The Right to Education

Education is a fundamental human right that promotes individual freedom and empowerment, and yields important development benefits. Yet, the issue of financing education undermines this fundamental human right. The governmental school finance is universal, and public education is accessible to many children in the western world. The objective of the policy that promotes the universal right to education is equality of opportunity. Moreover, economic literature states that when market choices allow supplements to government financing, equal opportunity cannot be achieved. This chapter examines the right to education by analyzing fairness in the educational system, using Israel as a case study. Fairness is defined in this chapter as the extent of equality of educational opportunity and equity. Measuring equity at the output side is done by calculating the extent of equality of educational opportunity. Measuring equity at the input side is done by calculating the extent of wealth neutrality, horizontal equity, and vertical equity. The Israeli example is interesting, given the societal and ethnic diversity of Israel’s population, the majority-minority balance of power, and its recent school finance policy (SFP) reform, enacted in 2009.