On The Equality Of Educational Opportunities At This Stage

It has been the general trend in the area of international education to gradually achieve the equality of educational opportunity since modern times. The realization of equal opportunity for education cannot avoid being subjected to some specified restriction because of imbalance of economic and cultural development between different countries and different areas in one country. The pursuit for this kind of ambition and the concern for the inequality of education, however, have never ceased. Especially in modern times, the inequality of educational opportunity is universally a sensitive issue. And if we attach not enough significance to this problem or handle it improperly, it will undermine the stability of the country. The equality of educational opportunity is a slogan that could be easily misunderstood. Regarding socialism as "an equal kingdom", or comprehending equal educational opportunities as "egalitarianism" or "equality of consequences" also gives rise to confusion.Because of the deformed state of unequal education in old China, our government made a lot of efforts to increase the opportunities of receiving education for the broad masses of workers and farmers after China's establishment, and has obtained great accomplishment. Broadly speaking, the education presents an equal development fashion. The phenomenon of unequal educational opportunities still exists notwithstanding. It exists not only in macroscopic areas , ethnic groups , urban and rural districts, as well as in different genders, but also in microscopic teaching classroom. Hence, it becomes an important task to analyze the phenomenon of our national unequal educational opportunities and to make further efforts to alleviate or remove this social problem.This article, according to some criteria shaped in the process of achieving equal educational opportunity in modern times, intends to analyze the present situation of our national equal educational opportunity and the problemsconcerned particularly by referring to two terms--macroscopic andmicroscopic in hope of arousing the concern of the society. Besides, this article, according to the equality idea of Marxism, attempts to clarify the misunderstanding on such fields as the obscuring essence of equal class, the confusing usage between equal opportunity and egalitarianism, and regarding socialism as "an equal kingdom" etc. On this basis, the author dissects the educational exterior and interior reasons of such situation, and proposes effective strategies of improving the equality of educational opportunity.These strategies include: Facing the reality straightly and seeking reform; Establishing education-oriented policies rationally; Paying attention to the educational legislation, strengthening the supervision and instruction in education, and comprehensively managing education by law; In all types of education, taking the effective measures to solve the concrete problem; In distinct educational situation in each area, implementing favorably-inclining policies; Paying attention to the theoretical research of equal educational opportunity and improving the equal consciousness of teachers and administrative staff.