Causes of Inequality in respect of Educational Opportunities.
A large number of factors are responsible for inequality in respect of educational opportunities.
Some of the notable causes of inequality are as follows:
(i) Absence of a National System of Education:
At present our education system has not been nationalized. Absence of a national system of education is the greatest obstacle in the way of equality of educational opportunities.
(ii) Regional Imbalance:
There are regional imbalances in educational opportunities in different States, different districts and blocks.
(iii) Poverty of Parents:
Poverty of parents is a major cause of inequality of educational opportunities. Children from poor families fail to attend educational institutions where education/training is expensive.
(iv) Differential Standard of Educational Institutions:
Children from poor families receive education in substandard institutions which are not properly equipped with teachers, teaching aids and apparatus. Differences in the standard of educational institutions ultimately cause inequality in the standard of students.
(v) Differences in the Home Environment:
Inequality also arises from differences in the home environment of children. In most cases parents are illiterate and their children arc first generation learners. These children do not get the needed encouragement, help and academic support from parents. On the contrary children from educated families get all the support and encouragement from their parents for their education. This causes inequality among children.
(vi) Gender Disparity:
Another cause of educational inequality is the wide disparity between the education of boys and girls at all stages and in all areas of education. Usually parents value more and take care of education of their sons, while the girl child in the family is neglected.
(vii) Disparity between the Advantaged and the Disadvantaged:
Disparity between the upper class and the lower class of the society has always been a crucial issue. In the sphere of education also disparity exists between the advantaged community or the upper class and the disadvantaged community or the lower class.
