Some already fear the emergence of a ‘computer underclass’ within Western societies. Although developed countries have the highest levels of computer and internet usage in the world, there are stark inequalities in computer use within those societies. Many schools and colleges are suffering from under-funding and long-standing neglect; even if these institutions become beneficiaries of schemes that distribute second-hand computer hardware to schools, they must gain the technical expertise and ability to teach IT skills to pupils.. Because the market for computer specialists is so strong, many schools are struggling to attract and keep IT teachers, who can earn far greater incomes in the private sector. But as the global economy becomes increasingly knowledge based, there is a real danger that poorer countries will become even more marginalized because of the gap between the information rich and information poor. According to the UNDP Human Development Report (1999), internet access has become the new lines of demarcation between the rich and the poor. South Asia, with 23 percent of the world’s total population, has less than 1 percent of the world internet users. Information technology enthusiasts argue that computers need not result in greater national and global inequalities – that their very strength lies in their ability to draw people together and to open up new opportunities. Schools in Asia and Africa that are lacking textbooks and qualified teachers can benefit from the internet, it is claimed. Distance learning programs and collaboration with colleagues overseas could be the key to overcoming poverty and disadvantage. When technology is put in the hands of smart, creative people, they argue, the potential is limitless. While technology can be breathtaking and open important doors, it has to be recognized that there is no such things as an easy ‘techno-fix’. Underdeveloped regions struggling with mass literacy and lacking telephone lines and electricity need an improved educational infrastructure before they can truly benefit from distance learning programmers. The internet cannot be substituted for direct contact between teacher and pupils under these conditions.

Privatizing Education

Within most state education systems, some schools attain high results while others persistently underachieve. In many areas, parents and children alike express dissatisfaction with the quality of education received through state schools, while teachers and others responsible for the education are often faced with larger classes, limited resources and difficult working conditions. While some parents are able to provide their children with private education, the vast majority of families rely on state schools expect that then educational system funded by their own tax payments will provide a quality education for their children.

One of the main tasks confronting educational reformers is how to reproduce successful outcomes from the best schools in schools that arte struggling. In instances where persistently underperforming schools are unable to improve their results, local educational authorities have invited bids from private contractors to take over the management and day to day administration of state school systems. As a growing number of private companies and ‘educational management organizations’ become involved in administering educational activities., some observers believe we are witnessing a move towards the privatization of education.

Theories of Schooling and Inequality

Bernstein: Language Codes

There are several theoretical perspectives on the nature of the modern education and its implications for inequality. One approach emphasizes linguistic skills. In the 1970s Basil Bernstein argued that children from varied backgrounds develop different codes, or forms of speech during their early lives, which affect their subsequent school, experience (Bernstein, 1975). He is not concerned with differences in vocabulary or verbal skills, as these are usually thought of his; his interest is in systematic differences in ways of using language, particularly contrasting poorer and wealthier children.