The Post-Pandemic Paradox Between Global Higher Education Marketization and Education Quality: A Case Study of the UK and Australia

In recent years, the impact of education marketization on higher education has been widely concerned and discussed. In the field of international education, the negative effects of marketization are increasing. This study breaks through the traditional argument that "excessive marketization weakens the quality of education", and analyzes the actual performance of higher education in Britain and Australia in the post epidemic era, against the background of Education Marketization from a multi-agent perspective. Specifically, this study adopts a three-tiered framework of "institution-organization-individual" to analyze how the UK and Australia have transformed international students from "educational subjects" into "financial instruments". The study finds that relationships among the state (government), universities, and students are marked by imbalances in rights, gaps in responsibility, and a breakdown of reciprocity. The conclusion is that the international education crisis in the post-pandemic era is essentially a crisis of the global higher education development model. Therefore, this study proposes to establish a sustainable international education ecology with the core principles of "ethical care" and "mutually beneficial development". It also hopes that this research can provide a reference for relevant policies and practices.