Education and the Prevailing Dominant Social Order and
Worldview: A Critique
The Role of Educational Institutions such as schools and colleges including
theological institutions in constructing stereotypical role models of persons
and structures to perpetuate the existing unjust social order through
curricula, admission and appointment policies, governance, values, norms
and the like.
PAPER PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY
DEBASHIS, DANIEL, JAMES & JOYFUL
Group 6
FOR THE COURSE
Christian Education for Social Change
BME02
DATE OF PRESENTATION
18th July, 2017
FACULTY IN CHARGE
Rev. Rachel Bagh
OUTLINE:-
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DEFINITION/EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED
2.1. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
2.2. SECULAR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
2.3. THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
3. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION AND THE SOCIETY
4. SOCIAL ORDER
5. PERPETUATION OF UNJUST SOCIAL ORDERS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
5.1. EDUCATION FOR DISABLED STUDENTS
5.2. GENDER DISCRIMINATION
5.3. CLASS SYSTEM
5.4. CASTE SYSTEM
5.5. RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
6. THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN CONSTRUCTING STEREOTYPICAL ROLE
MODELS AND STRUCTURES
6.1. CURRICULA
6.2. ADMISSION AND APPOINTMENT POLICIES
6.3. GOVERNANCE
6.4. VALUES
6.5. NORMS
7. EVALUATION
8. CONCLUSION
Page: 1
1. INTRODUCTION
Michael Young, a prominent critical education theorist pointed out that the purpose of education has
been viewed differently at different times. He said that the role of education from the 1900s to 1945
has been seen to pacify society. From 1945 to 1974, it was seen as a means of national economic
productivity and from 1974 to the present times it is seen as a national burden.1 As in the 1900s to the
present times, education‟s role in society has been seen to be a very important one. Taking the first
one, but not necessarily in accordance with Young‟s view, this paper looks into the role of education
in perpetuating the unjust existing social order through different means. Indeed, education has
managed to build up stereotypical models of persons and structures to perpetuate the existing social
order through different means.
It is thus the purpose of this paper to point out how it has done so. It will look into the different means
such as curricula, admission and appointment policies, governance, values, norms and the like through
which educational institutions have managed to construct stereotypical role models of persons and
structures to perpetuate the existing unjust social order. But in order to do this, it will first look into the
definitions or explanations of commonly used terms and then move on to study how educational
institutions have perpetuated the unjust social order.
2. DEFINITION/EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED
2.1. Educational institution
Education institutions are defined as entities that provide instructional services to individual or
education-related service to individual and other educational institutes. It is a place where people of
different age gain and educate, including preschools, childcare, elementary school and universities.2
2.2. Secular Educational Institutions
Secular education is education where there is separation between religion and the state. Four walls are
the walls of class room of educational institutions where the students and the teacher are expected to
work together to develop good human resources for the welfare of mankind. There has been a great
belief and confidence of not only the educationists but also by the common people that educations
have a great impact on the society as a whole. Educational institutions happen to be centers of human
resource development and the learner who come out of these centers are expected to go to the society
and take some responsibility. Thus the education institutions need to take the responsibility of shaping
the features of the society.3
1
Michael Young, “Education,” in Worsley, P (ed.) The New Introducing Sociology (London: Penguin, 1987) 167.
2
https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=743
3
Mahadappa G.Gonda, “Role of Education Institution in Shaping the Features of Business and Society,” Proceeds
Economical and Finance, 11 (2014): 635-641.
Page: 2
The role of educational institution as an agent or instrument of social changes and social development
is widely recognized today. Education is seen as a major path in the society. Social changes take place
as a response to much type of changes that take place in the social and non-social environment.
Education can initiate social changes by bringing about a change in outlook and attitude of man. It can
bring about a change in the pattern of social relationship and thereby it may cause social change.4
2.3. Theological Educational Institution
The purpose of education concerns personal formation and functional formation. Theological
education as education should share this concerns in it purpose. The distinction lies, however, in the
world „theology‟. According to Edgar, the answer is the content. It is education that is about theology,
about God. Not only is it the content, the purpose definitive of what makes something theological
education.5
According to the Manifesto on the Renewal of the Theological Education, theological education
concerns for the formation of leadership for the Church in its biblical mission. This formation
combines spiritual and practical with academic objectives in one holistic integrated educational
approach that serves the essential purpose of theological education.6 The purpose of theological
institution is to equip the students in a holistic manner so that it can be an agent of transforming in the
society through his life.
