Spring Academy Sustainability 2025
Why is equal access to education important?
Project Week on Sustainability in Science, studies, everyday professional and private life
24th – 27th of march 2025
The principle of equal educational opportunities has a high significance in our social order. There is a broad consensus about its importance among all citizens; with the entitlement for ”quality education” it even found entrance in the 17 Goals for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. Inclusive, just and high-quality education should help Individuals to develop their abilities and talents independently from their social background. This principle fosters trust in democratic processes, because it enables educational chances and social mobility as well as the promotion of talent and excellence. This trust in democratic processes is an important fundament as the tendency to make long-term plans and invest in a joint future is higher in stable, equal societies.
At the same time, the principle of equal educational opportunities is a normative goal. It can set the direction for future endeavours in society; however, it does not exist as a real state, as no education system is free from educational inequalities. In reality this normative aspiration collides with the actual distribution of resources and social conditions.
The project week aims to examine educational opportunities reflexively, self-critically and from different perspectives: students will be able to explore the topic in a scientific and practice-oriented way, taking into consideration the findings of educational research, experiences from educational practice as well as the reality of educational inequality for disadvantaged groups. The focus lies on the challenges emerging out of the differences between social goals and the actual barriers.
