The Commodification of Education and the Reproduction of Educational Inequality: Teachers’ Narratives in Tabriz (A Qualitative Study)

This study probes teachers' narratives of how educational inequality is reproduced amid the commodification of schooling.Educational justice is conceived as equal access to learning opportunities and resources-an aspiration that under current conditions in Iran's education system has become a central challenge.Drawing on the perspectives of Bourdieu, Illich, and Coleman, the study uses thematic narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 teachers from various schools in Tabriz, examining mechanisms through which injustice is reproduced.Findings indicate that monetization of education substantially contributes to inequality across schools.The core theme is that education-expected to function as a vehicle for social mobility, change, and equal access-has become increasingly monetized.Four key themes signal this: (1) social and cultural distinction; (2) growth of fee-charging non-state schools; (3) unequal access to quality education; and (4) family poverty and its consequences.Additional dynamics under monetization foster injustice: the dominance of online learning with unequal access to technologies; the diminishing educative role of schools; and the concentration of poverty in disadvantaged neighborhoods.Together, these processes channel advantages to privileged groups while constraining the trajectories of low-income students.In conclusion, the study underscores the need for policy interventions to mitigate inequalities-interventions that address schooling costs, regulate the private sector, strengthen public schools, and improve equitable access to digital infrastructures.