TNTEU B.Ed., Contemporary India and Education-BD1CE- Unit 5.IMPLICATIONS OF EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Contemporary India and
Education
Dr.Raja Mohammed T
M.Sc.,M.Ed.,M.A(His).,M.Phil.,M.A.,(Psy).,Ph.D.,TNSET

EQUALITY
 The national policy on education (1986) has
defined Equality in education or equity in
education as making available to all students
quality education from primary school to higher
education without discrimination of caste,
religion, language, region or gender.

EQUALITY
 This implies that all children should get similar
educational opportunities and educational
environment facilitating everyone to get
education according to hi/her abilities and
aptitudes and develop their inherent potential
fully.

EQUALITY IN CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

INEQUALITY
Inequality refers to the difference between the rich and poor, the
have and have-nots. It is shown by people’s different positions
within the economic distribution like wealth, pay and
income. The uneven and unfair distribution of opportunities and
rewards that increase power, prestige, and wealth for individual
group and society

DISCRIMINATION
 Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial (harmful)
treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as
race, gender, age. Discrimination means treating a
person unfairly because of who they are or because they possess
certain characteristics. If you have been treated differently from
other people only because of who you are or because you possess
certain characteristics, you may have been discriminated
against. The Equality Act 2010 highlights 9 protected
characteristics: Age, Gender, Race, Disability, Religion,
Pregnancy and maternity, Sexual orientation, Gender
reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership

MARGINALIZATION
 Marginalization is a multidimensional process that denies
opportunities and outcomes to those ‘living on the margins’,
while enhancing the opportunities and outcomes for those who
are ‘at the centre’. Caste and class prejudices, in many societies
across the globe, exclude many communities and hinder their
effective participation in economic and social development.

SOCIAL EQUALITY
 Social equality is a social situation where
everyone in the society is treated equally. They
have equal Civil Rights, Freedom of Speech
Rights, Property Rights, Right to Vote and equal
access to social goods and services.

DEFINITION OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
 Social inequality is the existence of unequal
opportunities and rewards for different social positions
or statuses within a group or society. Income is the
earnings from work or investments, while wealth is the
total value of money and other assets minus debts.
Other important dimensions include power,
occupational prestige, schooling, heritage, and race and
ethnicity.

CAUSES FOR INEQUALITY, DISCRIMINATION
AND MARGINALIZATION IN EDUCATION
 Economic causes: The low economic remuneration
received for certain work activities may be a factor
leading to economic inequality. Many parents simply
cannot afford to send their children to school and are
dependent on their workforce to ensure the survival of
the family. The distance to schools is also considered a
huge barrier for Marginalized children, and a
significant part of the explanation for the low enrolment
rate and the high dropout rate.

 Ethnic causes: The ethnic population to which the individual
belongs may determine how he or she is treated. Xenophobia and racial
discrimination are often associated with this type of social
inequality. The forms of structural discrimination and abuse that
children face in schools are often so stigmatizing that they are forced to
drop out of school. One of the main issues is the discriminatory practices
conducted by teachers, which may include corporal punishment, denial
of access to school water supplies, segregation in class rooms, and
forcing Ethnic children to perform manual scavenging on and around
school premises.

 Gender causes: Inequality between men and women
is a reality that has existed throughout the history of
humanity and that despite the fact that in the present
era, many achievements have been made in favor of
women, there are still societies in the world where
women have an unfavorable status with respect to men.

 Political causes: A system of government that does not
represent all sectors of society can result in unequal treatment of
its citizens. Marginalized people might be politically and legally
ignored, excluded, or neglected, and, therefore vulnerable.
Marginality’ is demeaning, for economic well-being, for human
dignity, as well as for physical security. The people who
are marginalized are outside the existing political system of
protection and integration. This limits their opportunities and
means for survival

 Racial discrimination : Racial discrimination
includes discrimination on the basis of physical or
cultural characteristics associated with a certain race,
such as skin colour, hair texture or styles, or certain
facial features

 The critical role of language: Language and
ethnicity are deeply intertwined. Having a distinctive
language is often a crucial element of personal identity
and group attachment. Just as a local language may be
a point of association for members of an ethnic group, it
can also be an element in their marginalization. School
age children speak languages at home that are not
recognized in schools or official settings

 Migratory labour of Marginalized : Migratory
labour is another factor that adds to the high dropout
rates. Many marginalized people are landless and are
forced into migrant labour, as this is often the only way
to ensure the economical survival of their families. The
continuous migration in search for labor implies a
frequent disruption of the marginalized children’s
education and makes them incapable of keeping up with
the academic advancement of other children

