Privatization in and of Public Education

Abstract Privatization of education has become a global trend, tailored to fit local economic and political contexts. The papers in this collection highlight the varied aspects of privatization, including its exogenous/endogenous, central/peripheral, and for-profit/philanthropic dimensions. The researchers presented the multifaceted effects and consequences of privatization, which are not only structural and relational but also ethical, subjective, and discursive. The shift from education as a public good to a private commodity is part of the neoliberal modernization of the state. Privatization introduces an economic perspective that treats knowledge and the learner as commodities, and it transforms the relationship between schools, teachers, students, parents, and the state. The state now plays a role in facilitating privatization, acting as a midwife for the marketization of education services.