Category: Equity

Just as human beings cannot survive without water and food, so too do they need to develop the ability to communicate their desires to access the basic needs of life. Thus, language serves as an essential tool not only to get meaning across, but also to learn and acquire knowledge and skills. Formal education in various subject areas has made it possible for human being to acquire such knowledge to ensure survival and hence personal and social development.

Education was a luxury afforded only by the ‘haves’ of the world, but now, it has become a fundamental right of every citizen and for every child. The general belief is that poverty and inequality would disappear if everyone receives the same formal education from pre-primary school level, but to what extent this fundamental right is being achieved is yet to be discerned. Hence, several discourses on ‘quality education for all’ began with the long term goal of ensuring sustainable development of the human race. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, this paper tries to understand how far equity in learning has been achieved or if there is none at all.

As per the EFA Global Monitoring Report (2013/2014), around 120 million children are still out of school or have dropped-out of schools. “In the school year ending in 2014, nearly 61 million children of primary school age and 202 million adolescents of secondary school age were out of school” (UNESCO, 2016, p.73). Substantial efforts have been made in the past few years to ensure children’s access to schools, to the point that it is no longer a major cause for educational functionaries to fight for. However, the consequences of ensuring only ‘access’ to schools have resulted in unworkable school conditions, dearth of trained teachers, inappropriate teaching learning materials and so on and so forth. Many of these schools that have been developed are still functioning with minimal facilities.

How does learning take place in such schools? Is there any justice in whatever we are doing so far? In this context, ‘equity’ becomes a major concern. This paper’s arguments are based on observations made from a research study which focuses on ‘Classroom Interaction’ in the state of Meghalaya and observations based on a survey conducted at Namsai district in Arunachal Pradesh.

Introduction

At the centre of the world’s efforts to ensure sustainable development for all, is the concept of ‘Equity’. It is a term that strives to include everyone and anyone within its purview, regardless of any kind of difference, towards a much greater social progress (UNESCO, 2018). Formal education has uplifted our country and brought social and economic development to all states and many societies, but not all of India’s citizens have been included in its progress. True development can only be achieved when it is sustainable and everyone is included in it. Thus, within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, this paper tries to look at the extent to which ‘equity’ in learning has been achieved and identifies the problems of equity based on observations made from a research study on ‘Classroom Interaction’ in the semi-urban and rural areas in the state of Meghalaya and also on a survey conducted at Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Brief Background

Arunachal Pradesh

Field visit was conducted in 3 blocks of Namsai District, and in each block 10 schools were visited making it a total of 30 schools out of 137 schools. At the Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh, the population of students in the different schools is variegated into various ethnic cultures, languages, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds. The students comprise of tribals, Adivasis, children of tea planters, labourers, etc. and thus, a Hindi variant is the medium of instruction in all schools. Children display poor skills in the English language where basic questions are difficult to comprehend, and consequently, English teachers have to make use of Hindi to attain any kind of cognitive development and progress in their lesson. Generally, input in English is minimal in schools as well as in their homes and it seems rather improbable that the children receive any other input in English from any other source.

Resources available in the Schools

Schools: The main source of drinking water available is the hand pump in all schools and majority of such schools do not have a filtration device to ensure water safety. Toilets in most schools are available but majority of the toilets are not functional. This is largely due to the problems of maintenance, as no supporting staff is available in government schools except for a few higher secondary schools. In the main urban block such as Namsai, there are schools with good facilities such as science labs, computer labs, and smart classrooms with a student population of more than 900, and a teacher population of 30 up to 37. In such schools, the classroom strength is 80 to100 students particularly in secondary level. Yet within 2 km, there are schools, particularly at the primary level, with no electricity, toilets and water supply. Smart classrooms are available in a few schools. Teachers have been mostly trained on the technical aspects of handling the gadgets, but not on content transaction. This was seen when teachers were teaching action songs to children by simply displaying the content rather than getting the students involved in the action song.

Meghalaya (Semi-Urban and Rural Areas)

In Meghalaya, a total number of 12 schools (classes 5 to 8) were examined for data collection, located in three districts in Meghalaya i.e. East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills and Ri- Bhoi district. Students comprising of 241 and 46 teachers, that is, 16 from the semi-urban and 30 from the rural areas, were the subjects of the study. Subjects are categorised according to gender and educational level students in both semi-urban and rural areas. 122 number of students represents the Semi-urban and 119 students are from the rural areas.

Resources available in the Schools

Schools within the urban area of the East Khasi hills have more facilities as compared to schools located in the rural areas within the same districts. Similar is the case with other districts such as the Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi hills districts. There are schools with no proper toilets, classrooms, teaching resources, etc. and they lack proper ventilation, a roof, proper seating benches for students, etc. Furthermore, there are schools located in interior areas such as the school in Diengsong and Wahtyngai which is located in a challenging terrain. In Diengsong, teachers have to walk down the small steps towards the deep valleys of Cherrapunjee to reach the schools. The teachers there informed that frequent support to such schools can rarely be seen. The SSA School in Wahtyngai does not have proper classrooms— when it rains, children have to move to the corner of the classroom to sit as there is no proper roofing. Most BRCs/CRCs also point out that the travelling allowance to visit such schools is limited and at times, they are incurred from their own salary.

One important finding (based on observations made in Namsai) which needs to be highlighted is the evidence of an urban and rural disparity in terms of reading materials, classroom strategies, teacher’s proficiency, etc. Based on the reading test conducted (in Meghalaya) with the students, it was seen that children were unable to read and write on their own in English. However, they could perform the same tasks in their own language. English Language classrooms in both semi-urban and rural mono-cultural schools are predominated by teacher-centered methods. The only input received in English other than teaching the subject is evident from the kinds of English phrases and sentences they often hear teachers used while teaching or outside the classrooms. This exercise was conducted to find out the frequency of English in their daily school life and how much of exposure students are receiving from the schools besides the classroom teaching. Despite the teachers being trained in other learner-centered methods, teaching becomes only a series of knowledge transactions in preparation for the final written examination for example, dictation, rote learning, drilling, etc. Teachers claim to use language activities in the classroom but data reveals that there are hardly any interactional activities happening in the classroom. A cross-tab analysis (using SPSS 16.0) shows that whether in the rural or urban context, the majority of learners do not experience language classrooms to be full of activities. In the selected districts in Meghalaya, the materials and textbooks developed by the state do not cover themes related to what students are learning and difficult to relate to by students in the rural interior areas. Concepts of a morning walk, historical events and places in the urban areas are alien to most of the students in the rural areas.

Measuring Equity

To measure progress and equity in learning, it is expected that educational variables from the perspective of ‘Equity’ must be formed to measure the desirable characteristics. From a theoretical standpoint, ‘Equity’ includes certain major concepts such as Meritocracy, Minimum Standards, Impartiality, Equality of Condition, and Redistribution. Impartiality and Equality of Condition are usually the two concepts that reveal the main education indicators of a study; however, it is important to make the distinction between them clear. Impartiality refers to ‘equality’ in terms of a particular input, characteristic or outcome of any educational project. Equality of condition refers to the wider social and economic context, as well as issues of fairness. “While perfect equality may not be possible, greater equity would distribute education outcomes independently of the socioeconomic or other characteristics of students or their schools” (UNESCO, 2018).

“In school education, an ‘equitable’ system could be defined as one in which all students are treated equally – for example, a system in which all students are given the same opportunities, exposed to the same school curriculum, taught by teachers with equivalent expertise, held to the same learning expectations and provided with equivalent levels of resourcing and support. Educational policies and discussions of equity sometimes reflect this view of equity as equality” (Masters, et.al, 2018: p.2). However, as in other areas of life, equity in school education is likely to be associated with equal treatment in some situations (where there is no obvious basis for differential treatment), and unequal treatment in others.

The general belief is that poverty and inequality would disappear if everyone receives the same formal education from pre-primary school level, but to what extent this fundamental right is being achieved is yet to be discerned. Hence, several discourses on ‘quality education for all’ began with the long term goal of ensuring sustainable development of the human race. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, this paper tries to understand how far equity in learning has been achieved or if there is none at all. Equal treatment requires a teacher to pay extra special attention in delivery and designing of appropriate materials to accommodate those children who need help despite the differences in socio-economic background.

Equity in Teaching Learning Materials

Based on group discussions, considering the background of the learners in Namsai and Meghalaya (selected districts), teachers pointed out that children lack exposure to English usage at home and even within the school campus. Students rarely ask questions or initiate discussions in English and they are more comfortable in their MT. Further, the materials used are inappropriate and difficult for children to understand; even while teaching, they have to resort to the local language or the children’s mother tongue to help them understand. This paper tries to highlight the bias in the English language teaching materials that are used in classrooms. The content in the English textbooks at secondary level designed by the board (using private publishers) of school education in Meghalaya comprises of themes that are unrelated to the learners’ familiar environment and they are largely urban and colonial centric.

