Quality of Education – For Whom? Normative Notions and Practical Differentiation of Schools in Relation to Quality and Opportunities for Educational and Social Mobility

The aim of the article is to compare the normative visions of the quality of education (of the World Bank, OECD, UNICEF, UNESCO, Law on Pre-school and School Education – LPSE, Bulgaria) with the everyday perceptions of respondents, working in the sphere of education, about the quality of education (QE) and their assessment of that quality in different types of schools. The analysis is based on data from a sociological research, conducted in four regions of Bulgaria in 2018. The study found that there is no link between the declared objectives of the LPSE and the practice. The quality of education is being redefined on a daily basis in accordance to different schools – in some schools the QE criteria are low, in others – they are high. The “profile” of the predefined QE depends on the perception of the social milieu and family background of the children – the ethnic and social status of the parents, the place of residence. Respondents shared the following views on the relation between school education and subsequent stages of pupils’ life trajectory: When attending rural (often Roma) school (or school in a poor neighborhood) follows – vocational high school – low-skilled profession – local market. When attending elite primary school follows – private lessons – elite high school – higher education – high professional qualification – national or global market. These two extreme varieties of educational and life trajectories presuppose social homogenization of students, because the “milieu” chooses the school, and the school conforms to the “milieu”. The milieu predetermines the school and the future life trajectory of children, the school is just a tool for reproducing social inequalities. This situation initially blocks the normative vision for children’s equal access to quality education.