THE IMPACTS OF NEOLIBERALISM ON BASIC EDUCATION: PRIVATIZATION, INEQUALITY AND CHANGES IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The article critically examines the effects of neoliberalism on basic education, arguing that the emphasis on economic efficiency and competition reshapes the purposes, means, and outcomes of the school system. It shows that privatization and commodification — materialized through public-private partnerships and charter schools — favor institutions with greater capacity to attract resources and increase the fragmentation of the system, deepening territorial and socioeconomic inequalities. In the field of assessment, it is evident that standardized testing and school rankings induce narrow curricula, “teaching to the test,” and the reduction of learning to metrics, with negative impacts on students’ well-being. The article also discusses the devaluation of education professionals, marked by austerity, precarization, and individualized accountability for results, which erodes teacher autonomy and pedagogical innovation. In school management, the rhetoric of autonomy and decentralization, without adequate funding, shifts burdens to schools and may intensify disparities between networks and territories. It concludes by highlighting the need for public policies that reaffirm education as a public good: strengthening public schools, valuing teachers (career, training, and working conditions), implementing formative assessment, and promoting democratic management oriented toward equity, thus ensuring access, retention, and learning with social quality for all.