Opening Pandora's box: Exploring inequalities in education

Abstract

Equality in education is a complex and controversial issue that transcends the field of education and is subject to unique political, economic and cultural factors. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2007) suggests that “a fair and inclusive system that makes the advantages of education available to all is one of the most powerful levers to make society more equitable” (p.10). This belief is generated from its mission, which is to “ promote the policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world ” ( OECD, 2014, par 1 ) . In 2007, the OECD put forward ten practical steps which, it was hoped, would reduce school failure and make society fairer. The report offers an important, comparative perspective on how different countries have handled equity in education. It identified three key areas essential to the delivery of equity in education: the design of education systems, classroom practices, and resourcing. All countries have unique features in their education system. It is important to explore equity issues from a ‘within country’ perspective as well as from a comparative perspective.