Examining the Position of Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach in the Trajectory of Human Development within Iran’s Education System
Keywords:
Human Development, Capability Approach, Education System, Freedom, Educational Justice, RationalityAbstract
This study aims to examine the extent to which Iran’s education system aligns with Amartya Sen’s capability approach in advancing human development. This research adopted a qualitative design based on a systematic review of relevant literature. Nineteen academic sources related to human development, the capability approach, and education were purposefully selected. Data were collected through documentary analysis and examined using directed qualitative content analysis guided by Sen’s capability framework. The findings indicate that although human development concepts are acknowledged at the policy level, Iran’s education system inadequately promotes learners’ freedom, capability-based educational justice, and critical rationality in practice. Centralization, quantitative orientation, regional and socio-economic inequalities, and limited student participation were identified as key barriers to the expansion of human capabilities within the education system. The study concludes that achieving human development through education in Iran requires a fundamental shift from content transmission toward capability enhancement, learner agency, and justice-oriented educational reform grounded in the capability approach.
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