Inequality in the UK education system has for sometime been cause for concern at various levels. This includes low levels of recruitment and career progression of Black academics, and disproportionately low levels of educational attainment by some ethnic minorities. This has been blamed in part to institutional  inequality  e.g. in secondary education between high performing  schools often in more affluent neighbourhoods, and those less successful mainly in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods. Similarly, in tertiary education, Russell Group universities are generally more sought after than post 1992 universities. The latter have adopted equality policies such as widening participation to make education more accessible to marginalised groups. 

http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/aspirations-attitudes-educational-attainment-roundup?gclid=CJGt5YLB7scCFQvhGwodoAIABw

Thanks for this information.

There are mixed findings in the level of increases in inequality detected in education system. In Nigeria, for example, most successful schools in terms of the market information (which is often published) have favoured a particular group of student populations. As these measures are modified by assumptions around the intersection of class, ethnicity, socio-cultural beliefs and gender, choice appears to lead to inequality and homogenization of student populations. In particular, as some (private) schools realise their projected student populations and reach the top level in the marketplace, other schools are left behind with short supply of students, who are mostly from low socio-economic groups. These circumstances lock the latter category of schools in a series of poor academic achievement and student and teacher attrition, which has implication for choice policies (and education system as a whole). But in all these issues the possibility that what educational policies may do is to change the rules by which inequality takes place, but without markedly increasing or eliminating levels of inequality that are largely shaped by structural factors. The following readings can help you further:

Waslander, S., Pater, C., Van der Weide, M., (2010), “Markets in Education: An analytical Review of Empirical Research on Market Mechanisms in Education”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 52, OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5km4pskmkr27-en

Le Grand, J., Propper, C., and Smith, S. (2008), “The Economics of Social Problems”, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Gorard, S., Taylor, C., and Fitz, J. (2003) Schools, Markets, and Choice Policies, Routledge Falmer, London, UK.

Fredriksen, B. and  Fossberg, C.H. (2014) The case for investing in secondary education in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): challenges and opportunities. Int Rev Educ, 60:235–259

Dear Silas Maujih,

I hope the following references/ links maybe of some assistance ( – if you click on the “Look Inside” link above the book cover images you will see many have quite extensive searchable free text access).

Kind Regards,

Paul Chaney

Wayne Au and Joseph J. Ferrare (2015) Mapping Corporate Education Reform: Power and Policy Networks in the Neoliberal State (Critical Social Thought)22 Apr 2015, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1138792004?keywords=education%20neoliberal&qid=1442072379&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

E Carlos Alberto Torres (2012) Education and Neoliberal Globalization (Routledge Research in Education)21 Feb 2012, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0415536715?keywords=education%20neoliberal&qid=1442072379&ref_=sr_1_2&s=books&sr=1-2

Stephen J. Ball (2013) The Education Debate (Policy and Politics in the Twenty-first Century) Paperback  – 13 Mar 2013, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Education-Debate-Politics-Twenty-first-Century/dp/1447306880/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=13DMFJRP6PT3TXQKHWRV&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_

Stephen J. Ball (2002) Class Strategies and the Education Market: The Middle Classes and Social Advantage, 19 Dec 2002, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0415272777?keywords=education%20markets&qid=1442072006&ref_=sr_1_19&s=books&sr=1-19

Donald B. Holsinger (Author, Editor), W. James Jacob (Author, Editor) (2009) Inequality in Education: 24 (CERC Studies in Comparative Education), Springer Netherlands, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DYQT9M2?keywords=education%20inequality&qid=1442071603&ref_=sr_1_4&s=books&sr=1-4

Apple, M (2011) Education and Power (Routledge Education Classic Edition) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0415808103?keywords=education%20inequality&qid=1442071603&ref_=sr_1_5&s=books&sr=1-5

Daniele Checchi (2006) The Economics of Education: Human Capital, Family Background and Inequality, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HSO8API?keywords=education%20inequality&qid=1442071603&ref_=sr_1_7&s=books&sr=1-7

Ball, S. (2005) Education Policy and Social Class: The Selected Works of Stephen J. Ball: The Selected Works of Stephen Ball (World Library of Educationalists), http://www.amazon.co.uk/Education-Policy-Social-Class-Educationalists/dp/0415363985/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=13DMFJRP6PT3TXQKHWRV&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_

Pierre Bourdieu   (Author), Jean Claude Passeron   (Author),    Richard Nice (Translator) (1990) Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society), http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reproduction-Education-Society-Published-association/dp/0803983204/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=13DMFJRP6PT3TXQKHWRV&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR103%2C160_

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The inequality is inevitable unless the bureaucratic processes  that strangle the public/government institutions is reduced. But I do not see any changes in the developing world, so this inequality will widen in the coming decade!!