3. Educational institution and the society
Social and natural conditions determined the role and the function of education. Within the
relationship between education and society, the most salient feature of education is its ability to
communicate itself. The social context is vital for education to function well and society cannot carry
on without education and vice versa. Hence the society and education complete each other. Education
not only affects the person being educated but also the whole community by starting from his/her
family.7
In other words, raising sufficient number of efficient people for more purpose society is the duty of
education and education institutions which have certain function in the community. Each education
institute establishes relationship throughout mutual interaction. Education as a phenomenon is both a
social foundation and process occurring in the society. If establishes a prior and heretical sequences,
society can be regarded as the objective and education can be considered as the indispensable means
of this objective.8
4
Namita Patil, “Role of Education in Social Change,” International Education E- Journal, no.11 (March,2012).
5
Edgar.B, “The Theology of Theological Education,” Evangelical Review of Theology, Vol.29:3, July. 2005.p,208.
6
“Manifesto on the Renewal of Evangelical Theological Education”, in Evangelical Review of Theology, Vol.19:3, July,
1995.p,308-312.
7
Mimar Tukkahraman, “The Role of Education in Social development”, Turkey Vol2, no.4 (November 2012), 38-39.
8
Ibid
Page: 3
4. Social Order
The social order is a concept used in sociology, history and other social science. It can be used in two
senses. In the first sense, it refers to a particular set or system which linked social structure,
institutions, relation, customs, value and practices, which conserve, maintain and enforce certain
patterns of relating and behaving. In the second sense, social order is contrasted to social chaos or
disorder, and refers to a stable state of a society in which the existing social order is accepted and
maintained by its members.9
Recent study of culture and personality indicate the social order is not given but historically develop
ideas, beliefs, and patterns of conduct and of feeling which its culture has evolved as the guides to
human conduct and the management of human conduct. Moreover, studies indicate that social
disorders and conflicts arise from the distorted personality fostered by those culture traditions. This
never concept of social order offers an escape from the negative beliefs so long accepted and suggest a
reformulation of the tasks of social order and the problems of social search.10
5. PERPETUATION OF UNJUST SOCIAL ORDERS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
5.1. Education for Disabled Students
Children with disabilities and their families have experience barriers to the enjoyment of their basic
human rights in society. Their abilities are ignored, their capacities are underestimated and their needs
are given low priority. The majority of places have failed to provide full access to their education for
children with disabilities. It is estimated that there are 120-150 million people younger than the age of
18 with disabilities around the world. In developing countries more than 90% of children with
disabilities are not attending school. Just because of their physical condition, these children are
amongst those vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Some of the children with disabilities are very low in
economic condition. The potential barriers for children with disabilities in accessing education are
economic, social, and physical. The children with disability should get all their needs, and there are
some organizations have successfully promoted education reforms in many countries.11
5.2. Gender Discrimination
Education is a basic human right; it enables (Girls and Boys, women and men) to participate in social,
economic and political life and is a base for development of a democratic society. In India, gender
based discrimination includes “female intensified, dowry deaths, unequal wages, are existing.” As a
consequence of Indian women‟s low status, education for daughters of the family is not always given
the same emphasis as sons‟ education. A number of factors discourage female education. 12
9
Olaniker F Deji, Gende and Rural Development: Introduction, n.d, https://books.google.com=Friw38Mn7.
KC&pg=PA51.
10
Lowrence Frank, “What is Social Order”, n.d. http//www.journals.uchicago.eud/do/pdfplus/10,1086/219463.
11
Kamal Lamichhane, Disability, Education and Employment in Developing Countries, (New Delhi: Cambridge
University Press, 2015), 192.
12
VijayaPrema, “Religion and Society” Education for children with special needs, (Dec. 1999-March 2000), 126.
