Navigating neoliberal tensions during the Pandemic for International Baccalaureatte schools
By Suraiya Abdul Hameed, Yu-Chih Li, and Jack Tsao
Hameed, S.A., Li, YC. & Tsao, J. (2025) Navigating the neoliberal tensions during the COVID-19 pandemic- IB practices within Singapore, Hong Kong & Taiwan. The Australian Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00884-8
This qualitative comparative study examines how International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan navigate tensions between neoliberal market pressures and the IB’s idealist educational philosophy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through interviews with 45 participants across 15 schools, the researchers identified three key themes: navigating tensions toward excellence (balancing holistic education with academic performance expectations), developing equitable professional collaboration (addressing disparities in support systems across regions), and repurposing educational initiatives for social equity (confronting elitism while maintaining market competitiveness). The study reveals that while schools demonstrated commitment to more balanced, holistic approaches during the pandemic, they continue to struggle with market-driven pressures from parents and competition, suggesting that meaningful transformation requires not just programmatic adjustments but a fundamental rethinking of how educational value is conceived beyond the traditional market efficiency versus educational ideals dichotomy.
Key findings and contributions
COVID-19 weakened the influence of neoliberal flows and performative market-driven metrics to enable schools to temporarily prioritise their holistic mission, student well-being, and collaborative learning among teachers.
Nonetheless, the current frameworks show deep structural issues that constrain access to socioeconomically advantaged students due to English language requirements, high fees, and performance expectations, with schools struggling to reconcile inclusive ideals with market realities.
Implications for practice or policy
For IBO, our findings indicate the need to develop new frameworks to balance the competing demands that go beyond the marketisation versus educational ideals dichotomy, toward reconceptualising how educational excellence is defined and measured in international education.
For school leaders, disparities in collaborative engagement and professional development across contexts show the need to formalise local and regional partnerships.