How does education access contribute to social inequality?

In general, if education and policies reinforce existing stereotypes and inequalities, access to education will continue to widen the gap of inequality. Education can either change or maintain the status quo. When under globalization there is so much influence and pressure from the global north on the global south to implement policies that align to Western cultures and believes without considering the contexts of developing countries and their needs, through loans and grants, access to education will continue to maintain and even widen the inequality gap. Access alone is nothing, what are the learners being exposed to is also very important in addressing inequalities.

Part and parcel of barriers to educational access is the charter school industry. Without many of the fundamental accountability requirements of public schools, both public and private charter programs cherry pick the students the serve, garnering state annual head-count numbers, while leaving behind more challenging, more costly to serve students for the poorly funded public schools.

Accepting and living with the perception that 'I won't be perfectly crafted like those in the cities' can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and a mental trap. I disagree with the idea that these barriers must create a greater gap between learners from different environments. However, I acknowledge that a gap in skill development and career opportunities may exist. For instance, a child interested in ICT may face resource constraints, delaying their exposure to desktop computer components and ultimately leading to delayed realization of their dreams, incomplete skill acquisition, and potentially, late or ineffective career choices. Mindset is important, however resource constraints doesn't allow for a full realisation of dreams.

Education was a gateway to my personal success. Without access to excellent teachers I never would have gone to college. No one in my family of 5 attended college so to get a 4 year degree, Master’s & then a doctorate has been life changing for me. Nothing but love for educators and education path. No matter what you do, if you learn “how to learn” and push towards role models you want to emulate, you can’t lose! Keep going! Education is the key!

Education access, or its lack thereof is a critical component in the whole inequality debate. Most governments with beautiful plans about education, will kill its access from: hiring teachers, building enough schools, making sure the schools are capable of handling the number is students, equipping the schools, provision of support structures and continues training of teachers. This in turn sends a powerful message to the general public and students about the access of education. If it's undesirable, students will not be able to successfully transition from one level to another since they'll be handicapped right from the entrance. This will in turn produce a group of people in the society disproportionately locked out from opportunities.

It starts with being able to show up ready to learn. think back to my childhood and how the trauma that comes along with being in the foster care system affected how I was able to show up in the classroom. Acknowledging that this is the reality that so many young people deal with at the base level can open us up to the larger conversation around the quality of lessons, resources, and instructors available in underserved communities. I'm fortunate to have been connected to organizations and communities that helped me to bridge the gaps later in life, but my story is unfortunately not as common as it should be. That, to me, is where the problem exists. We should be providing whole-learner support to all students.

Life is not always a smooth path for journey for all. But strong determination, dedication and discipline defeat all the hurdles across time and the goal becomes visible. Belief on self coupled with indomitable spirit lead a person to the desired & deserved height. It's my own real story.

You are spot on with your perspective. Starting at birth, one's socioeconomic status determines the quantity and quality of the educational services a US citizen is afforded, with the wealthier parents typically playing a critical role in that education, whereas the disadvantaged child is left to fend for themselves in a system that doesn't value the parents' opinions because it views them as uninterested and uneducated, when the truth is that they are most likely focused on economic survival rather than the aesthetics of education. This doesn't mean that they don't know their own children best, or that they are apathetic to the educational process.

The inequalities that exists in public schools could be geographical. In Ghana, it is considered and established that the Northern sectors faces deficit in almost everything including portable water. This is a place where there are still schools under trees. I went through public institutions all my life and even at the University I faced issues of over crowding and resource constraints. Funding is a game changer but prioritizing certain areas will make things easier for the future.

Growing up in an under-resourced community, you quickly learn that the disparity in school funding goes beyond just numbers on a page; it manifests in your daily experiences and shapes your entire educational journey. Imagine walking into a classroom where the walls are adorned with faded posters from a decade ago, the books are falling apart at the seams, and there's a perpetual shortage of basic supplies like paper and pencils. These differences aren't just cosmetic—they fundamentally alter the learning environment. The lack of funding often means larger class sizes, making it difficult for teachers to provide individualized attention. Leaving some students alone to fend for themselves.

Scholarships and other funding opportunities are mostly not distributed based on the brilliant but needy strategy but whom you know may pave way for one to have access to a scholarship. This issue in Ghana was investigated by Manessah Azure and he found people in power and even parliamentarians awarded scholarships when actually they're not the needy. Decentralisation of scholarships by Ghana scholarship secretariat to district levels had been a better solution only for a while until it became impossible to be accessed by the poor again. However, individuals should make use of skill acquisition and free online courses to be prepared for the jobs at hand. Yet, making it (being successful )from a poor home in Ghana takes miracles.

As a foster care youth, I lacked the cultural capital that many students take for granted. I didn't have parents or guardians who could guide me through the complexities of college applications, financial aid forms, or standardized test preparations. Many of my peers had parents who were college graduates themselves, who knew how to craft a compelling personal statement, who understood the importance of extracurricular activities, and who could afford private tutors or SAT prep courses. This absence of guidance and resources put me at a significant disadvantage.

Most people raised in the Northern sectors in Ghana have been raised by parents who had no idea of how even a classroom looks like and will prefer the child supports in farm and venture into other areas. So, how does such parents contribute even if a child is enrolled in a school? Primarily, that's how I grew and if my parents could contribute meaningfully to my educational decision making process and contribute properly financially as well, I will be far better off myself than whom I'm today.

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, in the 90's. I didn't know it then, but looking back, I know for a fact my elementary school was under-resourced. Could it be that because my school was in a lower middle-class neighborhood? maybe? Today, I look at the states that rely heavily on local property taxes for school funding without sufficient state or federal intervention to perpetuate educational disparities. For example, Texas' reliance on local property taxes results in significant funding inequities between wealthy and low-income districts . This maintains the status quo, where students in affluent areas receive more resources, while those in poorer districts struggle with outdated materials and overcrowded classrooms.

Well, policies and especially that of early childhood educational policies in to me the future of a country. There's a curriculum adjustment or change here in Ghana, which mean taking into consideration only ICT new curriculum for Basic Education, learners will have to learn basics of coding and other things. That is a great initiative but how about children still under trees in some communities, what will be their faith in writing an ICT exam when they're not even under a proper roof?. So, the basic issues must be considered in policy change.

Inequitable access to education is experienced among the disabled. Whereas access to funding for trades and undergrad studies is afforded to the disabled, access to assistance above and beyond those educational levels is not supported. Despite acknowledging the potential and meaningful life that an education provides, higher education among the disabled is not equally accessible.