Neoliberalism, policy reforms and higher education in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Bangladesh has introduced neoliberal policies since the 1970s. Military regimes, since the dramatic political changes in 1975, accelerated the process. A succession of military rulers made rigorous changes in policy-making in various sectors. This article uses a critical approach to document analysis and examines the perceptions of key stakeholders to explore how the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and the economic and political interests of the ruling civil-military elites, worked together to consolidate power and adopt neoliberal policy in various sectors. Moreover, the democratic regimes, since the 1990s, have continued to implement neoliberal policies with support from the IFIs. As part of neoliberalism, the democratic regimes initiated a market-driven economic policy in the higher education sector in the 1990s. The neoliberal transformation of policies has brought major changes in the higher education sector in recent times. This article aims to examine and report on these changes.