By Firdous Ahmad Najar
Education is meant to be the foundation of equality. It is a powerful force that can uplift individuals and open doors of opportunity, regardless of family background, social status, or geography. But in today’s India, education has slowly become a mirror of our social and economic divisions.
Instead of reducing inequality, the current system is increasing it. The divide between children in elite schools and those in underfunded schools has grown so wide that it threatens the basic idea of fairness. An institution that should bring children together has now become a place that separates them.
On one side of this divide stand the elite schools. These schools are centres of privilege created by wealth. They have modern buildings, digital classrooms, advanced laboratories, sufficient teachers, large playgrounds, and a wide range of activities that help children grow.
Students in these schools learn in an environment that encourages confidence and curiosity. They are given opportunities that allow them to dream big and believe that success is their natural right. Everything around them tells them that the world belongs to them.
On the other side of the same society, millions of children attend schools where even the basic needs are not fulfilled. Their schools have broken buildings, crowded classrooms, damaged walls, and unhygienic toilets.
Many of these schools lack libraries, laboratories, or even simple sports facilities. Teachers in these schools work with sincerity and dedication, but they are too few in number. They are expected to manage large classrooms without enough resources or support. Their passion is limited by a system that does not give them the tools needed to provide good education. These children, due to circumstances beyond their control, are deprived of opportunities that should be available to every child.
This sharp contrast has created an unequal education system. One child is prepared to become a leader, while another is unknowingly prepared for a life with limited options. One child grows up to become a policymaker, entrepreneur, or innovator.
The other child struggles to find stability in low-income jobs. Education, which should help children escape poverty, has instead become a barrier that keeps them trapped in it. A ladder that was meant to lift the poor is now too weak to support them.
The “franchisee of education” is making this divide even wider. Quality education has turned into a business. It is now a product that only wealthy families can afford. If education continues to move in this direction, the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged will become impossible to bridge.
The idea of education as a fundamental right becomes meaningless when only a part of society receives the facilities and environment needed to grow and succeed.
The danger of such a fractured system is very serious. When children grow up in different educational worlds; divided by wealth, class, and location, they develop different levels of skill, different levels of confidence, and different levels of opportunity.
This inequality does not stay inside the classroom. It follows them into adulthood and affects their jobs, their ambitions, and their place in society. It shapes their ability to grow, compete, and participate in the country’s progress.
Education is the only way out for the poor sections of society to uplift themselves and seek justice in a system where most institutions are controlled by the elite. But when education itself is unequal, the poor lose their only path to progress.
Today, the system offers high-quality education to elite groups and substandard education to underprivileged communities. Because of this difference, the gap between these two sections of society cannot be bridged. Instead, it becomes wider with every passing year.
Private academies and tuition centres are also playing a very dangerous role in widening the gape of social inequality in the country. Students of elite and affluent families who afford to pay the huge fee of these franchisee centres of education mostly make it to pass the competitive exams and civil services exams.
Therefore, these centres serve as social barriers in equality. Their high fees create an exclusive system where only the wealthy can access advanced coaching, personalised guidance, and specialised test preparation. This allows them to secure better ranks, better opportunities, and better positions in society. Meanwhile, students from poor and middle-class families, who cannot afford such costly coaching, are left to struggle with limited resources. This unfair advantage strengthens the cycle of inequality and reduces social mobility. As a result, the gap between privileged groups and underprivileged communities keeps growing, and the dream of equal opportunity becomes more distant. The growing dependence on private academies has turned competitive exams into a test of financial capacity rather than talent, further deepening the social divide.
Imagine instead a school system built on harmony and fairness, where no elite schools, coaching centres, or academies existed. Imagine a system where the children of prime ministers, ministers, bureaucrats, labourers, and street vendors study together in the same classroom. They learn from the same teachers. They use the same books. They play on the same playgrounds. If such a system existed, where every child studied under the same roof, the entire structure of education would become more accountable. Leaders and policymakers would experience the same environment they create for others. They would demand better facilities and better teaching because their own children would be part of that system.
They would monitor the progress of the schools, and teachers would be more responsible and conscientious in fulfilling their duties. Most importantly, every child in the country would get the same opportunities. Such a system would help create a society built on fairness, empathy, and shared experiences.
Throughout history, several societies have shown that when education is offered equally to all children, without dividing the wealthy into elite institutions and the poor into under-resourced schools, remarkable progress and lasting peace naturally follow.
During the Islamic Golden Age, public-supported maktabs, madrasas, and great learning centres such as the House of Wisdom in Baghdad welcomed learners from diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Knowledge flowed freely to all and created an atmosphere that produced great achievements in science, medicine, mathematics, and literature.
Ancient India’s Nalanda University followed the same spirit of equality. Students from different regions, castes, and countries studied together and received free books, food, and lodging. Because there was no difference between rich and poor, Nalanda became a global centre of learning and cultural unity.
Medieval Timbuktu also showed the power of equal education. Sankoré University allowed children from simple families and noble families to study together. This helped Timbuktu grow into a peaceful and respected city of knowledge.
In modern times, Finland proves again that equal education works. Finland ended the idea of elite private schools. All children study in similar schools under trained teachers. This system has created a peaceful, stable, and innovative society.
These examples remind us that when education truly serves every child equally, nations grow in knowledge and in harmony.
Such harmony in education is not just a dream. It is necessary for any society that wants to be fair and just. When children from all sections of society study together, they understand each other’s lives better. They learn respect, empathy, and cooperation. They grow without prejudice. A unified education system builds a unified society. On the other hand, when children are educated separately, society also becomes divided.
The effects of unequal education do not stop with individual children. They affect the entire nation. A country cannot progress when only some children receive quality education and others receive very little. Economic growth, innovation, social unity, and democratic strength all depend on a well-educated population. A divided education system creates a divided workforce. It weakens the nation’s ability to grow and compete globally.
To build a fair education system, policymakers must invest more in schools that lack resources. These schools must be improved so that they offer the same standard of learning as elite schools. This means better buildings, modern learning tools, trained teachers, smart classrooms, advanced laboratories and sports facilities. Strong monitoring, transparent spending, and regular teacher training are also necessary for lasting change.
Equality in education also needs a cultural change. Society must understand that educational justice is not an idea for discussion. It is essential for the country’s progress. Parents, teachers, and communities must demand better systems and policies. Real change will happen only when people raise their voices and hold institutions accountable.
The goal is simple but powerful: every child, no matter their class, caste, wealth, or location, should have equal access to quality education. A system where opportunities are based on potential, not privilege. A system that unites society, not divides it.
In conclusion, education must return to its true purpose: building equality. Reducing the growing gap in education is not only a moral duty but also a national responsibility.
The future of millions of children, and the future of India, depends on the choices we make today. Only when every child gets an equal chance to learn, grow, and succeed, we can call ourselves a fair, progressive, and balanced nation.
The writer is a teacher from Arin Bandipora, can be reached at njfirdous090@gmail.com
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