Neoliberal capitalism and education in Ireland

In this paper we examine the impact that the ideological / political / class project of neoliberalism has had on education in Ireland. We discuss the effect of neoliberal policies on Ireland and Irish society in order to provide a context for what follows. We then examine the Primary and Secondary sectors of the Irish education system – with particular reference to elite fee paying schools - critiquing the marketisation of education and the emergence of an ideology of ‘consumer choice’. We argue that this ideology serves those that can afford desirable ‘choices’, and that the resultant inequality in educational achievement is ‘justified’ through an ideology of meritocracy / personal responsibility. Finally, we examine how neoliberalism has impacted on Higher education in Ireland. Following O’ Connor (2013) we ultimately argue that it has resulted in a downgrading of services, attacks on the idea of public education as a right, and the pushing of the neoliberal model in its stead, all of which serve to legitimise and promote a rigid instrumental understanding of what education is for (Bok, 2003 cited in O’ Connor 2013, p.17).