Solution for Overcoming Inequality through Education
Target policies at the type of inequality to be tackled to overcome inequality of opportunity, remove obstacles to education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds; to overcome inequality of outcome, increase incentives to teach and incentives to learn effectively.
To cope with different types of inequality, the measures required may differ quite substantially from each other. To cope with inequality of opportunity, a phenomenon of unequal accessibility to education among children, policies may focus more strongly on how to allocate more resources on removing impediments that hinder children with disadvantaged backgrounds from gaining adequate access to education.
To cope with inequality of outcome, a phenomenon of unequal learning results among students, policies may focus more strongly on identifying means to increase teachers’ incentives to teach and, above all, students’ incentives and capabilities to learn effectively.
There is no one-size-fits-all policy. Because of different cultures and different development status, inequality of opportunity may be more crucial in certain countries or regions, while inequality of outcome may be more critical elsewhere.
Because different combinations of policies and measures are very likely required to cope with different inequality problems, it is important to identify clearly not only the inequality problem but also the corresponding educational environment.
This, moreover, makes it easier to clarify environment-embedded resources for and limitations on the application of education policies and private initiatives. In this way, a more efficient allocation of resources for education reform is more likely.