On the one hand, to ensure equal opportunity, the same input, that is the materials, is provided to every child; on the other hand, it is unequal when learners cannot relate to the text they are expected to learn. As pointed out by Masters, et.al (2018) materials should address unequal students’ background. For instance, NCERT textbooks are adopted in the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh. On questioning a few teachers, it was found that the constructivist approach to teaching and learning which is highlighted in the NCF- 2005 is still needed. Most of the content in the text are unfamiliar to the children in the district, for example, the poem from Marigold ‘My First Day of School’, the concept of ‘Gran’ which appears in the text could not be understood by the children since such a culturally distinct style of calling one’s grandmother is unfamiliar to them. When questions are raised regarding the content of the poem, most children fail to understand the English vocabulary. However, if such content is translated into Hindi, children would understand and find that it is quite a common incident even in the interior areas of the block. With the community being dominated by an agrarian culture, teachers pointed out that during plantation and harvest time, it is difficult to ensure that students attend school despite the efforts of the literacy campaign being conducted at village level. Their interest in learning texts needs to be sustained and this can be achieved only when they read content that has relevance to their real-life situation. What they learn in school has to correlate with their daily lives, particularly the level of language used.

As it stands, their daily activities and their school activities are worlds apart and hence, children become disengaged from school life. A gap exists between the world they live in and what they learn in school. English may not be a language used at home or in their immediate social surroundings, but it needs to have a place in their lives where they can use and learn its functions regardless of the social differences. ‘Equitable approaches aim to address or compensate for the obstacles that would otherwise hold disadvantaged children back, so they can attain the same levels of learning enjoyed by other children who are more fortunate (Cameroon, Daga and Outhred, 2018)’.

The question that arises in the context of ‘equal opportunity’ and ‘Impartiality’ is the fairness of textbooks in providing same input, particularly when learners cannot relate to it. Hence, simply providing the same textbooks may not meet the objectives of equal opportunity; instead we may be hindering learners from learning when textbooks are not benefiting the learners. How can we ensure that learners enjoy learning and find value and meaning in what they learn? Contextualisation of textbook materials is one probable answer to connect textbooks to learners and this requires effective teaching techniques and well trained teachers. Further, we often find that children in the rural areas leave school due to reasons such as poverty, the need to work and help out at home, and so and so forth. What methods and strategies will alleviate such problems in order to ensure they stay in school and find it meaningful enough to be in school despite these circumstances?

There are studies that “Ethnic, racial and linguistic groupings frequently provide a further source of inequity. Children whose household language is different from their language of instruction learn less in a range of countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Guatemala, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey” (Altinok, 2009; Fehrler and Michaelowa, 2009 qtd. in UNESCO, 2018). The indicators on measuring equity as laid down by UNESCO (2018) largely deal with tracking the progress of learners, that is, whether all children have access to education despite their gender, age, disability, affiliation to marginalised groups, linguistic minorities and so on. This paper however tries to highlight the inequity arising out of the disparity between the students’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and the textbooks they use in school. English, being the language adopted in all textbooks, inevitably becomes a major barrier in ensuring equity in learning, particularly when learners are expected to reach a set of learning outcomes that have been outlined at the end of each level of education.

How is English a barrier? ‘Learning’ is a bigger concept and the English language dominates the process of learning and in both the context of Namsai and the districts in Meghalaya. Other than language, learning also take places through experiences, either through visual medium, through reading in their MT and through other various activities. The narrow view of learning, however, is assessed in terms of how much one can read and write –- in this case, how much one can read and write in English. When we talk of equity it should be able to appeal to different aspects of learning and not dominated by merely testing students in written examinations which confine their learning process to the area of reading and writing. Hence equity of condition should be emphasised by ensuring that learning engages all the learners in the classroom in different ways. Sadly, given the current linguistic conditions, the children in these schools are denied even the necessary exposure to the English language that would enable them to use it meaningfully. They are eventually forced to memorise their answers without understanding and reproduce them adequately enough to cross the pass mark. In such a situation, the concept of ‘impartiality’ in the context of equity in learning seems rather unjust and overpowering for these children as they are inevitably left behind in the long run, leading to increasing dropout rates in the country. It is here that the concept of ‘equality of condition’ may guide the policymakers in the academic assessment of such children so that they may be included in the social progress of our nation.

It is understood that it is always more convenient and less expensive to focus on the ‘normal’ population of students who come from better socio-economic backgrounds. But, if we truly want an inclusive education system that tries to bring equity in learning, our policy makers have to tackle the root causes of the disadvantaged conditions of children, their low household income, the inequalities that arise as a result of their gender, location, ethnicity or disability. At the very least, we can start with the infrastructure of the schools, the dearth of trained teachers and teaching-learning materials.

“Is there equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, texbooks, teachers and curriculum? For students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education’ (Nichols 1974 qtd in Jenelle Reeves, 2004). Educational institutions must take appropriate actions to overcome language barriers. Language barriers in this paper, means the difficulties in communication or difficulties in acquiring the language skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing in a language which is not of one’s own. Particularly, such barriers are experienced when textbooks or other learning materials used in schools are not in one’s own language.

Conclusions

With the advent of listing out learner’s outcome, an indicator of equity in learning is defined by educational outcomes which in turn have been measured primarily through marks obtained during test and examinations. Learning outcomes have surreptitiously replaced the term ‘learning objectives’ of a particular lesson design despite the teacher’s proficiency and resources used. This was seen in the textbooks of Meghalaya (Health Education). Further, it was seen that children at class 8 cannot phrase sentences on their own even with simple familiar concepts such as words like ‘holiday’, ‘market’, etc. despite being aware of their meanings. However, the student’s linguistic environment in English is limited in both states. Daily conversations are mostly conducted in Hindi and Khasi (for Meghalaya) at home, neighborhood, etc., and even in school campuses, interaction is mostly in their mother tongue. Based on group discussions conducted with teachers in rural areas, opportunities to speak in English at home and in their immediate surroundings are limited. A monolingual and mono-cultural community cannot provide a platform conducive to English use and thus, it is a drawback. In the context of Namsai, learners are exposed to several other languages and the most dominant languages that children are comfortable with are Assamese and Hindi.

While focusing on achieving the objectives of the National Curriculum, we have failed to realise the need of the learners in terms of ensuring equity in learning for learners with such backgrounds as discussed from these two states. There is a need to create or contextualise a more meaningful and creative curriculum for such learners. We need to understand the barriers and the difficulties faced by such learners who are trying to balance against the pressures of school life and their family’s needs. The need of the hour, therefore, is to contextualise the textbooks. Contextualisation here refers to the process of trying to bring the learners closer to the textbook materials by establishing connections and drawing exemplars from their daily experiences in their locality, their state or things, events of what they would normally be exposed to. This would entail designing lessons and activities that will provide learners with ample chances to use English in their daily situations. The aim of contextualisation is basically about bringing simplicity to the text enabling connections between the text and the learners.

While ensuring Equity in learning one needs to relook into how the mechanisms of delivering the educational objectives are met. The manner in which we attain the outcomes expected of our children reflects how we actually invest our time, ability and money for them, regardless of the rural or urban context. Expecting the learners to be able to use English is only fair if adequate input in the language is provided by the teachers and the school environment. A creative and enabling learning environment is needed to accommodate the learner’s social and linguistic condition while ensuring classroom activities that are designed for learning grammar in the textbooks. Materials must be authentic and familiar to children and not simply in the form of imported examples from national newspapers or audio-visual materials which could alienate the learner out of his/her social conditions.

Even if changes can be brought in terms of TLMs, there is still a need to provide equity in terms of resources and infrastructure which would be conducive for learning. It is not fair that government schools existing within a distance of 2 kms would have so much disparity in the facilities like electricity, drinking water, classrooms, roofs, and toilets, etc.

Social justice has been part of the discussion within Scottish Parliament since it was established in 1999 with one of the first policy programmes focusing on social justice (‘Social Justice: A Scotland Where Everyone Matters -Scottish Executive, 1999). Social justice is concerned with socially marginalised groups and how society responds to this. Inclusion is education’s response to social justice and social justice can only be achieved through inclusive schools and teachers (Dyson, 1999).

A key feature of social justice is the provision of equal opportunities, where everyone is treated equally and considered on the same level. However, recognising every child as equal can see inequality being reproduced (Bourdieu and Passeron 2000). Accessibility of learning may be hindered if these different starting points were not acknowledged, making it privileged to certain children. Instead of treating every child the same, it is imperative to recognise the range of needs, abilities, circumstances, backgrounds and aspirations held by an individual and eliminate the barriers which hinder them from reaching their full potential. Individual differences are key influencing factors in deciding how to provide for children in the classroom and that some may require additional support to achieve.

Social justice recognises this and attempts to overcome issues of discrimination, emphasising that no child should be stigmatised because of their circumstances(allan essay). Inclusion goes beyond simply providing access into mainstream schools to all children, focusing instead on adapting current systems to allow for participation of every child, eliminating all forms of exclusion enabling everyone to achieve, develop and contribute, becoming valued members within the school community (Barton, 1998). The UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) states that school based education should be accessible to everyone and this is echoed within Scottish education which has a history of equity of provision, where education is available to all. Equity in education is often viewed as equivalence however, a more insightful way to view equity is through the lens of ‘fairness’.

