Inequality in the Universalization of Education in the SDGs Era: A New Direction for Educational Development Studies

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  • SDGs時代の教育普遍化と格差の開発研究
  • SDGs ジダイ ノ キョウイク フヘンカ ト カクサ ノ カイハツ ケンキュウ

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Abstract

<p>Over the last three decades, developing countries have been rapidly promoting the universalization of education with support from the international community. While significant progress has been made in universalizing access, especially at the primary level, quality education is not accessible to everyone, and expanding educational opportunities might further increase inequality. The current global education goal, which was adopted in 2015 as Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of the 2030 Agenda, has ambitiously shifted its focus to comprehensively addressing inequalities in access to quality education at all levels from pre-primary to tertiary.</p><p>This article aims to provide an overview of recent policy trends and previous studies on education and social inequalities that countries face in their efforts to universalize education. First, the article clarifies the difference between“equality”and“equity”as well as the definition of these concepts that are relevant in the SDGs era. Second, theoretical and empirical studies on the topic are reviewed, encompassing an in-depth critical discussion around the social stratification research in both developed and developing countries. Finally, it proposes a new direction for educational development studies in the era of SDGs.</p><p>The article highlights the importance of understanding inequalities in the process of universalizing education in the context of equity. While equality is defined as a neutral word to describe a specific situation, the term equity cannot be used without referring to the concept of fairness. In this sense, whether inequality is considered a problem would depend on the concept of“fairness”and whether society views a situation as fair or unfair, given the social and historical background of the inequality. To fully reflect the feature of SDG 4, this study suggests that educational development studies should explore the local population's perspectives on fairness and/or equity through case studies in developing countries.</p>

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