Concluding remarks: the global/local nexus of school challenges under neoliberal policies: what next?

Education systems and schools are globally under strain due to school closures and the implementation of remote education so children are not left without instruction. Neoliberal policies and practices globally are crucial dominant drivers behind various challenges within local education systems. Accounts of neoliberalism in education reflect a universal trend, with insufficient attention paid to local context. This exacerbates processes of exclusion that are part of a larger set of historical and geopolitical trends within a capitalist order. In economic terms, almost all countries explored in this volume underwent budget cuts in public education because of neoliberal policies. At country level, despite geographic and economic differences, all nation states explored in this volume experienced adverse effects on their educational systems in terms of markets, poverty, and privatisation. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.