There are situations in which people view equal treatment and unequal treatment as fair. This suggests that, when it comes to equity, fairness precedes equality. In an equitable school, students’ special needs and unequal socioeconomic backgrounds are recognised and teaching and resources are distributed unequally in an attempt to counteract disadvantage, with equity being achieved by prioritising fairness over equality (Stamans, C, Sheskin, M & Bloom, P (2017). Why people prefer unequal societies. Nature Human Behaviour. Vol 1, Article No. 82) Social justice and equity are inter-linked concepts and are embedded in Scottish policy. Since the reopening of the Scottish Parliament the Government has produced various legislation, policies and initiatives with the aim to support more vulnerable groups in the population.

The word justice is associated with many aspects of society today; social justice, criminal justice and environmental justice just to name a few. However, all of these subsections have one thing in common, a societal outlook past individual gratification or concern. All of these groups or movements seek changes within their communities to reach a state of justice from a societal standpoint. Justice may only be achieved when all aspects of society are in fact made to be just. As a broad concept often misused in daily life, many do not know the true meaning and definition of justice. Justice is the quality of equity in a society, where individuals are given fair consequences for actions and behaviour. A just society rewards individuals for their actions in a fair way, no matter what race, religon, sex, disability or appearance. Justice in society based on equity gives consistent treatment to citizens, allowing all a chance to succeed if they work hard enough. In today’s capitalist society, the rich get richer and the poor remain poor because the system allows varying consequences for like actions. Authentic justice may only be achieved in society when equity is implemented.

Those who embody morality in the society in question and work hard to contribute, should be entitled to more because it is earned or deserved. A just society must rely on the principle of equity more than anything else. Equity is not synonymous with equality, the two terms possess key differences. Equity is the concept of fair treatment through varying aid or assistance while equality constitutes sameness among all people (Merriam-Webster). Equity gives people what they need on a case to case basis, while equality provides one general solution for an entire group (Merriam-Webster). Equality is not a reasonable structure to obtain justice in society because the contribution of individuals varies largely and failing to acknowledge many’s right to superiority, which humans naturally seek, is flawed and unjust in itself. Canada’s common law system requires judges to consider precedent during an accused’s trial and sentencing. Precedent is the reference to similar cases or issues and their outcome to help judges reach a reasonable conclusion regarding sentencing. This system serves as a prime example of equity based justice. Today, precedent is used in legal proceedings and many other disputes, though is not concrete necessary in most cases. A truly just system would give equal sentences or rewards for equal crimes or achievements, thus achieving equity. Every individual must receive what they deserve in accordance with their value to society.

Esteemed ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, concurs with the theory of justice as equity in his Book of Nicomachean Ethics where he writes that justice is “not for everyone, only for equals” (Aristotle, 79). This quote acknowledges inequality among individuals while addressing the importance of equitable treatment among valid equals. He also theorizes “inequality is required for those who are unequal” (Pomerleau) meaning two people of vastly different circumstances are not entitled to the same rights, privileges and luxuries. Proof of the validity of this statement is a comparison between serial killer Ted Bundy to Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and humanitarian. While Ted Bundy confessed to murdering dozens of young girls, Bill Gates made significant advances in technology and has saved the lives of millions of children through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (B.Gates and M.Gates). Clearly, Bill Gates deserves to be in the position of power and influence he is currently in while Ted Bundy deserved criminal intervention because their actions warranted consequences, be they good or bad. Aristotle’s theory of distributive justice, which deals with how to distribute assets in a fair way, states that benefits and burdens should be distributed in proportion to one’s contributions to a society (Lamont). Clear imbalances may be seen among every individual’s contributions, therefore they do not deserve equal distribution of privelleges. Justice is reached in society when equity allows people to succeed or fail, completely equally to their equals. Justice propels the advancement of society in search of individual success when people see clear rewards for their good behaviour.

Some may argue that in order to achieve justice in society everyone should be considered completely equal. This is known as an egalitarian approach to justice. Egalitarianism argues that all people are equal and therefore are entitled to the same rights and opportunities (Arneson). In this theory of justice, fairness is achieved because if everyone is equal, nobody is oppressed or deprived of success. In fact, the destructive hierarchies may no longer unjustly impact anybody. The deprivation of basic human rights and simultaneous existence of billionaires is a glaring example of injustice. This equality based social system would bring justice to the majority of the world’s population while only negatively impacting the rich.

John Rawls, an American philosopher and Harvard University professor, outlines a very egalitarian based view of justice in his 1971 book; A Theory of Justice. Rawls uses the concept of the “Veil of Ignorance” to convey his beliefs, stating that if an individual were unaware of their position in society and possessed basic knowledge about the structure of society and human nature then they would determine two ideal principles of justice (Rawls, 118). He states that the two general principles would be the principle of equal liberty and the difference principle (Rawls, 52). The principle of equal liberty states that everyone has the equal right to the “most extensive liberties” (Garrett) and the difference principle describes that inequalities should be “to the benefit of the greatest number and that it’s attached offices be open to all” (Garrett). These principles ensure that any person may have equal treatment resulting in societal justice.

However, not being rewarded for greater work or effort is un-just, therefore privileges must vary in order to provide justice to all equally. Any given society will never reach the point at which every member is exerting a uniform amount of effort in a day. Rawls’ theory of justice is ill-conceived because the power dynamic present in society is what allows it to grow and flourish. Hard work, intelligence and ambition must always be rewarded in society because such individuals earned benefits and it would be unjust not to reward exceptional contributors for thier efforts. Despite Rawls’ beliefs, all humans are not equal from a societal standpoint because while one may contribute nothing, another may find the cure to cancer and make a revolutionary change. These two individuals are a prime example of an unequal contribution to society from an objective standpoint. Furthermore, under Rawls’ system, hard working, educated citizens would be forced to part with hard earned resources, such as money, to support criminals and lazy people who abuse the system (Garrett). It would be like if one child did an entire project for her group and on the day of the presentation, the other members took the information and presented separately without giving credit. If one person does all the work, unrelated persons should not benefit, this directly translates to the concept of justice as equity, not equality.

Desert based distributive justice is a theory of justice distribution pioneered by Aristotle that rewards people based on certain criteria (Lamont). This concept was adapted and modernised by John Locke, who stated that people have the right to keep the fruits of their labour, or the monetary equivalent, as compensation for their efforts (Lamont). Over hundreds of years, the concept of most desert based distributive justice has been narrowed down to three important categories; contribution, effort and compensation (Lamont). The most relevant of the three, however, is Miller and Riley’s category of contribution (Lamont). Miller and Riley theorised “people should be rewarded for their work activity according to the value of their contribution to the social product”, essentially believing in the importance of individuals earning what they are or are not given (Lamont). The accordance of society with what an indivudual has worked to earn is equity, which brings justice.

In conclusion, justice is a quality that is acheived by society through equitable treatment of equal persons. This means individuals are entitled to profit off of hard work and those unequal to them do not benefit an equal amount. Complete equality in a society, as Rawls advocates for, is not justice because it undermines individual contribution and one’s right to suceed. Justice is the earning of one’s position in life completely, the concept of “you get what you deserve” through equity of treatment. Aristotle and other desert based distributive justice philosophers such as Locke, Miller and Riley agree with this assessment. Equity truly is the only means of achieveing justice in every society.

Works Cited

1. Aristotle, and H. Rackham. The Nicomachean Ethics. Vol. 5, Harvard University Press, 1990.
2. Arneson, Richard. “Egalitarianism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 24 Apr. 2013, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/egalitarianism/#PreDis
3. “Definition of Equality.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equality.
4. “Definition of Equity.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equity.
5. Garrett, Jan. “John Rawls on Justice.” Rawls on Justice, 3 Sept. 2002, https://people.wku.edu/jan.garrett/ethics/johnrawl.htm#prin.
6. Gates, Bill, and Melinda Gates. “Warren Buffett’s Best Investment.” Gatesnotes.com, Bill Gates, 14 Feb. 2017, https://www.gatesnotes.com/2017-Annual-Letter.
7. Lamont, Julian, and Christi Favor. “Distributive Justice.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 26 Sept. 2017, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-distributive/#Desert.
8. Pomerleau, Wayne P. “Western Theories of Justice.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Gonzaga Univeristy, https://www.iep.utm.edu/justwest/.
9. Rawl, John. A Theory of Justi ;lk vce. Harvard University Press, 1971.

Net Neutrality

I am writing to inform you of the principle of net neutrality, the history of the development of this concept, and its significance in the political and social spheres. It is commonly referred to as the idea that companies providing Internet access cannot, at their discretion, give preference to one or more different resources. In other words, all services and sites should be regarded by providers on equal terms and equally accessible to all users. Columbia University professor Tim Wu first proposed the concept of net neutrality. In a paper published by Wu in 2003, the scientist proposed introducing a general rule for all Internet companies and services (Becker et al., 2017). It would prohibit providers from discriminating against some market participants in favor of others. Julius Genachowski officially proposed the introduction of the net neutrality principle in the United States. He at that time held the post of head of the Federal Communications Agency; this happened in 2009.

