Access to Education

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 3 examines access to education through the lens of justice in the distribution of the right to education, mainly from the perspective of policymakers. The extent to which this right is actualized determines whether, when, and where a child receives educational goods. This type of distribution evolved historically with the establishment of the modern nation-state and its public school system, and it is contingent on state policy. Insofar as, in Western countries, access to formal education at the primary and secondary levels is now provided to almost all children, discourse on the right to education today addresses the quality of education a child receives. The chapter discusses various sociological accounts regarding the development of mass schooling as well as the liberal ethos of distributive justice in education, which stresses equal educational opportunities (EEO) and meritocracy as two leading principles behind universal access to public education.