1.Defining Equity
in Education
Equity in education has two dimensions. The first is fairness, which implies ensuring that
personal and social circumstances – for example gender, socio-economic status
or ethnic origin – should not be an obstacle to achieving educational
potential.
The second is inclusion,
which implies ensuring a basic minimum standard of education for all – for
example that everyone should be able to read, write and do simple arithmetic.
The two dimensions are closely intertwined: tackling school failure helps to
overcome the effects of social deprivation which often causes school failure.
(http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/39676364.pdf)
So, when we talk of education equity,
we talk about taking care of all the basic needs of the people, who are at one
or the other disadvantage, so that education can become a priority for them .
and then providing them with good education so that they have a chance to
coming up in society, living a better life and propagating to further generations.
2.There
can be different reasons for the need of education equities.
2.1. Racial Equity in Education:
Racial equity in education is a measure
of achievement, fairness and opportunity in a racially diverse environment,
wherein the aim is to reduce the social
inequity for eg: Minority students may be disadvantaged by preexisting bias
and prejudice in a society, with both conscious and unconscious discrimination
surfacing in public schools in ways that adversely affect learning acquisition,
academic achievement, educational aspirations, and post-graduation
opportunities. While not always the case, inequity in education is most
commonly associated with groups that have suffered from discrimination related
to their race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, class, gender,
sexual orientation, or disabilities
2.2. Socio economic Equity in Education
Socioeconomic equity in education is a
measure of achievement, fairness and opportunity in a economically diverse
environment
Due to difference in income of
individuals, the cost of education plays an important role for the socio
economic equity in education. The ones with higher income tend to provide for
their children /wards better opportunities in education. Being able to provide
the best tuition and other necessities to rise up even more in society. So, the
educational facilities that have higher fees structures are normally availed by
higher income groups. And in the same tone, to provide for the economically
rich society. A very high achiever belonging to a lower income group will not
get the same opportunities as his counter part in the higher income group. Not
only tuition but important aides like transportation, study material etc. will
not be available for his easily.
2.3. Gender Equity in Education
Gender equity in education is a measure
of achievement, fairness and opportunity in a gender discriminatory culture.Even
today, there is a huge discrimination for the providence of education depending
on gender. In the developing countries, the masses as a whole feel that Girl
child has more uses than to waste time in educating them. Thus, the
discrimination. So, there arises a huge need for Gender Equity in Education. The
role of women in national development could not have been aptly captured in any
other way than when Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General stated at the World
Education Forum in 2000 that;
“No development strategy is better than one that involves women as central players. It has immediate benefits for nutrition, health, savings, and reinvestment at the family, community, and ultimately, country level. In other words, educating girls is a social development policy that works. It is a long-term investment that yields an exceptionally high return…. We need those with power to change things to come together in an alliance for girls’ education: governments, voluntary progressive groups, and above all, local communities, schools, and families”.
“No development strategy is better than one that involves women as central players. It has immediate benefits for nutrition, health, savings, and reinvestment at the family, community, and ultimately, country level. In other words, educating girls is a social development policy that works. It is a long-term investment that yields an exceptionally high return…. We need those with power to change things to come together in an alliance for girls’ education: governments, voluntary progressive groups, and above all, local communities, schools, and families”.
3.The
challenges of Education Equity are many
The most important one being the cost
involved. The economical divide between individuals have increased and will
keep on increasing with time. As a result providing social statures, welfare,
medical and other necessities of life to such a large group of people is
difficult and time consuming. It seems to be a vicious cycle wherein education
can provide better job opportunities, better living conditions etc and to get
that education you need to have a steady income which in turn is the main
problem.
Another major problem is the fast and
huge immigration of different class and race of people to wide and far places
thus increasing racial and economical differences. Even though so many private,
government and Non profit organizations are working towards education equity,
the number of people moving away from their native place creates a huge
challenge.
4.
SOLUTIONS
There can be a number of solutions,
long term and short tern, attributed to different players of society which can
make education equity easier.
The main players being:
1.
Schools
2.
Teachers
3.
Governments
4.