In 2010, the principle of net neutrality was successfully approved, and since then, the FCC has been trying to monitor its compliance as closely as possible; in practice, this means something like the following (Becker et al., 2017). When connecting to the network, the user can choose between two options. He either uses a stationary connection via a dedicated line using a cable and a wireless connection or has an access via mobile devices (smartphones and tablet computers). However, in both cases, the provider ensuring communication services spends billions of dollars on the link – laying a cable, building towers transmitting the signal, and so on. The renovation, expansion, and modernization of all this infrastructure cost millions of dollars every year.

The provider cannot prescribe a separate tariff for using the Netflix online cinema. He also can not take extra money for a higher speed of downloading videos on YouTube, or artificially cut the rate on torrents. Large companies like Google or Dropbox cannot be charged because they account for more traffic than the blog of an unknown schoolboy from San Francisco. With the development of the Internet, an increasing share of the traffic transmitted over the networks began to fall on several large sites and services. By 2013, services such as Google-owned YouTube video hosting or Netflix Internet cinema had already absorbed about 45 percent of all American traffic. By comparison, Facebook accounted for about 1.3 percent at the same time, and iTunes generated about three more.

At the same time, net neutrality ensured that YouTube, with its 27 percent, should have been regarded by providers in the same way as Facebook with its 1.3 percent (Becker et al., 2017). It does not matter how much the video quality on Netflix has increased in a year, or how much the load on the network has grown. It is still forbidden to charge an additional fee for watching clips and TV shows of good quality. For this reason, the largest US providers (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Sprint, and others) have been trying to challenge the principle of net neutrality hardly since its adoption.

Legal Standpoint

There is an issue of net neutrality that stands from a Federal US Supreme Court standpoint because, legally, the principle of net neutrality may not apply to Internet service providers. The culprit, oddly enough, is the FCC itself, which in 2002 classified Internet service providers as “information services” and not telecom operators (Becker et al., 2017). Thus, according to the law, AT&T, Verizon, and all their competitors may disobey the decisions of the FCC and not observe neutrality when working with traffic. Based on this, after lengthy legal disputes and numerous appeals, the US court denied the Federal Agency the right to require providers to comply with net neutrality in January. It would seem that it is possible to end this, but everything is more complicated.

In turn, the FCC decided to use another law — the Telecommunications Act, adopted in 1996. On the one hand, the 706th section of this document does not allow the agency to influence the possible prioritization of traffic by providers (Becker et al., 2017). On the other hand, referring to the area, the FCC can theoretically regulate the activities of providers “to ensure equal access of all US citizens to information on the network”(Becker et al., 2017). Now the FCC is considering a set of new rules regarding net neutrality.

Social Equity Impact of Net Neutrality

Most companies in Silicon Valley favor maintaining existing norms and mandatory compliance with net neutrality. Their main argument is that equal access to the Internet for everyone, and the same attitude of providers to all types of traffic. This will allow the IT sector in the United States to grow faster than ever, moving forward innovation, science, and the entire economy. All Internet services are provided to all users with the same level of quality. Data from different senders to different recipients should be processed and forwarded the same way.

At the same time, of course, the type of data needs to be considered: emails, web pages, files, or video streams. Some of the transmitted data is more sensitive to the speed of delivery and possible delays, while others are less sensitive. The boundary between the permissible considering the nature of the transmitted data and the already unacceptable remains the subject of long discussions. However, data of the same category sent by different users to different recipients are treated the same. Ensuring free access to communications and the Internet is crucial for the formation of the digital economy. As a result of the abolition of net neutrality, competition will become unfair. It will open the possibility for behind-the-scenes agreements between the most prominent players in the telecommunications market.

Net neutrality has already outgrown the technological issue, and it has become a field for large-scale public discussion. This phenomenon directly affects the political agenda and the overall assessment of decisions taken during the presidency of Donald Trump. The previous US president, Democrat Barack Obama, welcomed neutrality and left his successor and the new Congress a rather tricky legacy. Appointed by Donald Trump, the new head of the department, Ajit Pai, opposed net neutrality as an FCC commissioner before taking office. He previously said that due to the detachment of providers, they receive less profit and cannot invest in the development of the Internet.

On May 18, the commission voted to repeal the law; members of Washington have two opposing opinions. Democrats supported the idea of maintaining net neutrality, while Republicans defended the free market and competition and declared the rules of the Obama’s Commission excessive. The essence of the main argument of Republicans and President Trump is that unregulated business stimulates innovation and helps the economy. The fact is that protecting the interests of users and Internet entrepreneurs restricts the freedom of entrepreneurship among operators. The state obliges them not to improve services but to ensure that everyone receives them for the same fee. Nevertheless, Democrats in the United States are determined to find a way to appeal this decision or resume discussion.

Reference

Becker, A. B., & Bode, L. (2017). Satire as a source for learning? The differential impact of news versus satire exposure on net neutrality knowledge gain. Information, Communication & Society, 58(3), 1-14.

Introduction

In this 21^st century, it is a pity that the human species will still continue to suffer from the problems of equity and equality. The issues are pegged on superiority, values characteristics or even criteria used to elevate other human beings from the others. Well, these two aspects have been defined in different ways as shown below.

Definition of the Differences between “Equity” and “Equality

Equity

In most cases, it is seen as the state in which individuals enjoy more or less the same status within the society, in one respect or the other. This is evidenced through certain equality issues such as freedom of expression, freedom to vote, right to own property, and right to vote among other social privileges.

Others also attempt to incorporate the concept of equity in factors such as equal obligations and opportunities towards issues such as health care, access to basic amenities and education. In short, equity is used to refer to the absence of any kind of discrimination of caste/class hierarchy in the society (Brewer, 2006).

Equality

On the other hand, equality is seen to advocate for each individual to be treated fairly, regardless or his or her social economic, religious, sexual or gender orientation. It is centered toward sending issues of victimization, bullying, and harassment of any nature in the society or even the globe at large (Bannerji, 2000).

In essence, this whole debates of equality and equity rotate on the fact that both of them are closely intertwined, that is, the presence or lack of equity in a community will mean that equality can be very difficult to achieve in that particular community.

For example, if education is not equitably distributed to a particular race, gender, and state, then there may be less employment of people from that domain, thus, it be can concluded that there is no equality in job distribution. Therefore, the entire human race, especially this current generation should come together and wage a war to end the above social injustice (Brewer, 2006).

Equity-Construct

The concept of equity construct can be analyzed in terms of race, and how it has persistently continued to hinder some groups of people from attaining their goals in life. The problem of racism has been a big obstacle towards having a society with well developed skills through education.

Consequently, this has denied the United States chance to give other world economies a run for their money, in terms of human resource production. Indeed, today, the United States is experiencing the impact of having a segregative curriculum in the name of transmission-oriented that basically gave the colored students and other poor students just the basic education at the expense of the rich and white children who were accorded a more thinking-oriented curriculum in their reserved schools (Brewer, 2006).

My personal experience is based on a story of grief to the colored race in the United States, that is, the long history of racism that denied the parents and grand parents of the colored and poor people access to education mean that some sort of injustice is being exercised, in case we put these students together in the same class rooms. There are chances that the student whose parents never had proper education might not be so much interested in learning as they would lack the critical exposure to written words (Bannerji, 2000).

As we all know, the manner in which the government has continued to allocate resources towards education has been on a downward trend, that is, statistics indicate that as early as 1979, “the government could take care of around 77% of the total college fees of the student” (Brewer, 2006).

However, “in the last three decades we have witnessed these percentages drop to 33%” (Brewer, 2006). This would mean that the sons and daughters from poor families might end up in poverty because they do not have the chance to continue with their education (Bannerji, 2000).

The race factor in the education sector is also very instrumental when one attempts to explain the reason why we witness bursting prisons in the United States. Indeed, a closer look at what the New York Times termed as the ‘prison nation’, One would realize that the biggest inhabitants are the colored men and women who are the products of school drop outs (Brewer, 2006).

According to the global perspective, the United States of America is caught asleep by other countries, which are busy reviewing their education curriculum to meet the demands of the 21^st century. In fact, these countries have continued to grant access to education to thousands of their inhabitants without any discrimination based on race. This can be used to explain the reason why the United States has lost ground from being the best, in terms of having the highest educated population down to the sixteenth position (McCarthy, 2005).

What the above attempts to explain is that the colored people form large population in the United States, and the numbers expected to continue increasing by 2025. Therefore, since they have not acquired education due racism, then the entire country will feel this effect. It is predicted that by 2018, the United States may fail to provide over seven million professionals from its borders to provide labor to different lines of profession (Bannerji, 2000).

Many people have argued that the reason why the United States is loosing ground as compared to other world economies is that these other countries tend to put more emphasis on heavy investment and resources that are channeled towards education while in the US the trend is downward. In addition, it is very important to note that equity when in resources allocation is highly emphasized. What happens in these countries is that more resources are channeled to schools with the neediest students (Bannerji, 2000).

