Vėlyvosios modernybės švietimo sistema: visuomenės homogenizacija ar socialinė diferenciacija?

Abstract

Social stratification of schoolchildren is addressed in this article. This topic is very topical in the contemporary society. By its nature, school has a mission to develop and cultivate people. It should do it in the context of equality, tolerance, and values. The analysis of research, however, shows that school does not stimulate homogenization, it rather induces differentiation. Schoolchildren from the lower social levels do not have equivalent possibilities to participate in the process of education what leads them to the experience of indignity and moulds into the “low self esteem” complex. Schoolchildren feel social inequality because of which they start avoiding going to school (they miss classes) and subject to the misbehaviour. Consequently these schoolchildren “fall” from the active school life and in their families are doomed to remain in the lower social class.
Children that were raised in a different cultural environment, especially those from the poor families, are socially neglected, have no habits of interaction, their language and social skills are undeveloped. Data of social and economic regional development proves uneven development of cities and districts, different living level. An even bigger difference of living standard is between cities and rural areas. As a result of migration of educated and socially active people to cities, the difference between the urban and rural socio-economic development is becoming even bigger. The consequences are apparent in the rural areas very painfully. Children whose parents have higher education adjust more quickly at school, in average their academic results usually are higher. Parents from higher social level were more interested in the achievements of their children, more collaborated with the school than those parents whose incomes were lower.