Paper long abstract:

Education has been described as a means to attain human development (Nussbaum, 2011; Boni & Walker, 2016, UNDP, 2022). This position is a shift from previous human capital theory’s stance whose main focus was in establishing a direct link between education and economic development (Oketch, 2006). Over time, and with further attempt to explore what education can offer beyond economic benefits, education has been found to be a means through which people’s choices are widened and their wellbeing improved (see [UNDP, 2000). Focusing on education as a capability and its role in ensuring human development, Walker and Unterhalter (2007) emphasized on how availing education opportunity as a capability has the potential of expanding individuals’ freedoms to be and do what we value.

Drawing from these assertions, in this paper, I shed light on how the deprivation of education as a capability has become a source of furthering social inequalities and inequities especially in developing countries. These are countries that are characterised by high levels of poverty, with the majority of populations living below the prescribed minimum living standards. Among such populations, the priority is survival in meeting basic needs, and education is esteemed as a means of getting out of poverty and realising opportunities to do and become what individuals value. I therefore draw on lessons from the transitions that have occurred in public sectors including education dating back to the 1980’s IMF/World Bank imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) on developing countries. I explore how such transitions including neoliberal practices have culminated to further widening the gaps in accessing opportunities and constraining abilities to realise individual choices. I also argue that the widening of these gaps and constraining of opportunities have ultimately resulted in the reproduction of socio-economic inequalities from one generation to the next.

Using a qualitative approach and case study design of university education in Malawi, the study focused on the impact that policies emanating from the IMF/World Bank SAPs have over time impacted on the chances of attaining social equality and equity in education and achieving human development among the socio-economically marginalized groups. I use the capabilities approach to highlight conversion factors that manifest themselves in the quest to attain social equality and achievement of human development. Semi-structured interviews with students and university administrators in different generations were conducted to elucidate the changes that have occurred over time. Data that was generated was analysed thematically.

The findings show how the intervention of SAPs in the operations of public sectors in developing countries including the education sector continue to affect socio-economically marginalized groups. Such interventions resulted in cutbacks in government subsidies to secondary and tertiary education in favour of basic education and promotion of private providers of education as a service. Subsequently issues of quality, equality, access, and equity began to emerge. Access to tertiary education became more elitist in nature, with a significant proportion of the few that gain access from socio-economically marginalized backgrounds either dropping out from failure to meet the financial demands or on academic grounds resulting from a compromised pre-tertiary foundation. The paper thus advocates for a revisit of policies that touch on access to education as a capability if education would indeed be a means of widening choices and improving human wellbeing rather that propagating social inequalities and inequities especially in developing countries.

References

Boni, A., & Walker, M. (2016). Universities and global human development: Theoretical and empirical insights for social change. Routledge.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2011). Creating capabilities: The human development approach. Harvard University Press.

Oketch, M. O. (2006). Determinants of human capital formation and economic growth of African countries. Economics of Education Review, 25(5), 554-564.

United Nations Development Programme. (2000). Human development report 2000: Human rights and human development. Oxford University Press.

https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2000

United Nations Development Programme. (2022). Uncertain times, unsettled lives: Shaping our future in a transforming world. New York

https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index?_gl=1*1d5drh8*_ga*MTIwMTIzMDMyOS4xNzA2NjkxNDMx*_ga_3W7LPK0WP1*MTcwNjY5MTQzMS4xLjEuMTcwNjY5MTQzOS41Mi4wLjA.#/indicies/HDI