The international student assessment (PISA) has been the latest proof of what race in the education sector can cause in the country. The assessment that was done in 2006, showed that the United States was struggling among the bottom ten nations.

A closer look at the statistics indicated that the poor performance was as a result of the very low mean score that the United States had, after combining the grades of the whites, Asians, and the African Americans. Therefore, it is easy to recognize the enormous role played by race towards the performance of the United States (McCarthy, 2005).

The greatest concern is the lagging trend of education achievement in the United States, that is, what was in the past could have been considered as a hub of democracy in attaining education, but it is on the contrary today.

Other countries in the world are doing very well today in terms of comparing the rate of graduation between the United States and them. It can be realized that the other countries are doing better. This can be explained that the other countries are putting a lot of resources towards the education of ancient minorities and recent immigrants into their country (Bannerji, 2000).

Shocking statistics indicate the magnitude of racism in the United States education sector. By 2005, it is only a small fraction of the African- America youths between the age bracket of 24 and 30 (McCarthy, 2005). In fact, only 17% had acquired their degree certificates (McCarthy, 2005).

They are then closely followed by “the Hispanic youths who only 11% of the same age bracket had graduated from colleges” (McCarthy, 2005). This slim percentage of educated elites among their community is not enough, and something more drastic to reduce this issue should be adopted.

The bitter truth of racism presented in the United States was put by McCarthy’s book (McCarthy, 2005 ). It is from this book where it has been argued that there was a clear cut line that existed between the sub-urban schools and the urban schools. The urban schools used almost twice the resources allocated to schools their counterparts in the suburbs.

For example, Goudy elementary school, which largely served the black continued to read books that dated back fifteen years old when the president of United States was still Richard Nixon, the impact of such under funding can prove to be very costly to the state when such schools ultimately produce half-backed intellectuals (Brewer, 2006 ).

From a very recent survey conducted across twenty states, there was a clear revelation (Brewer, 2006 ). Tangible resources that count from the size of class room to sanitation facilities to computers and even text books.

It was evidenced that among the schools, which served many students who were colored, there was considerably fewer of the above named resources as compared to those schools that had more of the white students. This can only mean one thing, performance among these schools can never be the same, thus putting the colored student vulnerable to school drop out (McCarthy, 2005).

The explanation above has been a detailed look at the state of affair in the United States of America today. As it stands, it can be concluded that a lot is still desired, that is, despite the many efforts that several individual states have attempted to introduce to stop this social injustice, the federal government would also need to provide framework, in terms of policies and legislations to assist in this matter (McCarthy, 2005).

Conclusion

In sum, I learnt that while the perpetuators of racism in education think that they are punishing the colored or making them appear inferior, then they are mistaken. I believe that people who are loosing the most are people from America, both whites and colored. What individuals are loosing more is their national pride and supremacy at the global level.

In fact, peace and security of the nation are at risk as the school drop outs tend to join criminal gangs and terrorize the community. Even if they are arrested, it is the taxpayers who continue to pay fore their upkeep in the prisons. Therefore, the nation can not continue this way, thus, individuals should advocate for an equitable and equal education for all.

As leaders, the main concern will be to lobby for learning and teaching systems, which accord each student the chance to have equal opportunity to good education. It is also important to put emphasis on the well being of both the teacher and student, regardless of their race tribe religion or gender. The curriculum will also be reviewed to meet the desires and demands of the 21^st century.

References

Bannerji, H. (2000). The Dark Side of the Nation: Essays on Multiculturalism, Nationalism, And Gender. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Brewer, R. (2006). Theorizing Race, Class and Gender: The New Scholarship of Black Feminist Intellectuals and Black Women’s Labour. New York, NY: Routledge.

McCarthy, C. (2005). Race, Identity, and Representation in Education (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Raising funds, scholarships, and budgets in college sport should be carried out with consideration of talents, skills, and students’ aptness, but not with consideration of gender. Despite the existing legislature, there are a great number of stereotypes and prejudices that are historically and socially predetermined. The development of women’s sports dates back s to 1972, the time when Title IX has passed to enforce equality and fairness in funding sports.

Although this provision sounds noble and persuasive, many inconsistencies and unpredicted consequences arise on the basis of these regulations. Therefore, College should introduce complete equity in accessing sporting activities irrespective of gender because it can create wider opportunities for women to fulfill themselves, as well as justify the contemporary trends in gender equality movement.

College athlete programs fail to receive sufficient federal and financial support due to the ambiguity of the original law. Therefore, the government should take greater control of funding to ensure equal access of males and females to sporting activities. According to Title IX of Public Law,

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (No. 92-318).

Although this rule is officially recognized, there is no actual measures taken to introduce equal funding and budgeting for both male and female students studying at college.

Each person regardless of sex has the right to freedom and equality in self-expression and self-determination. Therefore, all people should be able to access any type of sport activities. Promoting equal funding will liberate women from false stereotypes and prejudices about their skills and abilities, as well as provide an opportunity for them to demonstrate strength and persistence in making decisions.

Therefore, such types of sports as basketball, football, box, or arm wrestling could even attract more spectators and supporters, which contribute to the prosperity of business in sport. Moreover, it can also attract more investors.

According to Gee, women can have similar changes to make contributions to sport in general because “American females brought home more hardware than did their male counterparts” (n. p.). These medals were won in boxing, which proves that college budget should be equally allocated among males and females.

Providing scholarship support both to male and female students can create underpinnings for exterminating gender discrimination, as well as providing new incentives for intellectual fulfillment. Ensuring sufficient financial support of female sports does not necessarily imply budget reductions in males’ sports.

As Carlson states, emergence and rapid development of women’s sports contributes positively to social change (n. p.). In particular, “female physical educators began to concede that sports participation improved, rather than harmed, the health of college women” (Carlson n. p.). Therefore, such an argument seems to the most persuasive reason for enhancing funding initiatives and introducing new standards to college sports.

In conclusion, college budgeting and funding activities should focus on equal allocation of financial resources to students, regardless of their gender. In fact, women’s constant fight for equality should not be confined to cultural and political fields because introducing improvements to sports sphere also promotes social change.

Hence, historic perspective and legal regulations approve women’s aspiration to participate in sporting activities because it significantly improves their physical health, as well as establishes new dimensions for self-expression and determination. More importantly, it can provide significant improvements to educational sphere as well because students should not restricted in the possibility to their reveal abilities, talents, and skills.

Works Cited

Carlson, Christie. “Gender Equality in Sports Scholarships”, LiveStrong. 2011. Web.

Gee, Austen. “2012: Year of the Women in Athletics, But Is There Equality in Sports”. Policymic. 2013. Web.

Public Law, Title IX, No. 92-318, Stat. 235. Print.

Introduction

This paper is devoted to the analysis of a case of dispute that involves the issues of, on the one hand, student accommodation and, on the other hand, employment equity. A student (who is a deaf person) finds it difficult to read the lips of a Sikh professor who has a beard and, apparently, speaks with an “accent,” which makes his speech incomprehensible to the student. The student refuses to have someone take notes for him or to invite a sign interpreter.

The course is a required one; the student is in the last semester. The professor, on the other hand, refuses to shave the beard and is offended by the request to speak slower. He is a Sikh, and he believes that the request can be considered discriminatory.

He is willing to make a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and he threatens to quit. The union of the faculty believes that he is right in his assumptions and that the college is not very successful in ensuring employment equity. Both persons have already filed complaints to the anti-harassment office. Unfortunately, in this case, the rights are apparently colliding, and both persons who are involved require protection. Therefore, the careful development of a strategy for the resolution of the dispute is necessary.

As a member of the anti-harassment office, I am to review the situation, analyze it, define the responsibilities of the college (the duty to accommodate and the employment equity requirements), and make recommendations on addressing the issues. There is no single anti-harassment policy offered by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (2013); rather, every organization is supposed to develop one that fits its needs. As a result, this paper considers the guidelines of the Ontario Human Rights Commission [OHRC] (2001, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015) in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

Analysis

The Nature of Harassment and Discrimination

In order to understand the case, we need to demonstrate that discrimination or harassment took place in the area of the provision of services or employment; they are based on “disability” in one case and on the “race,” “ethnicity,” and creed in the other one.

The Ontario Human Rights Code declares that everyone has the right to be free from discrimination based on “disability of perceived disability;” the Code also requires the creation of an inclusive environment (OHRC, 2008, 2009).

The student apparently experiences discrimination: with his personal characteristics as a basis, he is unintentionally distinguished in a way that puts him at a disadvantage that other members of his group do not experience; this distinction has the potential of depriving him of the benefit of education (Module 1 Week 4). He also has the right to define his needs, and if he states that the solutions which can be considered as an alternative to lip-reading are not respectful enough, his opinion must be taken into account (OHRC, 2009). The case is clear, and the faculty is supposed to accommodate his needs and protect the student from discrimination.

