Education as Commodity: Parental Expectations, Institutional Interests, and the Crisis of Learner Agency in Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates how parental expectations and institutional directives shape the academic and occupational trajectories of pupils enrolled in private schools in the districts of Sheikhupura and Lahore, Pakistan. The analysis conceptualises these externally determined trajectories as “imposed goals” and situates them within the wider critique of the banking model of education, whereby knowledge is deposited rather than co-created. Institutional practices that calibrate curricula, assessment structures, and guidance services primarily to advance commercial interests transform classrooms into revenue-generating sites, marginalising authentic intellectual exploration. Simultaneously, many parents employ psychological conditioning from the earliest years of schooling, exhorting children to pursue culturally prestigious professions such as medicine or engineering, thereby reinforcing narrow definitions of success. Students consequently become commodities within a marketised educational ecosystem; school administrators and teachers steer them toward affiliated colleges and specialised preparatory academies to secure examination performance and institutional rankings, often at the expense of individual aptitude or aspiration. Drawing on qualitative observations, stakeholder interviews, and documentary analysis, the paper interrogates how these intersecting pressures restrict learner agency, perpetuate socio-economic stratification, and undermine the emancipatory potential of education envisioned by critical pedagogues. By illuminating the relational dynamics among families, schools, and ancillary coaching centres, the research advocates for policy interventions and pedagogical reforms that prioritise student-centred guidance, diversified career counselling, and collaborative curricula that honour intrinsic motivation and realities. In doing so, the study contributes to ongoing debates on educational equity, human development, and the ethical responsibilities of both parents and institutions in goal formation and holistic wellbeing.