Society
4.1 For
school:
Inculcation of anti racial discrimination lesson, taught
normally in school can help. Racism should be looked down upon by the whole
school at large. All MEN Equal should be the unwritten motto followed in the
school culture. This can handle racial equity in education.
The school should recruit, employ, support and retain racially and linguistically diverse and culturally competent administrative, instructional and support personnel, and shall provide professional development to strengthen employees’ knowledge and skills for eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in achievement.
All staff and students should be given the opportunity to understand racial identity, and the impact of their own racial identity on themselves and others.
Schools should welcome and empower families, including underrepresented families (including those whose first language may not be English) as essential partners in their student’s education, school planning and District decision-making. Schools should create welcoming environments that reflect and support the racial and ethnic diversity of the student population and community.
To cure economical equity in education by schools, compulsory uniforms can go a long long way. The moment the students are allowed to display their affluence , is when the discrimination starts and then festers in other kinds of discriminations. If everyone is in the same dress, made from the same material, costing the same for everyone, the economic level of everyone looks to be the same and thus gives lesser chance of weaker sections to be exploited.
4.2 For teachers:
Nothing in school is possible without the teachers help and
coordination. It is first for the teachers to be anti racism before it can be
extended to the students. No amount of policies and lesson could be successful
if the teacher herself does not believe in it. So first and foremost, anti
racism and anti economic discrimination should first be added on teachers
training programs. The far reaching negative effects of discrimination of any
kinds on individuals, not only students, should be inculcated in them.
Secondly, every teacher should be aware of any kind of
bullying happening around them. They should feel responsible for the safety,
security and well being of every student and safe guard them from any kind of
discriminations.
4.3 For Government:
The policies, rules and laws should be the same for
everyone. Government should be ready to invest heavily in the primary education
for all. There should be policies in place for helping the weaker parts of
society and made sure they get there privileges easily and quickly. It should
be the governments responsibility and priority to look after the immigrants and
the minority groups. Their security, if upheld properly by the government, can
eliminate discriminations and promote education equity in all strata of
society.
Another way Government can help by investing in adult
education of the country. It is seen very less that an uneducated parent know
the importance of education. Normally the view point is, I did not waste time
in education so my child does not need to as well, especially the girl child. So if the government can invest in
adult education, the importance of education can be understood. Hence, the
parents will have a priority to send the children to school.
4.4 For society:
It is said, God help those who help themselves. Each member
of the society is responsible for being just and fair. Each one of us can
change our individual perspective about the different levels of society and be
tolerant to the weak, poor, different and outsider. If each one of us become
acceptable to the others origin, beliefs and economic levels, not only
education, but a lot of other problems, that our world is facing today can be
eliminated.
5. In order to Develop
Education Equity a lot of organizations and NGOs have tried to help. Some of
them have been existing for a long time and have presence in nearly all the
developing countries and thus their contribution is major. Some of the organizations
are discussed below.
5.1
UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN EMERGENCY FUND (UNICEF):
The
United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is a nonprofit organization.
It was created in 1946 to help children in war-torn Europe, China, and the
Middle East, but now addresses the needs of the children in any part of the
developing world. UNICEF is financially supported by voluntary contributions of
governments, non-government organizations, foundations, corporations, and
individuals.
UNICEF
is committed in ensuring that all children, regardless of gender, ethnicity,
socioeconomic background or circumstances – realize their right to a quality
education. To that end, UNICEF supports innovative programs and initiatives
that focus on the world’s most excluded and vulnerable children, including
girls, the disabled, ethnic minorities, the rural and urban poor, victims of
conflict and natural disasters and children affected by HIV and AIDS.
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| https://vimeo.com/81586632 |
It
has quiet a few programs that address part of high education equity:
1.
Let Us Learn, which is run in in
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, Madagascar and Nepal, addresses the specific
needs of these children by focusing on three pillars aimed at addressing
inequalities in education: reaching out-of-school children, expanding girls’
education and improving quality outcomes for learners.
2.
In Tanzania, UNICEF
support education systems capacity development, by enhancing learning and the
school environment and focusing on equity, gender and life skills.
