Abstract
Equity is the most significant problem educators face. Very large inequities and inequalities persist in both education and society. Why? What can be done about them? While much has been written about these issues, progress is very slow and there is little agreement on why or what to do. While this article cannot resolve these questions, it raises five important issues concerning them: inter-agency contradictions concerning equity and global education policy; EFA and the MDGs; privatization and public-private partnerships; evidence-based policy; and the right to education. The article tackles the case of UNICEF, which has recently decided to focus its efforts on equity in education. In the conclusions which are drawn throughout, the article emphasizes the need for widespread, highly participative debates to answer the questions of why educators have made so little progress and what they can do to make more.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ActionAid (2013). Education. Johannesburg: ActionAid. http://www.actionaidusa.org/what-we-do/education.
Berne, R., & Stiefel, L. (1979). Concepts of equity and their relationship to state school finance plans. Journal of Education Finance, 5(2), 109–132.
CUE [Center for Universal Education] (2011). A global compact on learning: Taking action on education in developing countries. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
Cook, K. S., & Hegtvedt, K. A. (1983). Distributive justice, equity, and equality. Annual Review of Sociology, 9, 217–241.
Edwards, D. B., & Klees, S. J. (2012). Participation in international development and education governance. In A. Verger, M. Novelli, & H. Koşar-Altinyelken (Eds.), Global education policy and international development: New agendas, issues and programmes (pp. 55–76). New York: Continuum.
Epstein, A. (2010). Making the case for an equity focus in education. New York: UNICEF.
Hickling-Hudson, A., & Klees, S. J. (2012). Alternatives to the World Bank’s strategies for education and development. In S. Klees, J. Samoff, & N. Stromquist (Eds.), The World Bank and education: Critiques and alternatives (pp. 209–226). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Jolly, R., Stewart, F., & Cornia, G. A. (1987). Adjustment with a human face. New York: Clarendon Press.
Klees, S. (1991). The economics of education: Is that all there is? Comparative Education Review, 34(4), 721–724.
Klees, S. (2008). A quarter century of neoliberal thinking in education: Misleading analyses and failed policies. Globalization, Societies and Education, 6(4), 311–348.
Klees, S. (2011). Aid, development and education. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 13(1), 7–27.
Klees, S., Samoff, J., & Stromquist, N. (Eds.) (2012). The World Bank and education: Critiques and alternatives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Lerner, D., & Lasswell, H. D. (Eds.) (1951). The policy sciences: Recent developments in scope and method (Vol. 7). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
McAdams, A. (1970). The social responsibility of business and other pollutants of the air. Unpublished paper. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Okun, A. M. (1975). Equality and efficiency: The big tradeoff. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
Phillips, K. (2013). Dividing the labor of development: Education and participation in rural Tanzania. Comparative Education Review, 57(4), 637–661.
Retzlaff, C., & Fleishman, J. (2007). G-8’s pledge to Africa criticized. Los Angeles Times.
Srivastava, P. (Ed.) (2013). Low-fee private schooling: Aggravating equity or mitigating disadvantage? Oxford: Symposium Books.
Stromquist, N., Klees, S., & Miske, S. (1999). USAID efforts to expand and improve girls’ primary education in Guatemala. In R. Cortina & N. Stromquist (Eds.), Education and gender in Latin America (pp. 239–260). New York: Garland.
Theunynck, S. (2009). School construction strategies for universal primary education in Africa: Should communities be empowered to build their schools? Africa Human Development Series. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Tomasevski, K. (2003). Education denied: Costs and remedies. New York: Zed Books.
UNESCO (2012). EFA global monitoring report: Youth and skills—Putting education to work. Paris: UNESCO.
UNICEF (2010). Re-focusing on equity: Questions and answers. New York: UNICEF.
UNICEF (2013). Basic education and gender equality. http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_61657.html.
Unterhalter, E. (2009). What is equity in education? Reflections from the capability approach. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 28(5), 415–424.
USAID (2011). Education opportunity through learning. USAID education strategy 2011–2015. Washington, DC: USAID.
Van Fleet, J. (2012). A disconnect between motivations and education needs: Why American corporate philanthropy alone will not educate the most marginalized. In S. Robertson, K. Mundy, A. Verger, & F. Menshy (Eds.), Public private partnerships in education: New actors and modes of governance in a globalizing world (pp. 158–181). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Weiler, H. (1984). The political economy of education and development. Prospects, 19(4), 468–477.
Wolfensohn, J. (2000). A time for action: Placing education at the core of development. Adult education and Development, 55, 67–72.
World Bank (2011). Learning for all: Investing in people’s knowledge and skills to promote development. World Bank Group Education Sector Strategy 2020. Washington, DC: World Bank.
WTW [Women Thrive Worldwide] (2012). Assessment of perspectives and advocacy on learning: Summary findings and recommendations. Washington, DC: WTW.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Klees, S.J., Qargha, O. Equity in education: The case of UNICEF and the need for participative debate. Prospects 44, 321–333 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9295-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9295-0