TYPES OF INEQUITY: CASTE, CLASS,
GENDER, REGIONS
 Inequity by caste
 Meaning of caste: Derived from Spanish word ‘casta’
which means race or breed.
 Jawaharlal Nehru, described the caste system as the
cancer afflicting the Indian society.
 Each caste has its own life style, code of conduct
prescribed customs, traditions, norms which state “what
is Right” and “what is wrong”

GENDER, REGIONS
 Measures to control casteism and acts
prohibited to caste discrimination:
 Awareness must be raised
 Programmes should be conducted
 Policymakers must work towards equitable
distribution
 Inter-caste marriages and social interactions
 Youths initiative towards social awareness
 Education and entitled fundamental rights

GENDER, REGIONS
 Measures to control casteism and acts
prohibited to caste discrimination:
 Acts to control casteism and acts prohibited to caste
discrimination :
 · Protection of Civil Rights Act, in 1976
 · Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989

GENDER, REGIONS
 INEQUITY BY CLASS
In modern western societies, inequalities are often broadly
classified into three major divisions of social class: upper
class, middle class and lower class. Each of these classes can
be further subdivided into smaller classes (e.g. “upper
middle”). Members of different classes have varied access to
financial resources, which affects their placement in the
social stratification system.

GENDER, REGIONS
 INEQUITY BY GENDER
 Gender inequality refers to disparity between
individuals due to gender. Gender is constructed both
socially through social interactions as well as
biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and
hormonal differences.

GENDER, REGIONS
 INEQUITY BY GENDER
 Gender discrimination on other words, the denial of
all kinds of rights and opportunities for women on par
with men is called as gender discrimination
 Job opportunities for women are not equal as that
for men.

GENDER, REGIONS
 SOME OF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR
GENDER INEQUALITY
 Illiteracy: According to 2001 census of India. The
literacy level in India is 65.38% in which the male
literacy level is 75.85% and female literacy level is only
54.16%.

GENDER, REGIONS
GENDER INEQUALITY
 Child Marriage: Children specially the girls are
married at a very young age. This proves fatal for their
overall development and have a negative impact on
their health, too

GENDER, REGIONS
GENDER INEQUALITY
Discrimination against the girl child: The girl child
is not treated properly in the family. People still prefer
the birth of a boy rather than a girl. The girl child is
basically trained for household work only. Even today,
female infanticide is a common social evil.

GENDER, REGIONS
GENDER INEQUALITY
 Ownership inequality: In many societies the
ownership of property can also be very unequal. For
example, even though traditional property rights have
favored men in the bulk of India.

GENDER, REGIONS
GENDER INEQUALITY
 Household inequality: the family arrangements can
be quite unequal in terms of sharing the burden of
housework and child care. It is, for example, quite
common in many societies to take it for granted that
while men will naturally work outside the home

GENDER, REGIONS
INEQUITY BY REGIONS
Causes for regional inequality in India
Geographic Disadvantage: Some regions have a
geographic advantage. These include minerals, water
resources, forest resources etc. Whereas some other
places completely lack such resources, which places
these regions at a geographic disadvantage. Former
regions grow while the latter region lacks development.

GENDER, REGIONS
INEQUITY BY REGIONS
1. Policy: The big bang liberalization policy of 1991,
favored more to the capitalist class than the
marginalized backward people. The prevalence of
crony capitalism in India helped industrialists to
accrue capital at the cost of skilling of labors. It
widened the gap between poor and rich and hence,
regional inequalities.

GENDER, REGIONS
INEQUITY BY REGIONS
1. Human Resource: A lot depends upon the quality of
human resource. For instance, the States such as
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra etc has higher
literacy, quality of education and hence, these States
have grown rapidly. Whereas, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
etc lacked development.

GENDER, REGIONS
INEQUITY BY REGIONS
1. Historical Factors: Some States have inherited
growth since the British era. For instance, the
current metro cities in India were important colonial
towns. The growth has just got spilled over from
these cities to nearby regions. Whereas, there are
areas in India, where the government is yet to reach.

ELIMINATION OF SOCIAL INEQUITIES THROUGH
EDUCATION
Education not only preserves the cultural traditions i.e.,
customs, traditions and values etc. of the society but
also transmits them to the next generation. Education
fulfils the needs of the society and propagates ideas
which promote social changes in all fields of life.

EDUCATION
. Educational institutions do not just serve to certify
knowledge. It is also a fundamental institution for the
promotion of equality. Education should therefore
develop scientific, cultural, social and personal skills
that help increase young people's self-confidence,
enhance their capabilities, improve their social, political
participation and also eradicate social inequities

EDUCATION
 Democratic education
Education changes the outlook and the tradition
approach towards social and economic problems. It
sharpens the skills and knowledge of the
children. Democratic education is an educational ideal
in which democracy is both a goal and a method of
instruction. It brings democratic values to education
and can include self determination within a community
of equals, as well as such values as justice, respect and
trust.

