Analyzing the challenges of the privatization policy of education and its consequences on the professional status of teachers

Abstract :

The present study aimed to analyze how the school privatization policy affects the status and professional development of teachers. To achieve this goal, a qualitative method was used, and thematic analysis was used for data analysis and interview technique was used for data collection. Using targeted sampling, 21 teachers and informants in the field of school privatization were identified and interviewed. The findings of the research show that the privatization of schools not only did not promote the professional development of teachers, but also caused job insecurity.With no job stability, teachers who feel job insecurity are less willing to invest in their professional development.  Also, the reduction of their strategic and cultural role has caused the loss of motivation and ability and has had a negative impact on the professional development of teachers. Decreasing the focus on deep learning and emphasizing the results of final and entrance exams has caused teachers to spend more of their time preparing students for these exams and this has reduced the quality of education.  The findings also show that students consider themselves superior to teachers due to paying high tuition fees, and this has caused teachers' dignity to decrease and negatively affected their motivation and performance, and also caused mutual understanding between teachers and students to not be formed.  The results show that although the school privatization policy has benefits for reducing the economic burden of the government, it needs serious revision and reflection due to the heavy social and cultural consequences for teachers.

References:

amali, J., & Soltani, M. (2020). The impact of privatization of schools and their management on the quality of education in Iran. Jahan‑e Novin, 3(12), 35–47. [In Persian]
Mohammadpour, A. (2011). Antimethod: Logic and design in qualitative methodology (Vol. 1). Tehran: Sociologists Publications. [In Persian]
Molaei, A., Kalbasi, A., & Zehbion, Sh. (2023). Privatization of education in Iran: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (A case study of evaluating the educational service purchase plan in primary schools). New Approaches in
Educational Management, 14(1), 143–157. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.30495/jedu.2023.28502.5720 Mehralizadeh, Y. (1998). Privatization of schools in Iran. Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences, 3,(4-3). [In Persian]
Hashemian, F., Zandian, H., & Aghamohammadi, J. (2015). Analysis of private sector participation in Iran’s education system. Strategic and Macro Policies Quarterly, 3(12), 1–26. [In Persian]
Mahmoudzadeh, A. (2023, October 9). Activities of non‑government school teachers to be regularized. Iran Daily. Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://irannewspaper.ir/8391/1/81998 [In Persian]
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation (S. F. Glaser, Trans.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Chudgar, Amita & Sakamoto, Jutaro(2021), Similar work, different pay? Private school teacher working conditions in India, International Journal of Educational Development, Volume 86, October 2021, 102478 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102478
Darling-Hammond, L, Burns, D, Campbell, C, Goodwin, A. L., Low, E. L., McIntyre, A., & Zeichner, K. (2017). Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-1119369608.
Fidan, Tuncer & Oztürk, Inci (2015). The Relationship of the Creativity of Public and Private School Teachers to their Intrinsic Motivation and the School Climate for Innovation, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 195, 3 July 2015, Pages 905-914 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.06.370
Fridman, m. (1980). Free to choose, Harmonds Worth, Legue.
Global education monitoring report summary, 2021/2: non-state actors in education: who chooses? who loses? James, E. (1988). The public/private division of responsibility for education: an international comparison. In James, T. & H. M.
Levin,.(Eds.), Comparing public and private schools.(1, 95-127). New York: Falmer. Kambutu J, Akpovo SM, Nganga L, et al. (2020). Privatization of early childhood education (ECE): Implications for social justice in Nepal and Kenya. Policy Futures in Education, 18(6): 700-724.
Murphy, J. (1996). The privatization of schooling: Problems and possibilities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Mohammad, Ambreen , Borkoski, Carey(2024). Organizational conditions and teacher turnover in private schools of United Arab Emirates, Social Sciences & Humanities Open, Volume 9, 2024, 100801 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100801
Naeem Akhtar& shafaqat, Amir Hashmi & Muhammad, Naqvi ,Syed Imtiaz Hussain(2010), A comparative study of job satisfaction in public and private school teachers at secondary level, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,Volume 2, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 4222-4228 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.668
Papanastasiou, Elena C. & Zembylas, Michalinos(2005). Job satisfaction variance among public and private kindergarten school teachers in Cyprus, International Journal of Educational Research, Volume 43, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 147-167 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2006.06.009#3
Shore Cris & Susan Wright (2015). Governing by Numbers: Audit Culture, Rankings and the New Word Order, in: Social Anthropology, Vo1. 23 (1), p.22-28
Strathern, Marilyn (ed)(2000). Audit Cultures; Anthropological Studies in Accountability, Ethics and the Academy, New York: Routledge.
Teske, P. & M. Schneider. (2001). What research can tell policymakers about school choice. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 11(20), 609-631.