Equal oppertunities in Education

Education and Social policy

Policy is a plan of action adopted by an individual, institution, social agencies, state or nation. Education policy is a plan or course of action of government for the proper development of educational system. It directly influence and provide direction for institutional development of educational system. Policy is the combination of plan of action, rules, regulations and vision which leads certain institution in the purposed direction.

Education is one of the major indicator and determinants of social development. Society uses education as a means of socialization and development of society. Education also helps to preserve, promote, improve and transmit culture from one generation to others. It helps to develop life standard and makes life more comfortable. Now a day's education is taken as fundamental need and human right. Many countries have established various types of educational system forms, structure, procedures and priorities of education. Each of these are depends upon the policy adopted by the nation.

Still large no of people are under the access of education and lagging behind in every aspect of life. To bring them into the main streams society and state should develop appropriate plan and policy. The planned action and rules made by the society toward education is called social policy toward education. In other word, the predetermined function of society in education for the fulfillment of social aims is called social policy.

The major policies of education in modern times are as follows:

1.       Equal opportunity in education.

2.       Social factors in selection of education.

3.       Education for disadvantaged group.

4.       Education for delinquents.

5.       Education for national integration.

6.       Education for global prospective.

Equal opportunity in education

Equal opportunity means absence of discrimination in work place based on race, custom, gender, age, and national origin, and religion, mental and physical disability. The slogan equal opportunity in education is very popular today. It is not only a modern thought but also new assumption towards the welfare state. It is one of the important methods of developing human resources for underdeveloped countries. These concepts were emerged to provide education foe those people who are far behind from main stream society and socially, economically, culturally disadvantage.         

Today education is considered as the fundamental right rights and basic needs of human being It is very important for all round development of a child. Education should provide every people without any discrimination for their hormones and prosperous development. The UN declaration of human right has included education as a fundamental right of human being. The article 26.1 declares that everyone has the right to education. Education should be free atheist in the elementary and fundamental stage. Higher education should be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Elementary education should be compulsory.

Equal opportunity does not mean that every people should get the education in the certain interest area. It does not advocate that basic education should be free and compulsory for all citizens of the world.

In 1990 world conference on education for all was help in Jomtian Thailand. All the participate countries accepted educated as fundamental right and commuted to provide free and compulsory education for primary level. The concept of immerged from the following assumptions.

1.       Making education to available every person without any discrimination in terms of race, gender, color and culture.

2.       Making individuals needs and aspiration with individual potentiality.

Need of equal opportunity in education

1.       For bringing disadvantaged people in the main stream of society.

2.       To create better life chances and life opportunity.

3.       To avoid any types of discrimination in education.

4.       To uplift society from suppression and injustice.

5.       For harmonious development of society and individual.

6.       To develop human resource for development, progress and prosperity.

7.       To improve socio-economic and educational status of lagged people.

Factors Hindering Educational Opportunities in education

1.       Socio economic status of family.

2.       Lack of sufficient infrastructures.

3.       Lack of investment in education.

4.       Confusion to the emphasis on equity or equality of education.

5.       Unequal distribution of physical facilities.

6.       Lack of means and resources.

7.       Increasing population.

8.       Individual differences.

Provisions for Providing Equal Opportunity of Education

1.       Sufficient investment in education.

2.       Elimination of every types of discrimination from education.

3.       Provision of skill oriented and vocational education

4.       Developing positive attitude towards education.

5.       Conducting awareness program for lagged people to bring them into the main stream of education.

6.       Providing scholarship program for disadvantaged people.

7.       Equity vs Equality.

Social factors in selection of education

Education is basically a social process. It helps individuals to socialize in different context. Development of society is directly determined by the education system adopted by the society and nation. Educational institutions are elements of social structure. They play important role for providing educational opportunity for the member of society. Still large no of people is out of the access of education.  There are different social factors which directly affect to the selection of education which are as follows:

1.        Socio-economic status: due to the marginal socio-economic background huge numbers of people are beyond the educational access. Intelligence children also have no access in the selection of the institution as they required.

2.       Intelligence: intelligence is directly related to the achievement and performance of learner. Many developed countries have been used intelligence and achievement tests as the basis of selecting students in higher level. But the student having low IQ level is unable to enroll. So, it is taken one of the major factors for selection of education.

3.       Increasing population: educational opportunities are very limited due to the explosion of population. Educational agencies are unable to provide appropriate facilities and infrastructures because of the large no of enrollment in class. So increasing population is taken as major social factor in selection of education.

4.       Family environment: family background and environment is another social factor in selection of education. Good educational background and environment of family and society directly influence opportunity and access of education. Favorable family environment assist a child to achieve higher success in his/her life.

5.       Lack of social policy: many under developed countries unable to set appropriate educational policy. That directly affects the quantity and quality of education. Due to the lack of resource and materials the plan and strategy also cannot be implementing effetely.

6.       Language: our society is the unity of variety, there are different classes in our society and they

Use different types of languages. But education is given in a particular language, which the majority people speak. It is very difficult get primary education to those children whose mother tong is different from the language through which education is given. It is difficult to understand and bring higher achievement. So it is taken as one of the factor in selection of education.