Neo-liberalism, human capital theory and the right to education: Economic interpretation of the purpose of education

With the end of WW II, a new world order emerged that recognised the significance of human rights as part of the remedial measures to institute global peace. This is recognised in Articles 1(3), 13(1)(b) and 55(c) of the 1945 United Nations Charter. Thereafter, the human rights ideals recognised by the UN Charter were codified into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948 (Fait, 2015: 26). Despite not having a binding force, the UDHR became a standard-setting instrument covering all generations of human rights including the right to education. Later, two distinct treaties – i.e., the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966 and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966 were adopted as a follow-up to the UDHR. Articles 13 and 14 of the ICESCR made more expansive provisions on the right to education than Article 26 of the UDHR. However, the adoption of policies driven by neoliberal ideals and associated neo-classical economic principles in the delivery of education has brought education under market forces, encapsulating it with an economic purpose. This makes education central to the realisation of the neoliberal ideology as schools focus on teaching technical skills and knowledge necessary for the achievement of the economic purposes of education. This paper argues that while the economic purpose of education which is in line with neoliberal and associated neo-classical economic principles is germane for states’ economic development, a holistic approach is consistent with the human rights purpose of education.