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Vol. 16(2), pp. 16-26, February, 2021 DOI: 10.5897/ERR2020.4101 Article Number: E2262E066060 ISSN: 1990-3839 Copyright ©2021 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article Educational Research and Reviews http://www.academicjournals.org/ERR Full Length Research Paper Trends in higher education under neoliberalism: Between traditional education and the culture of globalization Younis Abu Al-Haija and Hatim Mahamid* Department of Education, Faculty of Management and Organization of Education Systems, The Open University and Sakhnin College, Israel. Received 20 November, 2020; Accepted 27 January, 2021 This article aims to investigate the impact of neoliberalism on the trends of higher education, and on the changes in the approach of universities and colleges between traditional education and education in the service of globalization and neoliberalism. The research method was theoretical and qualitative that demonstrates the progressive impact of modern enlightenment ideas in higher education institutions and their spread in many countries in order to serve the interests of economic and technological competition, and control over the market's capabilities and requirements. Despite the increase in higher education institutions and the emergence of private colleges in different countries, which attract increasing numbers of students, there are several negative aspects in the approach of higher education, including changes in the structure of the academic institution and its scientific, cultural and administrative orientations. This liberal trend also directly affects the quality of education, in addition to the commodification of education. Moreover, contributions of the private sector have increased with the aim of providing a workforce that is professionally trained and capable of managing business, trade and the market, at the expense of the humanities, social sciences, arts and critical thinking. More importantly, the decline in the quality of education and its educational outcomes, in terms of academic efficiency and scientific research in the service of human and societal matters is evident. The goal of education has become centered on graduating generations that are not scientifically or intellectually qualified, far from their social concerns and democratic intellectual liberation. Key words: Neoliberalism, higher education, private institutions, traditional sciences, economics and globalization, education quality, brain drain. INTRODUCTION The role of higher education institutions is evident in comprehensive sense, as well as directing the cultural consolidating the values of society, spreading knowledge behavior of individuals and society (Giroux, 2010: 234). and its gains, and activating community participation. With the emergence of neoliberalism, concepts began to Higher education constitutes a pillar of development, not change in the direction of depleting human values, only in the economic and social fields, but also by diminishing human feelings in human affairs and preserving and strengthening the basic structures of squandering their space, and preventing their rise to democracy and justice through the capabilities of its intellectual liberation (Giroux, 2014; Raaper and Olssen, graduates in the field of community participation, by 2016: 152-153; Abu „Awwad, 2014: 90). Neoliberalism influencing the quality and pattern of life in its has adopted an educational system that is limited to Al-Haija and Mahamid 17 providing technical expertise devoid of the human higher education institutions have reached under the dimensions of social and philosophical thinking, criticism, influence of accelerating events in the modern era? Is it creativity, solidarity, and social solidarity (Maisuria and possible to imagine the future of higher education in light Cole, 2017: 605). of neoliberalism or unexpected developments? The enlightenment movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and scholars such as Kant, Rousseau, Descartes, Hegel and others called for the THE EMERGENCE OF NEOLIBERALISM AND ITS crystallization of a set of liberal values that led to a state IMPACT ON THE MODERN UNIVERSITY of implanting belief in the value of learning and the comprehensive role of education in society. Thus, Political theories and social values inherited from the contemporary liberal education contributed to the spread nineteenth century that emerged during the of many enlightening ideas, which gradually left their Enlightenment period did not prepare modern states and impact on modern higher education institutions that various societies to face the modern phenomena of rapid began to spread in many countries of the world, most change and innovation such as globalization and the likely with the support and influence of colonialism and its market economy. In this context, Henry Giroux and ideas to serve its economic interests and competition Suzanne Giroux pointed out that these values have („Abd al-Wahid, 2020). In accordance with this thought, become endangered in recent years, as a result of the the modern research university was designed on the accelerating trend of neoliberalism towards basis of developing rational and critical thought through commercializing university education (Giroux and Giroux, education, enlightening the larger societal audience, and 2012: 26). This has left its impact on the tyranny of teaching students to see their lives in it in a specific way, material values over academic values, which would affect as individuals in a national society and culture (Giroux, the freedom and independence of the university, 2010: 235). undermine its reputation and position, and reduce Some researchers believe that the idea of establishing confidence in its outputs, consequently weakening the the university is one of the finest and most humane ideas university as a center of criticism and a vital source of of humanity. It is considered the noblest purpose, as it is civic and democratic education. Therefore, universities the place of human communication and interaction in its have become almost impotent, silent about teaching finest form and its highest goals, and it is the place of students how to think for themselves about democratic mental interactions with knowledge, perception and matters, how to think critically in order to maintain a scientific research, and where ideas are supposed to be society dominated by principles of values, freedom and expressed. Opinions and the free search for truth are democracy, and to deal with others with equality and expected to bring about change in an ever-evolving and parity, on a basis of mutual respect and free and innovative society (Boulton and Lucas, 2008: 3). In this honorable competition. context, the American thinker Henry Giroux claims that With the introduction of the global capitalist system and the university, by its very nature, should be the place its economic crises during the seventies and eighties of where students learn democracy and develop a deep the twentieth century, during the reigns of British Prime sense of social justice, acquire skills, and emotional and Minister, Margaret Thatcher (1979 to 1990) and US moral development in order to respect the rights of President Ronald Reagan (1981 to 1989), the system others. By acquiring these values, students learn how to tended to adopt new liberal policies. These included participate actively in shaping their society on the basis of reducing state intervention in the economy, privatizing the freedom and democracy (Giroux, 2014). public sector, and launching a free market (Hill, 2010). This study aims to clarify and identify gaps in the The free market theory adopted by the neoconservatives literature to underline the contribution to knowledge and did not stop at the borders of the economy, but rather left significance of the study on the changes that have its impact on many policies, including education, as one occurred in the process of higher education and its of the most important components of the services sector. objectives in light of neoliberalism, its interactions and The state abandoned its responsibilities towards effect on higher education nowadays. From here, several developing and supporting it, under the pretext of the questions arise that can be posed for research: What are inability to bear the expenses and burdens of the the obstacles and challenges that stand in the way of the increasing demand for educational services. universities' orientations and the goals for which they As for higher education and universities, this has been were established? To what extent has neoliberalism reflected in the form of changes in the organizational influenced universities and higher education institutions? structure from a vertical hierarchical structure to a Did it achieve its goals? How can the perceptions that horizontal one. Changes in the economic structure *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License 18 Educ. Res. Rev. also took place through a decline in government capitalist education, and how these factors contributed to spending on higher education institutions, an increase in encouraging higher education institutions to move from the number of students, and changes in organizational the traditional approach, reshape academic culture, and boundaries, as universities began to form partnerships transform it from focusing on the intellectual