Education vs. Social Stratification in India
MAGAZINE ARTICLE 
Posted in March 2018

Do you really think that a conceptual process like education is strong enough to address the issue of social stratification, particularly in a vast country with composite social differences as India?

In a complex society like us, the split comes along with the hierarchy of social classes, castes, and economic strata within the society. This segregation springs up in the minds since childhood from the grassroots level of society. Regardless of the habitation - be it a village, town or metropolis - people are divided across as diverse communities, religions, and races.

The impact of stratification is more in India than in any comparable country. The timely insights published by any mass medium clearly reflect the state of social stratification in India. Many recent happenings out there elucidate how grievous is its impact even in the highly educated territories of our land.

Social stratification imposes high costs on society. Also in an economic standpoint, the masses that are born poor will stay poor in all likelihood. On the other hand, the classes who inherit privilege are more likely to pass on privilege. These financial differences add to the composite divide between people, especially when it comes to education.

Right before the introduction of a kid into school education, economic capital primarily injects the ‘hangdog’ feeling into a child’s mind. The wealthy layer of the society has a large scope for letting their children enjoy their school education in the "lap of luxury". All the complementing educational material and learning aids required for an all-round education is affordable to them, but aren’t by the underprivileged people. The hapless people do not even dare to imagine their children inside a high-toned school.  This has the further effect discouraging academic achievement or ambition.

Are all these differences so essential for society? Each part of our complex society exists because it has a vital function to execute in keeping up the existence or stability of society as a whole. We also have a functionalist view claiming that social stratification is important because it fulfills vital system needs.

Way back in the 1940s, American Authors Kinsley Davis and Wilbert Moore proposed their own concept “Davis-Moore Thesis”. In their theory, they argue that no society is left unstratified and is universal. They also claim that social stratification is indeed necessary for the smooth working of society. Thereafter the duo set out to explain how inequality is beneficial to society. While these hierarchies are not universal to all societies, they are the norm among the majority of the cultures.

However, we cannot downplay the impact of the socioeconomic stratification on people.  For those of us who believe in social justice, any kind of stratification is morally indefensible.

Diversity is inevitable, disparities are not. Society is seen as a self-regulating system and all of the constituent elements of a society must contribute to maintaining this state of harmony. The tendency of it uplifts toward stability and equilibrium. Ultimately, the ‘education’ has all the strength to address this.  Until we get equality in education, we won't have an equal society.

The highest performing education systems today are those that focus on quality and equality. There is a larger need to instill a sense of equality into the budding minds. In these systems, the vast majority of students have the opportunity to attain high-level skills, regardless of their own personal and socio-economic circumstances. Children should be encouraged to take up such learning opportunities that erase the conventional borders between the communities. We should make them actively participate in the civic and democratic aspects of modern societies. The proportionate attitude in a boy or girl comes to fruition education when he becomes 'a man', a responsible citizen rather. Schools should ensure that children of all communities get equal opportunities for a good education. When the sense of social harmony goes hand in hand with the academics, matured mindsets come out as end-products.