Problems concerning equality of opportunities in education

Education helps in establishing equality and ensuring social justice but the system of education itself can add to the existing inequalities or at least perpetuate the same. Inequalities of educational opportunities arise due to :

·         Poverty as the poor cannot afford to meet the expenses of education.

·         Children studying in the rural schools have to compete with the children in urban areas where there are well-equipped schools.

·         In the places where no primary, secondary or collegiate educational institutions exist children do not get the same opportunity as those who have all these in their neighborhood.

·         Wide inequalities also arise from differences in home environments. A child from a rural household or slum does not have the same opportunity as a child from an upper class home with educated parents.

·         There is wide sex disparity in India. Here girl‘s education is not given the same encouragement as boys.

·         Education of backward classes including SC and ST and economically backward sections is not at par with that of other communities or classes.