EDUCATION
 Special Education
Mentally challenged and handicapped students are
educated through special learning methods, known as
special education. For a student to be admitted into a
special education school he is first evaluated on the
various parameters of disabilities and accordingly, his
eligibility is determined. Special education gave
confidence to stand on their own leg

EDUCATION
 Vocational Education
Vocational education is education that prepares people
to work in various jobs. Vocational education is
sometimes referred to as career education. The World
Bank’s 2019 World Development Report on the future
of work suggests that flexibility between general and
vocational education particularly in higher education is
imperative to enable workers to compete in changing
labor markets where technology plays an increasingly
important role.

EDUCATION
 Technical education
 Technical education helps in the process of
industrialization which results in vast changes in
society. Hereditary occupational structure has been
replaced by occupation based on one’s own choice
depending on one’s own capacity, ability and talent. It
eliminate the social inequities

EDUCATION
 Professional education
 Professional education is an educational process or
program that develops individuals to acquire special
competencies for professional practice. Preparation of
graduates by university for specific professions such as
archivists, librarians, teachers, nurses, engineers and
doctors. It also motivates the students to adopt new
pattern in order to remain dynamic and forward
Looking. The ascribed status has been replaced by
achieved status.

EDUCATION
 Research
 Research is creative and systematic work
undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge,
including knowledge of humans, culture and society,
and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new
applications."It is used to establish or confirm facts,
reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or
existing problems and develop new theories. Many
research must be undertake for social equality. By
which the superstition has been declined. People are
becoming more and more secular, rational and scientific
in their outlook.

EDUCATION
 Training
 Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others,
any skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful
competencies. People within many professions and
occupations may refer to this sort of training as
professional development. The competency gave the
student to face the society in easy way. Teachers need
training to challenge their attitudes to the marginalized
and to equip them to effectively teach children from a
diversity of backgrounds

EDUCATION
 Human Rights Education
Education brings about awareness of legal provisions
that the marginalized can resort to in case of
infringement of their rights. Human Rights
Education creates awareness about various schemes
that help to combat stratification. It is necessary to
create egalitarian minds by instilling human values.
Education nurtures critical thinking, decision making
and such vital life skills that will help to fight the ill
effects of stratification.

EDUCATION FOR MARGINALIZED GROUPS:
DALITS, TRIBALS, AND WOMEN
 Meaning of Marginalized Groups
 Marginalization is a process that denies
opportunities and outcomes to ‘those ‘living on the
margins’, while enhancing the opportunities and
outcomes for those who are ‘at the centre’.

 Marginalization at the individual level results in an
individual’s exclusion from meaningful participation in
society. Some broad types of Marginalized Groups such
as social, economic, and political have been identified.

 Economically Marginalized Groups: Economic
marginalization” means being unimportant to the economy.
Some individuals or groups can be marginalized from the rest of
the economy. The sources and amount of their income varies.
Poverty and economic marginalization have both direct and
indirect impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

 Socially Marginalized Groups: Socially marginalized
people are largely deprived of social opportunities. There are
those born into marginal groupings e.g., lower castes in India.
Their social networks are weak and vulnerable. This creates
social isolation and limits their participation in the
development process

 Politically Marginalized Groups: Political marginalization does
not allow the group to participate democratically in decision making,
and, hence, they lose their right to every social, economic, and political
benefit. In every society, lack of political empowerment affects large
sections of people, including women, ethnic minorities, migrants, and
disabled persons, elderly

 Women: Under different economic conditions, and under
the influence of specific historical, cultural, legal and religious
factors, marginalization of women can be seen from their
exclusion from certain jobs and occupations. Women belonging to
lower classes, illiterate, and the poorest region have been
marginalized more than their better off counterparts.

 Tribes: They are mainly landless with little control over
resources such as land, forest and water. They constitute
agricultural, casual, plantation and industrial labourers. This
has resulted in poverty, low levels of education and poor access
to health care services. In the Indian context the marginalized
are categorized as the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes,
denoted tribes, nomadic tribes, and other backward classes.

 Dalits
Before independence, Dalits were considered as untouchable and
pushed to the margin of the society.
The marathi word Dalit means the suppressed or oppressed.
According to the census (2011), Dalit population in India is about
20.14 cores. It constitututes 16.6% on India population.

TNTEU B.Ed., Contemporary India and Education-BD1CE- Unit 5.IMPLICATIONS OF EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

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TNTEU B.Ed., Contemporary India and Education-BD1CE- Unit 5.IMPLICATIONS OF EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES