Is education considered a right or a privilege? Undoubtedly, it is right. Only with its help, man, apart from writing, reading and critical thinking, is freed from ignorance and superstitions, understands the world around him and does not misinterpret natural phenomena. Nowadays, we talk about equality regardless of gender, social and geographical origin, religion and much more. We now have a public, compulsory education. In the developed world it is a constitutional right of children and an obligation of parents to have children attend school without exception from the age of four until adulthood. But can we talk about equal opportunities in education?
In our country (Greece), education is divided into two categories: private and public with obvious differences. Their comparison is almost unequal in benefits, facilities, scope, and even teacher training, with private education far superior to public education, unfortunately. A school tour is enough to show someone the different facilities. Most large private schools provide specially designed classrooms such as theaters, laboratories, libraries and more. All these give a variety of stimuli to children and at the same time offer them a comprehensive education. Public education on the other hand doesn't meet the needs of children that do not relate to cognitive subjects. So, the opportunities for a better quality education are increasing in private schools, and this is reflected in the development of students. Even the smallest differences in the means of education ultimately make teaching unequal. For example, the absence of an interactive whiteboard, something that does not exist in most public schools may be enough to make the learning process less engaging and tedious.
In recent times, inequality in education has become much more pronounced. With the coronavirus spreading at a dangerous rate, there were many times when students were forced to do distance learning. Unfortunately, in most public schools this did not work well enough. With private school students regularly covering classroom material combining modern and asynchronous education, interacting with their classmates and teachers, public school students remained steadfast as the resources available did not favor them. Nowadays, learning has to adapt to any situation but in a general financial crisis, it was indisputable that not all students would have access to a computer. However, these students went to the next class normally, and many have created huge gaps, which will be seen in a few years, that is, when they are able to give Panhellenic exams.
When we talk about social inequality, we can not ignore the prejudice against foreign students. They are often treated as diseases, as many blame them for bad behavior or delinquency, etc. Many times, we are not receptive to any stranger. Theoretically, to the Greeks, the hospitality and the acceptance of the different are taken for granted since we want to say that they are elements of our culture. But this does not seem to be the case today. We usually do not recognize the abilities of people who were born and raised in Greece but have a foreign origin, considering that it is not possible for a foreigner to be as efficient in the cognitive process as a Greek child. How many times have we heard that it is not possible for a foreigner to be a flag bearer, even though he deserves it? How is he not entitled to keep the Greek flag even though he considers Greece his homeland since he lives and develops here? Just because he comes from another country?
The situation with the children of immigrants has been even more difficult in recent years. Naturally, it is difficult for them to adapt to our schools without knowing our language and our mentality. In order to have access to Greek education, it is necessary to form school units for their reception and preparation for their inclusion in Greek schools. There, they will have the opportunity to attend Greek language and culture classes. Thus, each child, depending on his performance and development, in a relatively short period of time will be able to join Greek schools.
Finally, let us consider the position of people with learning disabilities in education. We are talking about people who find it difficult to concentrate, express themselves in writing, write spelling or follow the pace of teaching the lessons. Because of these peculiarities, as expected, their performance is low and therefore, they are disappointed and abandon their effort or are rejected by the large private schools. In reality, however, what they need is a parallel help to be able to overcome their problem. This should be taken for granted in both private and public education, and not to marginalize these children and make any development seem impossible.
At a time when everything is evolving rapidly, when humanity has to face serious problems, the knowledge and cultivation of people is essential, so education must be offered generously and equally to all. In conclusion, the right to education should be a given and not under discussion.