Inequality in Education is one of the biggest hurdles in front of overall growth of the society. By educational inequality we mean a system under which all the sections of society are not given equal opportunity to get education. In India changes in political, economic and social life are as a result of educational inequality. Those who are educated take the maximum benefit out of the system and take maximum concessions from those in authority. There are ample factors around us that provoke the educational inequality.
Elite & Bureaucrats:
Elite of the society and the bureaucrats who are educationally superior as compared with other sections of the society try to resist changes. They wish to maintain the status quo and are opposed to social changes. The main reason being they do not want others to challenge their status and position within the society. The villages do not have better schools or colleges for the children.
Most of the schools there lack even basic infrastructure like furniture or manpower like teachers thus fostering inequality in the level of education offered. It is common to find children dropping out of schools after primary education due to lack of secondary or higher secondary schools.
Caste system:
If you look at past circumstances, education in India was a privileged offering, reserved for boys belonging to the Brahmin caste. India has predominantly been a country where in the age of Vedas, only boys of Brahmin caste were allowed to pursue an education. Inequalities have gradually declined since then however they are not fully gone.
The right to education is still a battle in parts of Rajasthan and Haryana: there are places in these states where they would rather get their daughters married off early than educate them. Education inequality also arises from the standard and quality of knowledge and study provided by various institutes.
Although we have the Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management, which have worldwide reputations, we are not able to provide the same from the other institutions, thereby creating a gap in the intellectual data passed and acquired.
Reservations
This is another reason why inequality of education arises; meritorious students have to face tougher competition. These permutation and combination of quota assigned are politically motivated and have no effect on the real imparting of education. Management or paid seats as they are referred to, contribute to the inequality of education. Students can buy their way into an institute by securing a seat or obtain admission by means of monetary power.
This on the other hand reduces the chances for the deserving individuals to obtain a deserved education. Schools are the preliminary foundation towards the future of the individual. In place of providing better access to the cadre of the demography who cannot afford top notch institutes, buffet varieties of institutes are being introduced for the evolving tastes of modern learners.
Organizational initiatives:
Certain organisations are leading campaigns where they are providing education to all. Teach for India, Reliance and various others have joined this as a part of their corporate social responsibility initiative. We also need to know that for the most common problems in our country, education is the answer to all. It has the potential and will provide equality amongst everyone and propel us forward. Education is a right and this right should be fiercely guarded. There is a lot to be done and we all can play a much greater role in educating the youth of tomorrow.
The twentieth century laid down the basic framework towards the growth of the modern individual. Nutrition, healthcare and most importantly education require the most attention. India is one of the youngest countries and has a rapidly growing population. This population needs to be equipped with the knowledge required to propel and power this country toward becoming a truly global power.
Source: Aishwarya. P, click4college Specialist