Abstract:
the commodification of knowledge and the reduction of human status to "human capital." This study aims to critique the anthropological and economic foundations of neoliberalism in education and to propose an alternative model based on the thought of Shahid Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr.
This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method with an inferential (Ijtihadi) approach. Data were gathered through library research, extracting key concepts from the primary works of Shahid Sadr (including Iqtisaduna and Al-Madrasah al-Qur'aniyyah) and the texts of neoliberal theorists, followed by a comparative analysis.
The findings indicate that neoliberalism, by relying on "Homo Economicus" and instrumental rationality, has led to exclusionary competition and the undermining of educational justice. In contrast, Shahid Sadr, by presenting the model of "Khalifatullah" (Human as God's Vicegerent), considers the ultimate goal of education to be the realization of divine responsibility and human liberty. Educational analysis revealed that the concepts of "Social Solidarity" (Takaful) and "Social Balance" in Sadr's thought serve as an antidote to the individualism and educational stratification inherent in the neoliberal model. Furthermore, it was determined that the state in Sadr's thought (the "Nabita" State), contrary to the neoliberal model, holds direct responsibility for providing free, high-quality education to realize distributive justice.The results suggest that to overcome the educational crises caused by neoliberalism, it is essential to shift the motivational system from "material gain" to "spiritual exaltation." Sadr's educational model, by linking personal interest with public welfare through faith, provides a framework where the school is not a competitive enterprise, but a center for the cultivation of moral virtues and the realization of social justice.