The vision of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) No. 10 emphasizes efforts to reduce inequality among countries worldwide. However, it’s important to note that inequality can occur at various levels—among individuals, within societies, and ultimately between countries. The issue of inequality is intertwined with and impacts almost every aspect of life.
There are countless examples of inequality in our daily lives. For instance, we can see a small group of people who, in mere seconds, earn a tremendous income, while many others work tirelessly from morning until night without gaining anything except exhaustion. We also witness some individuals living comfortably in luxurious villas, while many others reside along riverbanks or under overpasses.
Another example is the disparity in access to education. Some enjoy lavish educational facilities, while many underprivileged children cannot access education and remain illiterate. The same applies to healthcare—those with wealth can easily access high-quality services, while the poor must wait in long lines for free care. These are just a few examples of the social inequalities we can observe or experience.
Unfortunately, social inequality is often considered normal and accepted. The poor may believe that their misfortune is a destiny they must accept. This belief is reinforced by social constructs and neoliberal ideology, which emphasize that those who cannot compete will be left behind. As a result, society often becomes a place where people “prey” on each other. This neoliberal fatalism should be rejected, as it lacks ethics. As Paulo Freire stated:
“We need to say no to the neoliberal fatalism that we are witnessing at the end of this century, informed by the ethics of the market—an ethics in which a minority makes most profits against the lives of the majority. In other words, those who cannot compete die. This is a perverse ethics that, in fact, lacks ethics.” (Donaldo Macedo in Freire, 1996, pp. 25-26)
As an ordinary person and an English educator, I may not be able to make significant changes that turn inequality into equality in a short time. However, I believe that no great change happens without small, consistent efforts.
Sometimes, the power to make significant changes emerges from a state of helplessness. For instance, Indonesia gained its independence not because of a strong military force but because of the reflection and actions of educated individuals, which fostered awareness of the need for a life free from the shadow of colonialism.
Today, one small thing we can do as educators is to make our classrooms a medium for reflection and action—or what Freire (1970) calls praxis in classroom learning. We need to employ problem-posing and dialogue as means to foster conscientization. This critical pedagogy transforms the “banking system” of education, where students passively collect information and prepare for exams, into a more dynamic learning experience (Freire, 1970).
As an English teacher and educator, I see the English language—though a colonial legacy—as a tool for empowerment. English is like a sharp knife; it can either harm others or help prepare delicious and nutritious meals. In other words, if we develop it critically, English can empower people who are economically or socially disadvantaged (Broker, 2018). However, we should also consider Pennycook’s (1994) argument supporting critical pedagogy in language learning, where English learners use the language to explore diverse viewpoints that can expand how they think and communicate (Kubota, 2004, in Norton and Toohey, 2004).
So, how can English lessons in the classroom empower students and contribute to reducing social inequality? We can apply a critical pedagogy approach to teaching English, emphasizing education’s role in achieving social justice. This method encourages students to actively and critically recognize the injustices and inequalities they face or witness and to take steps toward solving these problems (Crookes, 2013).
Maley and Peachey (2017), in their book Integrating Global Issues in the Creative English Language Classroom: With Reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, provide practical examples of incorporating global issues into English language classrooms. One lesson we can adapt is building student awareness of social inequality through classroom discussions.
The teacher can start by writing the word “fair” on the board. Students can be asked to define the word in Indonesian and then brainstorm words that collocate with “fair,” such as fair trade, fair play, it’s not fair, fair share for all, etc.
By encouraging students to share their ideas about “fair,” they not only learn English vocabulary but also begin to reflect on the conditions they encounter—whether these conditions represent fairness or injustice.
To deepen students’ awareness of inequality, they can be invited to label contrasting conditions shown in pictures. For example, one image could depict a luxurious home in an elite residential area, while another shows a house on stilts along a riverbank.
Students can then pair up to discuss the images and connect them with the word “fair” they’ve learned. Afterward, they work in groups of four to express their opinions about inequalities they know or have experienced, using phrases like “I think,” “I believe,” “It seems to me,” and “It’s obvious that…”
By using this learning scenario, students gain two benefits. First, they improve their English skills as they learn new vocabulary and discuss their opinions about social inequality. Second, they develop critical awareness of socio-political conditions and issues of inequality because they are engaged in a learning process connected to their lives.
Not many studies have examined the enactment of SDGs in the Indonesian English as a Foreign Language learning context, except for Mambu (2023), who embedded SDGs into EFL learning. Therefore, more practices are needed to make a significant impact on Indonesian education. By critically and creatively integrating global issues into English language learning, we hope to inspire students to become agents of social change in society. In the past, intellectuals spearheaded education as a means of achieving independence. This spirit should continue as part of our effort to reduce inequality. Isn’t that one of the essential purposes of education?
Waliyadin, Lecturer in English Education at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta; PhD student at the University of Canberra, Australia.