Education is fundamental but not affordable for all. Many of us are willing to learn, but we are far from quality education due to insufficient funds or unprivileged backgrounds.
They cannot access educational materials, schooling facilities, books, or technologies. It may seem a very meager issue, but the number is quite surprising. Almost 258 million children are currently facing the rage of inequality in education.
Even in a developed country like the U.S., a huge youth and adolescent community have no access to quality education or educational resources. It is an unavoidable issue that needs to be considered by the world. Let’s discuss some solutions that we can adopt and promote to solve the problem of education inequalities.
Table of Contents
1. Need for state government projects and resources
The state government has direct access to the root-level education system compared to the central government. The state government plays a vital role in initiating projects and resources that address the key problem of the children. Economic and financial objects should not be a hindrance to education.
Resources should be available to ground and elementary-level educational institutions to compete with private educational institutions. By investing in major projects, the state government aims to enhance its citizens’ overall development and well-being.
The state government’s role is to implement rules and regulations for educational fees for private institutions. There is no doubt that private institutions are putting efforts into providing all the possible facilities to children. Still, when it is unaffordable for them, then it has no value.
2. Community engagement and parental involvement
When we say the child receives quality education, it involves both parents and society. How? When parents actively engage in their child’s education and communities come together to support learning, students tend to perform better academically.
If a group of parents can actively participate to form an active community. Such an active community can ensure various activities, promote awareness, and establish forms to deal with educational inequalities. Many programs that need mass participation can be conducted to fight for the students’ rights.
A community can approach the government whenever they find any unequal distribution of educational facilities, which is the fundamental right of students.
Read more: A global tour of the 10 countries with top educational systems
3. Scholarships and financial aid as solutions to combat education inequality
Many students are unable to access the proper education due to insufficient funds. Students belonging to unprivileged backgrounds are unable to avoid school and college fees. It also includes the expenses of uniforms, books, resources, and living costs. Government and private NGOs should come forward to offer scholarships to unprivileged students. Scholarships and financial aid programs help alleviate these financial burdens.
Government organizations provide financial aid to meritorious and economically backward students. Financial aid can be of various types, including need-based grants, tuition waivers, and work-study opportunities. It will encourage many students to join higher studies and universities, where most students drop out due to financial issues.
The government has initiated many state and national scholarships to encourage students and provide support.
4. Access to technology and online learning
The Internet is the new era that connects people around the globe. It is an aid that provides access to knowledge. Yet this internet is unaffordable for many students. Studying without the Internet in 2023 is a big harm.
Lack of access to technology will impact the students participating in virtual classes, online resources materials, online assignments, and competitions. Government and schools should take the initiative to set up required electronic devices like computers, laptops, and tablets in educational institutions.
The Internet is accessible only with the help of required electronic devices, which are also costly. It is hard to afford for the low-income communities. Students of these communities have no home access to computers, smartphones, or reliable internet connections. Governments in many countries have programs to distribute laptops to meritorious students and set up Wi-Fi hotspots in underserved areas.
5. Provide free resources
Free education in the elementary stage is a fundamental right in countries like India. It will encourage children and parents of economically backward backgrounds to come forward and receive education. One of the best ways to combat educational inequality is by providing free resources and education.
Although various free educational resources are already available to the public, many of them are unknown to all. Proper awareness is also required so that the required resources can reach the needy. The state government develops many libraries and open resource centers to provide enough study material and resources.
Even if someone has free internet support, then he can acquire a lot of knowledge free of cost. Many YouTube channels and websites are available, which are more than a paid course that everyone can access.
Read more: Navigating the pros and cons of technology in education