Page: 4
There are like the early marriage of girls, dowry system etc. boys can go for higher education whereas
girls cannot. Many parents believed that educating a girl child is a waste of money. A number of
studies show that jobs are being occupied by sex where men shown in more numbers of different jobs
whereas women shown in less numbers of jobs. In most of the schools men teachers are usually to be
found than women teachers. The basic rights of education should be equally given to everyone. 13
5.3. Class system
Class prefers primarily to economic class. Education is closely connected with economics. Poverty
indeed creates the greatest problems for universal elementary education. The common factors that
have emerged for discouraging education among the rural children that they are: poverty, lack of
employment opportunities after education.14 Even with people live in rural areas are usually engaged
in agriculture and these children in such families are asked to help out with family responsibilities or
agricultural work for parents load. Children in some rural areas might also have to deal with schools
that are located for away from their house or difficult to access.15
5.4. Caste system
The practice of „untouchability‟ is illegal in India but the reality of life is very different especially
Dalit children are oppresses in the name of Dalit. Caste system is filled with inequality and injustice.
Studies of education and caste in India show that because of caste system, children who have never
been to school, and unlike to send their children to school. For Ambedkar, education means building a
society based on equality, and liberty. Ambedkar was always in favor of providing education for all
the people without any distinction of caste, creed, or religion. He says that everyone has right to learn
and learning is as necessary for man to live as food is. Under his power the government of India
accepted the responsibility of education for the scheduled castes.16
5.5. Religious Discrimination
There are some social orders which barriers for children to study in the schools. Basically religion
brings some barriers for children. For example, it is customs for Muslim girls to wear headscarves but
some require all students to attend school only in the prescribed uniform. Likewise some India schools
have banned Muslim students from leaving school for Friday prayers. There have been incidents in
which Muslim students have been denied admission to schools just because of their religion. Muslim
parents May also unwilling to send their children to government funded schools because of lack of
Urdu language in the formal system. These are reasons that Muslim parents are not sending their
children to public schools.17
13
Daniel U. Levine, Robert J. Havighurst, Society and Education, (USA: Allyn and Bacon, 1984), 525-526.
14
VijayaPrema, “Religion and Society” Education for children with special needs, 101.
15
Lamichhane, Disability, Education and Employment in Developing Countries, 199.
16
Pramod Kumar and Paramanand Singh, “New Frontiers in Education”, Ambedkar on Education, (January-March 2000),
6-10.
17
Lamichhane, Disability, Education and Employment in Developing Countries, 197-198.
Page: 5
6. THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN CONSTRUCTING STEREOTYPICAL ROLE MODELS AND
STRUCTURES
6.1. Curricula
Curricula mean the collective of courses of study given in a school, college, university and seminary.
Curriculum provides several benefits, such as providing a structure for course and also it gives goal/
aim to student reach. Curricula vary widely in structure and complexity, but are valuable for many
different areas, especially education, linguistic, and sociology. However the structure and detail of
curricula depends basically on the subject at hand, curricula serves the broad purpose of being
educational planning implements.18
6.2. Admission and Appointment Policies
Reservation is playing main role in this area. Reservation to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and
backward classes in educational institutions, some of them are getting benefits in the social and
economic level because the system is based on cast system. According to Vani K. Borooah,
reservations are necessary since the down trodden cannot compete with the high caste in open
competition. This in order to bridge the inequalities in education among the dalits and high caste the
government has provided reservation in educational institutions.19
6.3. Governance
Governance defines as the establishment of policies, and monitoring of their proper implementation,
by the members of the governance body of an institution. Actually the poverty and injustice requires
the realization of rights and justice through governance, but it becomes accountable only when people
are empowered to ask questions, seek justice and claim participation. Governance has to people-
centered and rights based. Following five things governance must has distributive justice, human
rights, public accountability, legitimacy and people participation. Through these, educational
institutions can construct appropriate models and structures.20
6.4. Values
In education, values are taught as a component within other lessons to objects and people. The core
idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that
teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. Providing an education
values at a young age can ensure that they are guided by these principles throughout life. One has to
frequently uphold the various types of values in his life such as cultural values, universal values,
18
https.//www reference.com/education/importance curricula, 1208sce what is the significance of curricula? Accessed on
10th July 2017, 2:30 pm
19
Vani K Borooah and sriya Iyar, The Influence of Religion and caste on Education in India, ( Cambridge: Cambridge
university, 2002) pg 26
20
http,//infochangeindia.org/governance/analysis/wha-is-good-governance html what is good governance, accessed on 10 th
July 2017 3:00 pm
Page: 6
personal values and social values. Thus values education is always essential to shape one‟s life and to
give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage.21
6.5. Norms
Norms form the basis of collective expectations that member of a community have from each other,
and play a key part in social control and social order by exerting a pressure on the individual to
perform. It provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the
constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the student, build on the student‟s
knowledge, potentiality and talent. However the education norms were produced in colonial times to
generate babies (Clerks) and civil servants. Sadly the scheme has not shifted much at root level ever
since.22
7. Evaluation
From what we have seen, education is indeed a powerful tool. It can shape, change and modify the
intellect, mindset and even the society itself. For example, curricula can direct the mind into
something which can affect the learners. Continued study of unjust social order as something desirable
can indeed perpetuate the order. The issues of admission policies, values and norms also play key parts
in social control. All these can be means to perpetuate the unjust social order if they remain unchecked
and remain in the hands of vested interests.
