Equity in Education

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for education and equity. The concept of education was developed in light of the available literature in the field of philosophy of education. The emphasis was on the concept of pragmatism in education. Learning by doing is a major principle taken from Dewey and was analyzed as it relates to the value system in Islamic and Christian thought. The foundation of education as it relates to equity was introduced in relation to Plato’s Republic. Equity education as originated in Plato’s work assumes that justice is relative. The concept of relativity principle is basic to the development of a conceptual web that this work attempts to produce. The principle of relative justice is seen basic to justify dealing with individual differences in the educational processes. Plato’s dialogue (dialectic method of searching for truth) is the main tenet for ethical practices in education. People are viewed to be equal in their potential to know, learn and act. Consequently people are entitled to have equal opportunity to self-actualization. Each individual is created with a readiness to be developed to the best of his/her inner resources. Yet the resources though equal in quality of human elements (i.e. intellect, rage and biological instinct) yet each element is viewed to have its equal finality according to its positional value in the individual human system. If the intellectual component was in the leading positional value, the individual has to be developed to actualize the virtue of intellect by becoming a philosopher. If rage was in the leading positional value then the individual has to be developed to actualize the virtue of courage. However if the instinct of pleasure was in the leading positional value the virtues to be developed has to be the industrious talent of producing goods. Each individual however has to be trained to maintain balance among the three virtues in him as an individual and between himself and society as a citizen. This concept of balance is a principle tenet in Plato’s equity education. Finally the researchers gave the conclusion remarks and their recommendations based on the conceptual web on education and equity which was presented in this paper.