Equality and Education

Abstract

In a global society in which so many aspects of life are controlled by professional interests, it is important to remember that education is not confined to schools and other institutions of formal education. Human beings are creative agents and the learning they do outside of schools can be a liberating process (Freire 1998; Illich 1970; Postman and Weingartner 1969). While acknowledging the importance of such non-formal education, this chapter focuses on formal systems of education as these play a particularly important role in regulating access to a wide range of goods, as well as playing a major role in defining what is of cultural worth in most societies. Much of our attention is devoted to the compulsory sectors of education, as these are the most pervasive and formative in the lives of children and young adults.