The Challenges of Achieving Equality in Education Systems

All over the world, we face a significant challenge: ensuring every student receives a quality education. It shouldn’t matter if a student is rich or poor, or where they live. While more children are attending school than ever before, there are still significant differences in the education they receive.

What is Fair Education?

When we talk about fairness in schools, we often mean “equity.” But equity is different from equality in real terms. Equality means giving every student the exact same thing, like the same books or the same amount of time with a teacher, which is often the approach that is being practiced. But equity means providing each student with what they need to be successful and is a more wholesome concept. Some students may need extra help, different tools, or additional support to have the same opportunity to succeed as their classmates. This approach helps close learning gaps that might exist due to an individual’s psychological makeup and improves results for everyone.

Major Challenges in Education

Several big problems make it hard to achieve equality in education, some of these are:

1. Money and Family Background: The biggest factor in a student’s success is often their family’s income. Students from low-income households face numerous challenges in their educational journey. Among the many problems, such as lack of access to healthy food, a quiet place to study, or the availability of the right books, these factors significantly impact their educational performance and outcomes. This creates a cycle where poverty is passed from one generation to the next.  
2. Geographical location: Location can have a surprisingly powerful impact on ensuring equality in education. Even if students are bright and eager to learn, their local school might face a constant struggle to attract and keep highly qualified teachers. This is not because the students are not capable, but because these remote areas often can’t offer the same salaries or opportunities as big cities to the teachers. 
3. Biasness: In many places around the globe, a student’s journey through school is made much harder because of unfair treatment based on who they are. This discrimination can often be tied to their gender, race, or ethnic background to which they belong. For instance, in some societies, there’s a deep-seated cultural belief that a boy’s education is more important than a girl’s. As a result, bright and ambitious girls may be discouraged or even prevented from pursuing higher education, regardless of their own dreams and abilities. 

There are many ways to achieve equality in education and make it fairer for everyone. Government support, training teachers, use of technology can help by bringing learning to faraway places, but we must close the “digital divide”. Non-profit groups, like CRY America, also play a big role by providing tutoring and support directly to communities.

Ultimately, achieving educational equality is a long-term goal that requires a deep commitment to change, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.