Therefore, in order to overcome the perpetuation and continuance of the unjust social order, we must
examine the basic weaknesses of the social order so that we can visualize new goals for a just social
order and bring about societal transformation through education. Education must be people-centric,
and not merely a means to pacify people and the society. Education should empower the individual.
The issues of admission policies, values and norms can be changed so that the prevailing unjust social
order can become a just one where every individual will have an equal opportunity for growth.
8. Conclusion
Educational institutions including theological institutions have indeed played important roles in
constructing stereotypical role models to perpetuate unjust social order. In accordance with our
evaluation, the need of the hour is to make changes in the curricula, admission and appointment
policies, governance, values and norms so that the existing unjust social order be changed. In order to
do this, an all-round awareness beginning from the grass root level to the highest level must be
initiated so as to change the stereotypes of persons and institutions be done away with. Only then can
our land be rid of injustice and the values of freedom, dignity and consideration come into being. This
will then lead to a complete transformation of our present social order.
21
Beena Indrani, Education India Journal: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, ISSN, Vol 1, Issue 3,
August 2012 pg4
22
https.//www.quora.com/what is the importance of education norms and rules”, accessed on 11 th July 2017, 3:00pm
Page: 7
REFERENCES
“Manifesto on the Renewal of Evangelical Theological Education”, in Evangelical Review of Theology,
Vol.19:3, July, 1995.
Borooah, Vani K and Iyar, Sriya, The Influence of Religion and caste on Education in India, (Cambridge:
Cambridge university, 2002)
Deji, Olaniker F, Gende and Rural Development: Introduction, n.d, https://books.google.com=Friw38Mn7.
KC&pg=PA51.
Edgar. B, “The Theology of Theological Education,” Evangelical Review of Theology, Vol.29:3, July. 2005.
Frank, Lowrence, “What is Social Order”, n.d. http//www.journals.uchicago.eud/do/pdfplus/10,1086/219463.
Gonda, Mahadappa G., “Role of Education Institution in Shaping the Features of Business and Society,”
Proceeds Economical and Finance, 11 (2014): 635-641.
http,//infochangeindia.org/governance/analysis/wha-is-good-governance.html
https.//www reference.com/education/importance curricula, 1208sce what is the significance of curricula?
https.//www.quora.com/what is the importance of education norms and rules
https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=743
Indrani, Beena, Education India Journal: A Quarterly Refereed Journal of Dialogues on Education, ISSN, Vol
1, Issue 3, August 2012
Kumar, Pramod and Singh, Paramanand, “New Frontiers in Education”, Ambedkar on Education, (January-
March 2000), 6-10.
Lamichhane, Kamal, Disability, Education and Employment in Developing Countries, (New Delhi: Cambridge
University Press, 2015)
Levine, Daniel U. and Havighurst, Robert J., Society and Education, (USA: Allyn and Bacon, 1984), 525-526.
Patil, Namita, “Role of Education in Social Change,” International Education E- Journal, no.11 (March2012).
Prema, Vijaya, “Religion and Society” Education for children with special needs, (Dec. 1999-March 2000)
Tukkahraman, Mimar, “The Role of Education in Social development”, Turkey Vol2, no.4 (November 2012)
Young, Michael, “Education,” in Worsley, P (ed.) The New Introducing Sociology (London: Penguin, 1987)
Page: 8