The professor insists that he is being discriminated against on the basis of race and ethnicity. Possibly, he refers to “racialization,” which can be used to describe discrimination that is based on “race” (which is a controversial and rather racist term, but the professor uses it), “ethnicity,” and creed (Module 2 Week 8). In the case of the professor, he is most definitely concerned with the request that counters his beliefs (Sikhism). For Sikhs, beards are religious signifiers and requirements that cannot be removed on a whim (OHRC, 2015, pp. 89, 91). Canada is a very religiously and culturally diverse country, and the Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination based on creed (Seljak, 2012), which means that the faculty is expected to accommodate to the point of undue hardship.

It can be concluded that the professor is being subjected to vexatious conduct that is known to be unwelcome, that is, he is being harassed (Module 1 Week 4). Moreover, the professor may have been offended by the suggestion to speak slower, which implies discrimination based on his origin and ethnicity. Provided that he had been informed about the reasons for the request (to help a person read his lips), it appears relatively unlikely.

However, it is a possibility especially if the discrimination of this kind is not completely eliminated at the faculty, which the case implies. The origin of the professor is not clear in the case. However, if he does speak with an “accent,” there is a chance that he is an immigrant or their descendant; as a result, it can be concluded that he is subjected to intersectional harassment based on creed, ethnicity, and possibly immigration status.

Intersectional discrimination is a particularly difficult case (OHRC, 2001; Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 2006). Given that the Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits harassment and discrimination on the grounds of race, creed, and origin (OHRC, 2008), the professor is likely to be able to demonstrate the case of intersectional harassment if he makes a complaint to the OHRC (Module 1 Week 3).

Equity, Employment, and Services

Employment equity is a concept that is unique and exists only in Canada to define the policies which are supposed to improve the representativeness of a workplace (Module 3). In Canada, the fight with the discrimination that is based on creed began as early as in 1932 (Ontario Insurance Act); in 1951, the Fair Employment Practices Act was enacted (Module 1 Week 3). Nowadays, the values of Canada and its laws require employment equity.

OHRC (2008) reminds us that adhering to human rights at the workplace is not only a legal requirement, it is also a necessity and a wise practice. As the third reason for human rights protection (after the value of human rights and the fact that they are the law), the OHRC (2013) points out the benefits that employees and service providers can gain from the lawful practice. For employers, human rights protection results in attracting talent regardless of the typical discrimination grounds, reducing frustration, burnouts, and tensions, and improving employee retention. Service providers benefit from serving a larger population and promoting their reputation while also avoiding conflicts and increasing user loyalty.

In this case, the faculty acts as both a public service provider and an employer, which means that human rights protection is an obligation as well as an opportunity for it.

The Duty to Accommodate and Undue Hardship

The duty to accommodate applies to both cases; it presupposes that the faculty is expected to accommodate the needs of both the student (OHRC, 2009) and the professor (OHRC, 2015). Naturally, it can be suggested that the easiest solution consists in getting the methods that are alternative to lips reading to help the student receive the course. However, the student insists that he does not consider any other means to be respectful, and the antiharassment office needs to take this factor into account.

The OHRC (2009) Policy and Guidelines on Disability and the Duty to Accommodate state explicitly that every solution must be customized, and the needs of individuals with similar conditions, characteristics, and qualities are likely to be different. Since respect for dignity is a crucial aspect of the duty to accommodate (Module 1 Week 4), the easiest solution can only be considered if nothing else can be done.

The OHRC (2009) states that undue hardship is primarily connected to costs and funding or inconsistency with health and safety requirements. Only these aspects can justify the failure to accommodate; they must be proved and (in the case of cost-related ones) quantified.

Conclusion: Recommendations

It is apparent that finding a solution requires further work with the two men. Seeking a compromise is always a preferred way out, and it is stated explicitly in the OHRC (2009) Policy and Guidelines on Disability and the Duty to Accommodate. In other words, approaching both persons again with the aim of improving their awareness of each other’s predicaments and finding a compromise is an acceptable course of action, but it is necessary to ensure that no pressure is applied, and no harassment occurs. However, since the discussions with both persons have already occurred, it is not unlikely that they will find it impossible to achieve a compromise.

In this case, the following strategy can be employed. It is apparent that in the view of employment equity and respect towards the specifics of Sikh culture, insisting on shaving the beard amounts to discrimination and is, therefore, unacceptable. It is only possible in case the professor considers it a suitable solution when he learns about the student’s predicament. However, it cannot be denied that the discrimination of the student does take place, and it is necessary to provide him with an opportunity of taking the required course in a way that is most respectful of his rights to the point of undue hardship.

In other words, it is necessary to consider the possibility of providing him with the opportunity of private lessons with another instructor. However, this option needs to be considered from the point of view of the hardship that it produces. This hardship is unlikely to cause safety issues, which is why the economic aspect of the option needs to be considered with the help of the OHRC (2009) Policy and Guidelines on Disability and the Duty to Accommodate.

In case the option does cause undue hardship that is quantified and proved, the student might have to use the methods that he does not consider respectful (like a sign interpreter). However, this outcome is relatively unlikely since the OHRC (2009) demands to avoid “putting too low a value on accommodating the disabled” and pays particular attention to the possibility of outside funding (para. 21). Unfortunately, rights are not absolute (Module 1 Week 1), and there is a limit to what we can do to resolve the issue, but, hopefully, the outcome which demands that the student is forced to use the methods that he does not consider respectful will be avoided.

References

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2001). An intersectional approach to discrimination: Addressing multiple grounds in human rights claims. Web.

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2008). Human Rights at Work. Web.

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2009). Policy and guidelines on disability and the duty to accommodate. Web.

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2013). A policy primer: Guide to developing human rights policies and procedures. Web.

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2015). Policy on preventing discrimination based on creed. Web.

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (2006). Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Web.

Seljak, D. (2012). Protecting religious freedom in a multicultural Canada. Creed, freedom of religion, and human rights – Special issue of Diversity Magazine, 9 (3). Web.

Though in the XXI century, the humankind has advanced impressively in a number of domains, the issue of intolerance still remains on agenda. Despite the fact that Canada has never been homogenous in terms of its residents’ nationality or ethnicity, as well as the fact that over the past few years, the rates of interracial marriages have increased impressively, prejudices against African American people, as well as the representatives of other nationalities, still persist. By taking a closer look at the specifics of relationships between the African American members of the Canadian society and the rest of the Canadian population, one may possibly not only define the key problem of the modern Canadian society, but also come up with a viable solution concerning the factors that predispose the existence of this prejudice.

In the process of researching the issue specified above, several objectives are to be met. To be more particular, in order to define the actors that enhance racial profiling in Canada and providing the solutions for the problem of racial discrimination among the residents of Canada, the following steps are to be undertaken:

1. Analyzing the history of African American communities in Canada;
2. Defining the factors that contribute to the development of negative attitudes towards African American population in Canada;
3. Specifying the ethnic and racial stereotypes that affect the relationships between African Americans and Canadians;
4. Based on the answers to the aforementioned questions, designing the strategies to address the persistent racial stereotypes;
5. Based on the answers to the first three questions, developing the methods of changing the attitudes of Canadians towards African American population, which means designing the methods to establish the principles of ethnic and racial tolerance.

Taking a closer look at the situation, one must admit that the issue of racial profiling did not appear out of nowhere; there are, in fact, a number of factors affecting the relationships between the two ethnicities and leading to suspicions at best and enmity at worst. The lack of diversity, which Canada had been suffering up until recently, must be the key factor that predetermines the suspicions towards the representatives of Black community within the Canadian society. Indeed, judging by the historical evidence, the Canadian population became diversified only about fifty years ago (A Case Study of Diversity in Corrections: The Black Inmate Experience in Federal Penitentiaries Final Report para. 1), which is far too small a term for the citizens to get used to the idea of living next to the representatives of other cultures. While at present, the situation does not seem drastic, some of the recent researches indicate that Black people are not quite welcome in the Canadian society (Welch 276).

Speaking of the research framework, one must mention that the qualitative research method has been chosen for analyzing the problem specified above and searching for its solution. The problem will be analyzed after gathering a large amount of relevant information, which will come from the latest researches for the most part. First, it will be required to back the research up with a theory on racial profiling; the general theory of discrimination will help to take the given step. In addition, the measures undertaken by the Canadian government to address the issue of discrimination must also be analyzed. (Westhues and Wharf 109).

Works Cited

A Case Study of Diversity in Corrections: The Black Inmate Experience in Federal Penitentiaries Final Report. n. d. Web.

Welch, Kelly. “Black Criminal Stereotypes and Racial Profiling.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 23.3 (2007): 276–288.

Westhues, Anne and Brian Wharf. Canadian Social Policy: Issues and Perspectives. Toronto, CA: Wilfred Laurier Press, 2013. Print.

Introduction

It has been acknowledged that diversity is one of the keys to organizational success. People with different backgrounds tend to have knowledge and skills, enabling them to solve serious issues. Macomb County is characterized by a homogeneous population, but the number of people of color is growing (“Data USA: Macomb County, MI,” n.d.). The county has great potential for growth, but diversity and equity are necessary for sustainable evolvement. The Human Resources and Labor Relations Department can play a key role in the improvement of the situation, making people of color more involved in social life, and enhancing their financial security. However, the organization’s employees have insufficient knowledge and experience to attain this goal, so an education intervention is necessary.

