‘We cannot do without English’: Neoliberal Ideology and English Teachers’ Perceptions of Higher Education in Pakistan
Keywords:
Neoliberalism, Commodification, English Teachers, Higher EducationAbstract
Neoliberalism is an economic theory, ideology, and philosophy that encourages the free market and promotes individuality over collective success. Ideology shapes people’s perceptions, and they accept dominant ideologies as a common-sense way of thinking. Neoliberalism, coupled with globalization, promotes education as a commodity that can be bought and sold for individuals’ benefit. Moreover, its dominance in the field of education is so pervasive that people accept neoliberal models of education as significant for progress. A rich scholarship is available on the impact of neoliberalism on education; however, limited research has been carried out to explore English teachers’ perceptions regarding the influence of neoliberalism on education. Thus, this paper bridges the gap by adopting a qualitative approach. Employing phenomenology, data are collected through semi-structured interviews. Charmaz’s coding techniques are used as an analytical framework. The findings suggest that neoliberalism has transformed education into a commodity, and English teachers are managers who are responsible for selling this commodity to generate revenue for the universities because their perceptions are influenced by neoliberal ideology. The paper highlights the significance of raising awareness of critical thinking to question business-oriented educational reforms.
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