Evaluating educational inequalities in attaining educational opportunities: A case study of Dehloran's elementary schools in the academic year 2011-2012

In this study, the issue of educational inequalities is investigated in different educational areas through a case study at Dehloran`s elementary schools. The present study is a documentary study; the demographic data required for this study has been acquired by statistical data from the recent census of population and Housing as well as information regarding education (students, teachers and educational buildings) using the statistics provided by Dehloran education office. Then, the statistics were classified and adjusted in the researcher made information. To compare and rank the amount to which different areas and regions (rural or urban) benefit from elementary education, indicators and formulas for educational planning such as the index of region selection, Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve, and benefit levels chart were used. Moreover, in order to determine the educational inequalities, the data was analyzed using enrollment fees and the actual educational coverage, the ratio of students to teachers, utilization coefficient of educational spaces, and rates of the educational efficiency. The results of this study indicate that there is not a proper balance among different regions and areas (weather urban or rural) of Dehloran in terms of benefited educational opportunities. In terms of enrollment fees and educational coverage as well as access to elementary school teachers, urban areas as compared with rural areas and boys as compared with girls are at a higher level. Urban areas have more access to educational spaces compared to rural areas. As for the rates of educational efficiency, girls and urban areas are superior to boys and rural areas, respectively.