Equity in Education: An Overview

Introduction

It is generally accepted that peoples’ opportunities in life are strongly influenced by the quality of their education. The OECD (2017) have reported that, compared to those who are well-educated, people who experience limited educational opportunities have, over the course of their life, worse health, lower incomes, higher risks of unemployment, and greater difficulties adapting to rapidly changing knowledge-based societies. They also engage less in the social and democratic aspects of a society and generally have less access to the affordances and rewards that come with living in the modern world. The disadvantages of limited educational opportunities are not just of a personal nature; however, there are also disadvantages to society by way of extra financial burdens. These include pressure on health and social services including costs associated with a greater risk of imprisonment.

Therefore, many countries around the world are seeking to ensure that allchildren and...