Educational equity for social transformation
This phrase synthesizes the type of impact NEES intends to generate on the Brazilian educational ecosystem
But what does educational equity mean?
The image below, which went viral on social media, seeks to explain the concept.
Four illustrations on inequality, equality, equity, and justice. Author: Tony Ruth
As explained in the piece entitled A igualdade de oportunidades, explicada com uma macieira, quatro quadrinhos e um meme, (Equality of opportunities explained through an apple tree, four cartoons, and a meme), published in El País, the cartoon presents four images:
‒ In inequality, the apple falls in the direction of one of the boys, but not the other.
‒ In the cartoon that represents equality (with a question mark), the two children have ladders. However, as the tree is crooked, only one of them reaches the apples. According to the text, in this image, there are tools that are equally distributed.
‒ In the image that represents equity, the boy on the right has a taller ladder so that he can also reach the fruit. In this case, inequalities are identified and reduced when distributing the tools. Therefore, equity takes into account each person’s individual needs and conditions.
‒ In the justice cartoon, different ladders are not needed because the tree was straightened. In this context, the system is corrected to offer the same access to tools and opportunities.
Thus, for NEES researchers, educational equity implies considering each student’s conditions, allowing them to have learning opportunities tailored to their specific needs. Solutions and tools that are accessible to all and that allow customization of teaching are highly welcomed in this context.
How can educational equity promote social transformation?
According to NEES’ perspective, when promoting social equity, possibilities are enabled for citizens to act for the benefit of society. Thus, altering the educational ecosystem to make it a more welcoming environment, capable of generating quality learning experiences for all.