What I learned from this site was that UNICEF is SEE. It is a comprehensive
programe called Simulation For Equity in Education. Which aims to eventually
bring an equilibrium between the various discripants of society.
5.2 UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION (UNESCO)
Created in 1945, UNESCO was created with the firm belief of nations, that
political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace.
Peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual
solidarity.
UNESCO strives to build networks among
nations that enable this kind of solidarity, by:
- Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development.
- Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity. UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.
- Pursuing scientific cooperation: such as early warning systems for tsunamis or trans-boundary water management agreements, to strengthen ties between nations and societies.
- Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for democracy, development and human dignity.
AT UNESCO ,World
Education Forum 2015,19-22 May
2015, Incheon, Republic of Korea the aim was:
“Equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning
for all by 2030.
Transforming lives through education”
Wherein the following definition was
given:
Equity
in education is the means to achieving equality. It intends to provide the best
opportunities for all students to achieve their full potential and act to
address instances of disadvantage which restrict educational achievement.
It involves special treatment/action taken to reverse the historical and
social disadvantages that prevent learners from accessing and benefiting from
education on equal grounds. Equity measures are not fair per se but are
implemented to ensure fairness and equality of outcome.
Girls and
women still constitute the majority of out-of-school children and illiterate
adults, and their learning opportunities are compromised by a number of
in-school and out-of-school factors.
What I learnt from this website was that UNESCO is
striving to give quality education and learning to all by 2030, in order to transform
lives through education.
5.3 The
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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| Posted by JD Hull at November 29, 2011 06:02 PM |
The OECD provides a
forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek
solutions to common problems, it is also the driving prganisiation for
PISA(Program for Student assessment) which measures Equity in Education. ,(http://www.oecd.org/about/)
OECD sets international
standards on a wide range of things, from agriculture and tax to the
safety of chemicals and in this regard have set standards for measurement of Education
equity.
Why does equity in education matter?
The benefits from education are large. In the United States, for
example,workers with tertiary qualifications earn more than double the income
of those with no post-compulsory qualifications. Education is associated with
better health, a longer life, successful parenting and civic participation.
Fair and inclusive education is one of the most powerful levers available to
make society more equitable.
Fair and inclusive education is desirable because:
• There is a human
rights imperative for people to be able to develop their
• capacities and
participate fully in society. The right to education is
• recognised, for
example, in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of
• the Child and in
the constitution of most nations.
• The long-term
social and financial costs of educational failure are high.
• Those without the
skills to participate socially and economically generate
• higher costs for
health, income support, child welfare and security.
• Increased migration
poses new challenges for social cohesion in some
• countries while
other countries face long-standing issues of integrating
• minorities. Fair
and inclusive education for migrants and minorities is a key
to these
challenges. Equity in education enhances social cohesion and trust.
What I
learned from this website is that OCED and its associate organization CERI are
the primary organizations in the world that are standardizing and quantifying
equity in education.
5.4 GLOBAL PARTNERS FOR EDUCATION (GPE):
GPE Supports 60 developing countries to ensure that every
child revives basic quality education, prioritizing the poorest, most
vulnerable and those living in fragile and conflict affected countries.
GPE Policy is to make it possible for all children,
including the poorest and most marginalized, to attend school and receive a quality
education. That's why they support developing countries from the design of
their education sector plan to its funding, implementation, and evaluation in
the following steps:
1. Working with a Local Education Group ·
2.
Building a team and designing a plan ·
3.
Financing and
implementing the plan ·
4.
Monitoring and
measuring results ·
5.
Capturing and
sharing knowledge
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| ( source: http://www.globalpartnership.org/blog) |
What I learnt from this
website is that GRE operates in the country of my residence, Ghana, and has
helped in revamping the education system in partnership with the government and
other stakeholders.
IN CONCLUSION, I feel education is definitely a birth right of every child born, and education equity is one of the way we can move towards achieving this quiet a difficult and a humungus task with huge number of children born in dirt poverty in far reaches of the earth, wherein even the minimal living necessities are not available. M people in many oraganizations are doing lots of work towards it but still, many more people and other resources are continuously required to reach a this rather difficult goal.
