Increasing equity and promoting opportunities in the education system — An examination
(Past entry for a research article writing competition on SDG Goals and the Indian School Education System)
“Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society. That quote resonates throughout the world because of gender inequality in education” — Judge Sonya Sotomayor
In the last few decades, a variety of technological and modern learning trends have been witnessed — virtual classes and concept-based learning have developed new mindsets among students and even new kinds of students, which is a vast number considering the 77.7% of literacy rate among citizens, harbored by the Indian education system. However, to say our country’s schooling has been fully developed would not be fair as India still has a lot to learn and integrate, which is what will be explained in this article.
Let’s begin with gender equality, as defined by UNICEF — women and men and girls and boys enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities, and protections. According to the National Family Health Survey-4 report, the median number of years of education that girls from the poorest families receive is a staggering zero. Even the median number of years of schooling completed for males is higher than that of females (4.4). And this is not to say that these disparities between the sexes occur only in the lowest wealth indexes, as even in the second highest wealth indexes there is a difference between the medians of approximately 2, the males leading. It is evident that after a higher female sex ratio, educational opportunities for females are still lacking.
Social equity is another essential part of education or any public service and to bridge the gaps between the general class and scheduled castes, tribes, and other backward classes, reservation is done in several universities’ seat matrices. Discrimination among the classes, though, is one demerit that is still prevalent in schooling and institutionalization in rural India, which still exists as a caste-based society. Even though there are government-funded scholarships and programs for benefitting students belonging to the educationally weaker section, they still face discrimination in their lives, sometimes in the form of being denied admission to private schools.
This is not to portray a negative but instead a realistic picture of the Indian education system. India needs to wholeheartedly follow the United Nations’ 4th SD Goal of quality education: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all to improve. After all, according to the Right to Education Act of 2009, every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education, as given in the 86th Amendment.
One such ‘positive’ depiction is given — private schools are generally known for their better infrastructure, more technology-proficient teaching methods, and high-class safety, yet a large number of children are moving to state-funded Government schools, especially ones under the Delhi Government, as it has signed an MoU with International Baccalaureate to adopt better educational standards and teaching techniques at lower fees than their private counterparts, thereby trying to spread the country’s motto of providing quality and easy education access to all.
Each child has the right to get an education, each child has the right to study in a safe and warm environment, and each child should get the opportunity of learning and become a well-informed adult. Yet there is still geographical exclusion for children living in secluded areas, who have to travel long and stressful distances to procure learning from central rural schools because of isolated living. This was also a huge disadvantage for these students during the Coronavirus pandemic as when the world turned online, the internet and other technological services weren’t the strongest in those areas, leading to being detrimental to their studies.
Learning should never stop in an ideal world but this was not the case for 7.2 million students according to the 2011 census, who had to pause it to help their families earn wages and a stable livelihood from young ages like 6 to 12. Thankfully, due to the implementation of several programs and policies and labor laws passed, along with awareness boot camps sprung in urban and rural regions alike, the number of child laborers has reduced to around 3.9 million in 2021 and will hopefully keep reducing till one day, it reaches 0.
As stated by the founder of Study Hall Educational Foundation, “education does not necessarily lead to empowerment or gender equality unless there is focus on process, content, and curricula that critically address inequitable social norms and structures.”, learning should have a path to destroy stereotypes and class differences as simply imparting education does not always lead to the reduction of biases and discrimination. The syllabi should be curated in such a way that students and teachers are made aware of the social issues prevalent in society, thereby improving their relationships and seeing their classmates in an inclusive light.
In a bright light, to battle the literacy gaps between women and men, the Indian Government has rolled out several educational schemes such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Abhiyaan, CBSE Udaan Scheme, National Scheme of Incentive for the Girls of Secondary Education and a multitude of scholarship programs for girls as well. Such initiatives are applauded for they certainly help in the long-term growth of bridging education and gender equality.
In 2018, the Ministry of Human Resource Development initiated disabled-friendly infrastructure in schools and colleges, thereby following the 4th SD goal in their way, in the form of making All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved institutions to have barrier-free structures such as wheelchair ramps, rails and special toilets for disabled persons.
It is also true that some establishments just have these features just for the sake of following the mandate but that’s where life-skill classes and awareness programs come in handy — making people realize the struggles of disabled people and having an empathetic approach towards them. This doesn’t mean that we need to see or treat them “differently”, just not marginalize them because of our stereotypes and prejudices against them. In fact, it seems that progress is being seen after government initiatives since over 70% of government schools have been made disabled-friendly in the last 6 years across India according to Ministry data.
Around 1080 Kendriya Vidyalayas, central government schools, have already been provided with ramps and 979 with special toilets, making an already distinguished group of schools more appreciable. And let us not forget the PwD quota available in several famous universities’ merit lists, for those disabled persons who are seeking admission to such universities.
Although it is mentioned that some state governments are inculcating international standards in government schools, parents still want to send their children to private schools, at least when they’re just starting their schooling and it is self-evident why. Private schools have more budgets and in turn, more facilities, a better quality of education than their public counterparts (prestigious government-based groups of schools such as KVS and DAV are exceptions of course) more extracurricular activities, a better teacher-to-student ratio, and just overall better infrastructure in general.
It is also true that they can pay for such with the help of the exorbitant fees they charge from parents, but then again, parents want what is best for their children, even if it means levying such expenses for their education. Hopefully, the state and center governments will also enforce the above in massive spreads in public and central-owned schools, and hopefully, 100% of all schools, be they government, government-owned, private or public become landscapes for equity and equality, making students look forward to studying there. After all, they are the ones who will lead our nation, and making a sustainable and also better learning experience will help them pursue their dreams and ambitions, contributing to the country’s development.
Overall, although India has put forward remarkable steps and strategies to improve the existing education system, making it more accessible, it still has a long way to go, both in terms of equality and equity. More awareness programs, more student-friendly educational laws, more technological facilities in state-owned institutions, a better quality of teaching, and more inclusivity and support systems are a few key factors that our education system should strive for.
To conclude, I feel this quote by Nelson Mandela sums up what this article is trying to portray -
“It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education.”
References:
Websites-
Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
Press Information Bureau (pib.gov.in)
Vikaspedia (vikaspedia.in)
Times of India (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
United Nations (sdgs.un.org)
National Family Health Survey, India (rchiips.org)