Needs Assessment: People

Human Resources and Labor Relations Department in Macomb County is characterized by a lack of diversity, as almost all employees are Caucasians (Human Resources and Labor Relations, 2020). The lack of diversity in the organization inevitably leads to limited awareness and understanding of the needs, peculiarities, and competitiveness of people of color due to the existing bias and benevolent discrimination (Romani et al., 2018). At the same time, the number of the target population is growing steadily according to the latest demographic data as the rate of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White people was over 83% in 2013 and reached only 80% in 2018 (“Data USA: Macomb County, MI,” n.d.). It is also necessary to add that due to the financial constraints Americans are facing now, this cohort is more vulnerable compared to White people.

Needs Assessment: Task

When analyzing the needs in terms of the task, it is necessary to focus on several aspects. Communication is one of the major areas to improve, so the employees need to have proper interpersonal skills and be aware of diverse communication channels as well as the peculiarities of their use (Hill-Jackson, 2020; Okolie, 2020). In order to adopt recruitments and selection skills necessary for improving diversity, employees should also learn more about such concepts as benevolent discrimination, bias, and proper positive discrimination use (Romani et al., 2018; Vitanski, 2019). Finally, it is important to develop a learning organization culture in order to ensure the effective implementation of the proposed program and further development of the organizations’ staff (Berman et al., 2019). These areas should be addressed when developing and implementing a staff development program at the Human Resources and Labor Relations Department in Macomb County.

SMART Objectives

The major goal of the suggested program is to improve diversity practices in recruitment and selection at the Human Resources and Labor Relations Department in Macomb County within three months. In order to ensure that the goal can be attained and the program will be effectively implemented, it is important to ensure that a SMART objective is established (Berman et al., 2019). Achievable objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. The evaluation of the set goals using the SMART tool has proved to be beneficial, so it is utilized to assess the proposed project.

Specific and Measurable

The established objective is specific as it is concerned with two areas, selection, and recruitment. The program will be related to these aspects of human resources management, so the participants will remain focused. The set objectives are measurable as the outcomes can be measured with the help of several instruments. On the one hand KPIs, employees’ reports, questionnaires, and tests. On the other hand, the recruited and employed candidates’ demographic data can also reveal the effectiveness of the program and the participant’s ability to reach people of color.

Attainable and Realistic

The program’s objectives are also attainable as no tight deadlines with demanding KPIs will be set. Any increase in reaching people of color during the recruitment and selection process will be regarded as a sufficient indicator of progress. The focus will be on the views of the organization’s employees. The participants will be ensured that there will be no adverse work-related outcomes based on the rate of recruited people. However, there will be different types of rewards for those who display commitment, engagement, and deeper knowledge. The objectives are realistic because research shows that companies benefit from the use of similar projects (Berman et al., 2019; Krekula et al., 2019).

Timely

The program is timely as well because three months is a common and appropriate period for an educational initiative, and the outcomes can be visible after its termination. Moreover, learning organization culture encompasses employees’ commitment to continuous self-development and knowledge gaining. So, even three months after the commencement of the project, the employees will continue gaining insights through knowledge sharing and self-development.

Title & Description of the Program

The proposed program is entitled “Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Advancement for People of Color.” As mentioned above, this educational project concentrates on the use of improved selection and recruitment methods to increase the diversity of the community’s workforce and the wider inclusion of people of color. Hill-Jackson (2020) states that people of color are often neglected and have access to limited employment opportunities due to the existing bias. In order to attain enhance diversity, employees will receive training regarding the existing selection and recruitment methods that are characterized by the focus on diversity and equity. The focus will be on the strategies that have proved to be effective with the target audience. The participants of the project will also learn about the most effective communication channels to reach the target audience, as well as strategies necessary for the collaboration within the Department and with the community. The initiative will also involve shedding light on the needs of the people of color, and the opportunities, challenges, and benefits of diversity on different levels.

Training Theory

The current project needs a high degree of employees involvement and motivation, so Gagné’s model will be used to ensure effective learning and comprehensive training (Mancia et al., 2017). Robert Mills Gagné developed a helpful set of steps trainers can undertake to make learners more engaged and motivated, as well as prepared to learn. Importantly, the psychologist addresses all the major aspects involved in the training process: verbal information, attitudes, intellectual skills, motor skills, and cognitive strategies (Mancia et al., 2017). Various tools and instruments are recommended for use at every stage. Diverse training strategies ensure positive learning outcomes and make training cost-effective.

Training Methods and Rationale: Background

The initial stage of the suggested project will be associated with the creation of a sense of urgency and setting the most proactive background. All the employees of the organization will be engaged in this process. The major communication channels will be organizational information systems. Employees will first receive data regarding unconscious bias. The participants of the program will discuss instances of such bias, as well as other aspects of the issue, via the existing computer-based platforms. Weekly meetings will also be held to raise employees’ awareness of the problem and facilitate the discussion. Employees’ feedback concerning the discussion and their views on the matter will be collected and analyzed to introduce some changes to the training project (provide more details on unconscious bias or methods to avoid it) if necessary.

Training Methods and Rationale: Informing

As mentioned above, diverse types of training methods will be employed to enhance employees’ motivation, address their learning needs, and facilitate the learning process (Youssef-Morgan & Stark, 2014). The trainer will provide a considerable amount of data to the participants in the form of brief lectures, with the use of presentations, demonstrations, and case studies. This form of training is justified as educators need to provide specific data that will be later discussed and elaborated on (Berman et al., 2019).

Training Methods and Rationale: Activating

Experiential and social learning has proved to be effective approaches, so the elements of these methods will be employed (Berman et al., 2019). The participants will learn through the exact use of the information and skills and will collaborate actively during the project. First, discussions will be the major instrument as they facilitate knowledge sharing and enhance people’s engagement. People may express their concerns as to using new recruitment and selection methods or interacting with diverse groups of people and the community. The participants of the project will also discuss specific case studies to evaluate the challenges and opportunities linked to diversity and equity. Roleplaying and management games are also effective educational instruments that help employees to train new skills and prepare for using them in their practice (Berman et al., 2019). The participants will solve different issues they may encounter when completing their daily assignments.

Training Methods and Rationale: Assessing

Assessment will also take different forms, including but not confined to oral feedback, ratings, self-reports, questionnaires, tests, and performance reports. The use of diverse tools will be instrumental in assessing different aspects of learning and the overall level of the participants’ knowledge and competencies (Berman et al., 2019). Some types of assessment will be used at the end of every session, and the final assessment will take place during the final weeks of the project.

Training Methods and Rationale: Major principles and tactics

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the chosen approach and methods, it is critical to utilize different types of tools during each session. For instance, every session will consist of a lecture-based component, discussion, activity, and assessment. The instructor will provide some information that will be discussed, and the participants will complete specific tasks (similar to real-life situations). The proposed project will be characterized by a positive attitude. Recognition and reward will be utilized to motivate and enhance people’s learning.

Training Methods and Rationale: Sponsorship Programs

The suggested project will also entail the creation of an extensive sponsorship program. Older employees of color will be younger peers’ sponsors helping them in their professional growth. Sponsors will be trained to be empathetic leaders and train their assignees’ empathetic leadership skills. Empathetic leadership involves the development of deeper connections within the staff, which will help in the creation of a team committed to the established goals (Holt et al., 2017). The most successful sponsors will be rewarded, which will include recognition, monetary rewards, and (vertical and horizontal) promotion. Sponsors will encourage their assignees to establish links with the community, which will be instrumental in reaching the target population.

Proposed Instructors and Rationale

Since the company has limited experience in the implementation of such projects, it is beneficial to refer to an external trainer. The trainer will have substantial materials and experience to address the needs of the organization and employees. The use of external help has some disadvantages or rather aspects to consider. The engagement of a trainer requires the investment of additional resources. Nevertheless, the potential outcomes are relevant, so the allocation of additional resources is justified. People may also be reluctant to follow the recommendations and actively participate in different activities due to the lack of trust. The organization’s employees can become mediators between the trainees and the trainer.

The learning process will be facilitated if the learners have internal leaders guiding the learning process (Berman et al., 2019). A human resources professional can become the coordinator and take up the leading role in the process. The coordinator can be the person who will ensure that employees are engaged and grasp the information effectively. The coordinator is responsible for assessment and reporting to top management. Rewards and recognition will be managed by this professional as well. The use of mentorship has become a common strategy for facilitating on-the-job training in different settings (Youssef-Morgan & Stark, 2014). Hence, more experienced employees or participants excelling during the project can become mentors and assist new employees or those struggling in their training.

Staff-Related Changes and Rationale

The implementation of the proposed program will require the introduction of certain changes to the staff composition. The company’s sustainable development can be facilitated by hiring several people specializing in diversity and equity aspects. Hiring an Equal Employment Opportunity Officer will enhance the organization’s effort concerning improving equity and diversity. Hiring an ombudsman and chief diversity officer will also be necessary. These new employees will ensure that the organizations’ staff is a true team of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, which will be described in a corresponding policy. These staff members will continuously refer to diversity and equity issues and be responsible for ensuring the development of effective links with the community.

