdf

Neoliberalism has become the dominant ideology of our time, impacting all segments of society. At the same time, higher education has been undergoing changes altering its identity, purpose, roles and position. Our analysis focuses on identifying and examining key neoliberal concepts - the free market, individualism, individual freedom, the diminished state - which have been transforming the concept of higher education. These ideas are examined through the trends of commercialization and privatization of higher education, its instrumentalization in accordance with the needs of a knowledge economy, and standardization as an instrument in the striving for efficiency and quality assurance. The overall conclusion is that higher education, from a neoliberal perspective, is conceptualized in terms of economic growth. Under the influence of neoliberal values, higher education is regarded primarily as a private good, thus enabling its positioning as an economic agent. The traditional roles of students and teachedrs are being transformed, as is the insitutional mission of the university, whose primary purpose has become to serve the needs of the current economy. In the neoliberal context, the essence of the university is expressed primarily through the economic terms of profitability, productivity and competitiveness.