- 6 ways to improve equity levels in a country through education
- 1- Manage to see education as a real investment
- 2- Apply efficiency patterns to schools
- 3- Avoid school dropout
- 4- Conceive inclusion in the educational system
- 5- Need to reinvent the education system
- 6- Use education as a source of development
- References
Some ways to improve equity levels in a country through education are to avoid school dropouts and to apply efficiency patterns in schools. A society that promotes equity is more developed and understands that its citizens, regardless of their origin, must be respected in their fundamental rights.
Equity, from the Latin aequitas, refers to the use of impartiality when recognizing the right of each one. Education is an element that is related to equity and, in this sense, specifically to social equity, from which citizens can be guaranteed a high and fair quality of life, economically and socially.
Preventing school dropouts is one of the ways to achieve equity in a country through education. Source: pixabay.com
The network of collaborative relationships between countries must serve to guarantee that each person has their needs met in the economic, social and cultural spheres, which allow their integral development, physical, personality and moral dignity, as indicated in article 22 of the Declaration Universal Human Rights, 1948.
In order for countries to achieve social justice (necessary for coexistence) without making differences between some people and others based on their social, sexual or even gender status, an understanding beyond the personal that is derived from education is imperative. This is one of the main promoting variables of human and social development.
Education offers people the possibility of acquiring and / or developing skills that will serve to support themselves and perform in the fields of work, profession, health and well-being. It also promotes social mobility, in order to complete development and offer themselves, their families and subsequent generations, better standards of living.
However, the aforementioned is not so easy and straightforward in reality in most countries in the world. The level of formation of the so-called human and social capital has important and direct consequences on productivity and economic development.
As Villalobos and Ponce, specialists in the area, point out, it seems that the level of development of a country is not a consequence of its high economic productivity, but rather has to do with high levels of education.
6 ways to improve equity levels in a country through education
1- Manage to see education as a real investment
This premise is not only economic, but has to do with the conception of human development and also with a philosophy and conception of the development of a country.
It should be feasible that what the State, as well as investors and businessmen of each country invest in education, has an exponential return not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long term.
The objective is to make the educational system serve to achieve the development of each person, so that each citizen can generate ideas, work and income per capita that are equal to those of the State in proportion. It seeks to move to a stronger productivity structure.
2- Apply efficiency patterns to schools
Just as high-level production companies apply methods of evaluation and strategic monitoring, it is proposed to apply to educational institutions a criterion that may not be so entrepreneurial or so “economic”, but it does promote efficiency.
The intention is that this allows evaluating patterns that lead to understanding that the educational system must be efficient, optimizing the resources available to reach the largest number of people.
3- Avoid school dropout
Part of the challenge for schools should be to ensure that there are more and more students, or at least to ensure that all those who start, finish their schooling. Several factors influence this achievement, such as breaking the cycle of poverty that prevents children from eating well so that they can perform in the school day.
The goal is to make schools truly attractive spaces so that students do not leave the system, especially tweens and teens. The challenge for schools is to prepare students to work and perform in jobs that do not yet exist, creating ideas and solutions to various problems.
4- Conceive inclusion in the educational system
As long as the educational system is not seen as the main inclusion niche of society, progress will not be made in increasing equity. An educational system that promotes competition in unequal conditions and that discriminates against people because of their differences is deepening the inequality gap.
There are nations around the world that are already transforming their educational systems to respond to the new demands of the century, managing to expand access to schools to more and more people.
5- Need to reinvent the education system
We need an educational system that goes hand in hand with technological developments, the abundant information generated every minute and a society that is rapidly changing, as well as requiring new and different adaptations in order to respond.
You need to create a system that is truly student-centered, that helps develop student potential and personality.
This approach underlines the education and curricular reforms to which the system must aim in the creation and consideration of learning environments aimed at the development of skills, both soft and hard.
6- Use education as a source of development
It is recommended to take advantage of the benefits and products of education to generate and consolidate a system of resources for the greater development of nations.
This, clearly and directly, is achieved by promoting research, innovation and technological development, openness and cultural appreciation. It is about enhancing the evaluation of talent in the different areas of research and creation.
It should be pursued that the contributions return to society and serve for its own development, that the country itself be a kind of laboratory for the creation and invention of usable resources that serve to generate new lines of research. All this in order to solve problems and increase the quality of life of citizens.
References
- Garcia, LV. and Talancón, HP. "Education as a factor of comprehensive socioeconomic development" (July 2008) in Eumed Virtual Encyclopedia Contributions to the sciences on June 9, 2019 from Retrieved on June 9, 2019 from Eumed: Eumed.net
- "Education and equity" (January 2015) in UNICEF. Recovered from unicef: org
- Carnoy, M. "The search for equality through educational policies: scope and limits" (2005) in digital library academy. Retrieved on June 9, 2019 from Academia Digital Library: academia.cl
- Darling-Hammond, L. “The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine our future” (2015) in Google Books. Retrieved on June 10, 2019 from Google Books: books.google
- Blanco G, R. "Equity and social inclusion: one of the challenges of education and school today" (2006) in Red Iberoamericana de Investigación sobre Cambio y Eficacia Escolar (RINACE). Retrieved on June 10, 2019 from the Ibero-American Research Network on School Change and Efficacy: rinace.net
- Aguerrondo, L. "The quality of education: axes for its definition and evaluation" (1993) in Interamericana de Desarrollo Retrieved on June 10, 2019 from Teacher Training: formaciondocente.com