Training Outline and Timeline

Gagne’s nine levels of learning model can be applied when developing the program’s outline. Similar steps can become guiding areas for the three-month project. During the first week, the educator will attract employees’ attention to the issue, inform them about the upcoming educational incentive, and set objectives. The discussion of the objectives and prior knowledge will take place during weeks 1-3. The training consisting of diverse activities and the use of different training methods mentioned above will be mainly held between week 3 and week 9. During weeks 8 and 9, the trainer will start providing feedback regarding each employees’ learning and performance. Assessment will take place during week 10, and the employees will have two more weeks to practice and enhance their skills, as well as learn.

Training Materials Needed

One of the primary resources necessary for the effective implementation of the educational project is the organization’s information system. Employees will receive data, updates, notifications, assignments, and feedback via this system. They will also share knowledge and discuss diverse issues using the existing communication channels. The training materials will include handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and associated equipment, as well as videos.

Program Characteristics: Leadership

Holt et al. (2017) note that the use of empathetic leadership is gaining momentum these days. Organizations benefit from the focus on empathy, integrity, and accountability since this approach translates into obtaining a competitive advantage and enhancing organizational performance. The suggested initiative will include training of emphatic leadership skills. Top-down engagement of top managers will also be a characteristic feature of the incentive. All staff members will be required to participate in the educational program. Top managers will be responsible for developing proper communications and relationships, as well as signing agreements, with community leaders with a focus on the target population. The proposed program will encompass holding top managers accountable for outcomes. Top management will report to community leaders and the staff about the results of the project.

Training Program Evaluation: Short-Term

One of the important stages of any project implementation is the evaluation of its effectiveness. The short-term evaluation will take place during week 12. The focus will be on employees’ knowledge, their understanding of the peculiarities and benefits of a diverse workforce, ability and willingness to utilize effective selection and recruitment strategies. Surveys will be carried out to identify employees’ attitudes towards the program and its outcomes. This will enable the leader to identify employees’ motivation and predict the extent to which new skills will be utilized.

Training Program Evaluation: Long-Term

The long-term evaluation will also be necessary to ensure that the established goals have been achieved. Six months after the termination of the program, another assessment should be held. This long-term evaluation will display whether the set objectives have been attained. The focus will be on certain KPIs that will include the number of employed people of color, the rate of minority groups reached during the selection and recruitment process. Employees’ understanding of diversity, equity issues, and the peculiarities of working with people of color will be evaluated. It is also necessary to examine whether employees’ attitudes towards the provided training changed. Discussions and workshops will be held so that employees could share knowledge and improve their skills. These measures can become regular as they facilitate self-development which is one of the goals to be attained.

Conclusion

Since the demographic composition of the community is changing, it is necessary to pay more attention to the issues related to diversity and equality. The community will benefit from the deeper engagement of people of color through their increased employment. The Human Resources and Labor Relations Department in Macomb County is one of the key players in the process as the agency is responsible for managing human resources issues in the community. The proposed training program is comprehensive and engaging due to the use of a range of effective training methods. The implementation of the project will have a positive influence on the sustainable evolvement of the community.

References

Berman, E. M., Bowman, J. S., West, J. P., & Van Wart, M. R. (2019). Human resource management in public service: Paradoxes, processes, and problems (6th ed.). CQ Press.

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Holt, S., Marques, J., Hu, J., & Wood, A. (2017). Cultivating empathy: New perspectives on educating business leaders. Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 10(1), 1-26. Web.

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Mancia, L. B., Saavedra Filho, N. C., Miquelin, A. F., de Geus, S. R. K., & de Souza, B. S. (2017). Applying Gagne’s nine events of instruction in development of a serious game for training maintenance activity on power live-lines. Proceedings of SBGames 2017.

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Romani, L., Holck, L., & Risberg, A. (2018). Benevolent discrimination: Explaining how human resources professionals can be blind to the harm of diversity initiatives. Organization, 26(3), 371-390.

Vitanski, D. (2019). The concept for equal opportunities for employment, affirmative measures and “positive discrimination in the public administration. Knowledge International Journal, 31(1), 345-350.

Youssef-Morgan, C. M., & Stark, E. (2014). Strategic human resource management: Concepts controversies, and evidence-based applications. Bridgepoint Education.

Introduction

More and more organizations are finally starting to understand the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Creary et al. noted that more than 70% of individuals are more prone to working in organizations that are interested in promoting DEI policies (2021). Striving for a diverse, inclusive, and equitable working climate will allow the employees to be more satisfied with their job, will ensure a diverse conversation with multiple points of view, and will ensure more creativity and originality within the workforce. However, certain issues need to be addressed when it comes to applying such policies to an organization.

A Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Culture in Organizations

Since multiple organizations are eager to promote diverse, inclusive, and equitable cultures within their workplaces, it is essential to explain the definitions that describe those notions. The terms refer to workspaces that do not discriminate. According to researchers, the pandemic and mass protests against police brutality and racial inequality have influenced employers to create a more diverse and inclusive environment for each employee (Creary et al., 2021). While these terms are all related to equality, they all have different meanings. Diversity relates to a policy that aims to include a different range of people, while inclusivity refers to the act of making all those people feel included in the conversation. On the other hand, an equitable culture suggests fairness and impartiality towards all parties. A diverse, inclusive, and equitable culture in an organization suggests an open-minded team of people of different backgrounds, values, ethnicities, and cultures who can communicate and interact without fear of being misunderstood or silenced.

Lack of data is one of the difficulties that is connected to implementing a DEI culture. According to Fife et al., more research needs to be done for employers to be more efficient with their policies and strategies (2021). Studies show that around 80% of employees believe they can create diversity within their organization, while 90% think the same about inclusion and 70 % about equity (Fife et al., 2021). This means that certain individuals feel like their position does not allow them to make a decision or be involved in such policies, which is one issue when it comes to creating an inclusive and diverse workspace. However, the first step in building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization is having an understanding of the specific definitions and values that stay behind the terms that constitute such cultural approaches.

Changes Within the Last Decade

There has been a lot of improvement in terms of equality, inclusivity, and equity in the last years. Sherman et al. mention the importance of the BLM movement for DEI initiatives within a variety of companies and organizations (2021). Over the last decade, people have become more aware of the importance of equality, which subsequently led to the diversification of the workspace. Multiple efforts and actions that have been done over the last ten years suggest organizations moving toward inclusivity and equity.

A variety of institutions and companies promote the DEI culture by having specific training sessions and promotional programs that aim to open a conversation about employee equality. Also, more companies are now proud to mention that they are equal-opportunity employers, which is determined by analyzing the latest ads on websites that promote available vacancies. However, an issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of specific studies and research that would analyze certain strategies. Multiple employers are not fully aware of nuances and specifics that would guide them to a beneficial DEI policy. Another problem is the unwillingness of some individuals to conform to new policies. This makes it hard for an organization to switch to a more inclusive environment.

The Benefits of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

Multiple researchers and employers are willing to incorporate a DEI policy within their organizational culture because of all the benefits that come along. According to Sotto-Santiago et al., every institution has to focus on inclusivity and equity within its team (2020). This leads to a better relationship between employees, higher satisfaction for individuals that are a part of minorities, and a more creative and unique collective of workers as a whole. Having a diverse team allows the discussion to go in different directions, which means more points of view, ideas, and fields of activity. It has been noted that teams with a wide variety of people included are more prone to innovation. This is connected to the various backgrounds and experiences that employees have, which allow them to think outside the box and add a sense of originality to the company’s culture and strategies. Such individuals can create unique outcomes because of innovative visions and particular understandings of their communities.

Conclusion

Diversity, inclusion, and equity are three cultural values that multiple organizations are willing to include in their policies and promote among their employees. Diversity suggests providing equal opportunity for minorities, inclusion refers to making those people feel as appreciated as everybody else, and equity means fairness and objectivity towards all. Including all three as a part of organizational culture allows employees to have their needs and identities recognized and employers to see the benefits such policies bring. It has been concluded that organizations with DEI policies have a higher satisfaction rate among employees, are more creative and unique, and have a better understanding of particular communities that they can subsequently cater to. However, specific issues are linked to following DEI policies, including lack of enthusiasm for change of certain employees, unprofessionalism of employers that create new strategies, and little research on this topic.

References

Creary, S. J., Rothbard, N., & Scruggs, J. (2021). Evidence-based diversity, equity and inclusions practices. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Fife, D., Stephens, M. N., Lyons, A., & Huang, M. (2021). Leader responsibility for diversity, equity, inclusion & justice in academic libraries: An exploratory study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(4), 102361.

Sherman, B. W., Kelly, R. K., & Payne-Foster, P. (2020). Integrating workforce health into employer diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(5), 609–612.

Sotto-Santiago, S. (2020). Black and Latinx faculty perspectives on equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity, 13(1), 44–55.