Everybody deserves a chance at education, but unfortunately this isn’t always easy, or even possible. For many individuals and communities around the world, access to education remains a persistent obstacle. These barriers can take many forms, which we’ll touch upon in this blog.
Let’s take a look at some of the barriers to education below:
Poverty
Children living in poverty are less likely to attend school. They’re also the most likely to drop out of school if they do manage to attend. Families living in poverty struggle to afford the cost of education, including many of the hidden costs such as school uniforms, school supplies, and transportation.
Adults living in poverty also find it difficult to attend education for themselves, as it’s often unaffordable, whether that be for in-person education or accessing online learning.
Discrimination in education
Children and adults from ethnically diverse communities, low-income families, or rural areas, are more likely to be excluded from education. This is partly due to discrimination and prejudice within the education system, as well as a lack of resources and support for these communities.
A 2019 Pew Research study found that a majority of Black adults said they had experienced racial discrimination at different points in their education. Among Black adults with at least some college experience, 81% said they had experienced racial discrimination from time to time, and 17% said it happened regularly.
Lack of infrastructure or technology
Many people do not have access to computers or the internet, making it difficult for them to access online learning resources such as eLearning. In this modern world, eLearning is an accepted and important form of education, so it’s vital to help ensure everyone can access learning this way.
Overcoming the barriers to education
Online education, mostly referred to as eLearning, can provide access to education for those who are unable to attend traditional in-person education. Online training provides learners with greater flexibility and convenience in terms of when and where they can access education. It also allows for a wider range of educational resources and materials to be available.
It’s also essential to address discrimination and start to promote inclusivity and equality. This includes providing education for staff, coaches and managers on topics such as diversity, with the aim of creating a safe and welcoming learning environment. This education can easily be done with access to online education tools. It’s vital to increase access to technology, making access to a computer easier, along with internet access and other tech learning tools.
Learn more about equality and diversity
eCoach works closely with Show Racism the Red Card to deliver equality eLearning. Together, the organisations created the Promoting Equality and Tackling Racism in Schools eLearning course for people working in education. By the time this article was published, more than 10,000 educators had taken the course and reported feeling better equipped to deal with racist incidents in education settings.
Organisations can speak to eCoach about implementing equality and diversity training for their workforce or sporting community.
Create an inclusive culture in sport
At the time this article was published, Accelerate Sport also offered an inclusive-culture training pathway for the sports industry.
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Talk to eCoach about designing accessible digital learning that removes barriers and supports wider participation.
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