Education and Reproduction of Inequality

At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

know what are the social functions of education is in society;

appreciate the interaction between education and the social system;

understand how education helps in reproducing social inequalities; promote primary education as a
human right;

evaluate how functions of education affect the lives of people in society; and appreciate the
transformation of education in the era of globalization.

Motivation

Which track did you choose under the K-12 program: technical-vocational or college track? Why? What
and who influenced your decision? Why? In your opinion, what is the primary consideration of students
in choosing a track? How about for parents?

Education and Social Reproduction

Education and perpetuation of inequalities

Another social institution that has pervasive influence in shaping the minds of the younger generation is
education. Education refers to the formal and informal process of transmitting the knowledge, beliefs
and skills from one generation to the next. However, it is not a simple process of transmission. It also
includes equipping the minds of the younger generation with the necessary critical skills to challenge
and change the existing knowledge system and practices. Therefore, education has a humanistic goal of
freeing the members of society from ignorance and false beliefs. Educational institutions are important
in reproducing the existing belief system and practices of a particular society. It accomplishes this goal
by allotting to the individual learners the roles they need to fulfil as adult members of society. Horace
Mann, an American educational reformer, proposed that education could cure social ills. He believed
that education is the great equalizer by giving people the knowledge and technical skills to participate in
national development. Education is one of the most pervasive institutions that determine one's future
status. Hence, many people believe in education-based meritocracy or the belief that education is the
great equalizer and the key to succeed in life. Filipinos, for example, believe in the value of education
that they are willing to sacrifice everything just to finish college. If the functionalist analysis of education
as a social institution sees education as allocating social roles to the individuals and providing them with
skills to become useful members of society, the conflict theory of education looks at it differently.
Randall Collins, a neo-Weberian sociologist, for instance, argues that education functions as a filter to
perpetuate credentialism. Credentialism refers to the common practice of relying on earned credentials
when hiring staff or assigning social status rather than on actual skills. Collins further argues that people
should be hired by employers not on the basis of educational qualifications, although this is also
necessary, but on the actual skills of the applicants. Many radical sociologists also challenge the
functional analysis of education. In 1968, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, both American economists,
published Schooling in Capitalist America. In this classic textbook on the sociology of education, Bowles
and Gintis argued that education is a tool for capitalism to equip the workers with the necessary skills so
they can be hired and exploited by the employers. The schools teach their students the values necessary
to be successful workers. In other words, education reproduces social and economic inequalities along
racial, gender, and class division of labor. Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist, further advanced this
analysis and combined it with neo-Weberian analysis. Bourdieu, and his colleague Jean-Claude Passeron,
studying the French educational system, showed empirically how education is advantageous to middle
class children by teaching and rewarding behaviors that are generally expected from middle class
families. Middle class children possess relatively more cultural capital. Cultural capital is acquired in the
family from which one belongs. It is further reinforced in the "academic market" that hones students to
have the right styles and decorum-accent, dispositions, books, qualifications, dictionaries, artistic
preferences, etc. Having knowledge of "high art," for example, will give the children of the middle class a
huge advantage in art and humanities classes. Inspired by Bourdieu's analysis, many sociologists of
education argued that the school involvement of middle class parents also help in augmenting the
scholastic achievement middle class children.

Education and economic development

For social scientists, education is seen as an important determinant of national development. Existing
studies confirm this consensus among social scientists. First, education provides basic knowledge and
skills that enhance the productivity of labor. Second, education contributes to new innovations that lead
to inventions, discoveries, and continuous upgrading of technologies. This is very true for the
development of knowledge economy. Knowledge economy is made possible through the massive
promotion of educational technologies that support the utilization of information. Third, education is an
effective instrument to spread and disseminate knowledge among different sectors of society (Hanushek
and Wobmann 2010, Vol. 2, p. 245). Such diffusion of knowledge can sustain the endless production of
new knowledge. For children with poorly educated parents, the effects of social deprivation manifest
early in life. Lack of education has adverse impact on the life course of individuals and their well-being.
More importantly, education serves as a human capital for society that produces skilled and learned
citizens. The benefits from education is summarized by Brewer, Hentschke, and Eide (2010):

Economic research has also found nonmonetary benefits, both private and public, associated with
educational attainment. Individuals who have invested in education and job training often have more
job stability, improved health (e.g., exercise regularly, smoke less, and eat better), are more likely to
receive employer-provided health insurance and pension benefits, are more inclined to vote, and have
generally increased social and cultural capital that often enables upward mobility (p. 194).

Economists, in general, agree that investments in education can increase economic growth. Educational
reforms can provide new knowledge and re-tooling of existing skills of the people to expand labor
productivity. Education contributes to economic development not only by producing well-informed
citizens but also by amplifying human capital or the potential of the laborers to improve the quality of
their work. Statistically, earnings rise with education level and at an increasing rate in the immediate
post education years, continue to increase at a slower pace, and then flatten as individuals approach
retirement. Economic research has also found nonmonetary benefits, both private and public,
associated with educational attainment. Individuals who have invested in education and job training
often have more job stability, have improved health (e.g., exercise regularly, smoke less, and eat better),
are more likely to receive employer-provided health insurance and pension benefits, are more inclined
to vote, and have generally increased social and cultural capital that often enables upward mobility.
Educational improvements in all levels, through its effects on individual values and beliefs, create the
foundations for a productive work force that can sustain economic growth. An educated citizenry is the
bedrock for modernization. In short, the greater the provision of schooling, the greater the stock of
human capital in society and the greater the increases in national productivity and economic growth.

Recognizing the importance of education in national development, the report of Jacques Delor to the
International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, UNESCO entitled Learning, The
Treasure Within (1996) suggested, among other things, that each country should at least allocate 6% of
Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the annual budget for education.

young generation. Education is a very powerful tool for allowing society to survive and persist through
generations, while also contributing to the reproduction of existing inequalities. Despite this, education
has a very strong impact on national development. By providing human and social capital, education
significantly contributes in economic development. Today, with the advent of globalization, education is
being streamlined to international standards, and many scholars are debating on the nature of this
internationalization of education.

Evaluation

Group Research

1. Given the basic problems of the Philippine educational system, such as shortages of classrooms,

teachers, textbooks, and facilities, and the low salary of teachers, what concrete solutions can you
suggest? Interview the teachers in your school and summarize their answers. Based on the answers,
what are the most common themes?

2. Many students drop out from schools because of economic reasons. Interview out-ofschool youths in
your barangay and summarize their answers. What stands out among the answers given? Why?

3. Do a research on changing the academic calendar or moving the start of classes in our country. You
may interview students and teachers from schools that have changed their academic calendars. List all
the advantages and disadvantages of adopting a new academic calendar. Among the advantages and
disadvantages, which is the most convincing? Why

Economy, Society, and Cultural Change