A recent study published in PLOS One has brought to light a compelling critique of early childhood education (ECE) policies around the world, revealing an overwhelming preference for meritocratic values that prioritize individual achievement above social cohesion. Conducted by Katarzyna Bobrowicz and her colleagues from the University of Luxembourg and the University of Liège, this extensive survey spans fifty-four countries and dissects the subtle ways in which national and international education guidelines embed beliefs about success, competition, and community. Their findings highlight the pervasive dominance of meritocratic ideology in documents that shape early education, raising profound questions about the societal values we instill in children during their most formative years.
At the heart of this research lies the concept of meritocracy—a notion that has deeply influenced Western thought since the mid-20th century. The idea proposes that personal skill, talent, and effort naturally determine success, sidelining external or structural factors like socioeconomic background, luck, or community support. Bobrowicz and her co-authors aimed to scrutinize whether this philosophy has infiltrated the very foundations of educational policy, particularly those governing early childhood years when foundational attitudes and values are developed. Their analysis straddles a wide temporal frame from 1999 to 2023, enabling an assessment across decades of policy evolution.
The study’s methodology harnessed a rigorous combination of text coding and statistical analysis applied to 92 official documents sourced from the European Union, the OECD, and governmental agencies representing a diverse spectrum of continents including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. This multilayered approach allowed the researchers to parse explicit and implicit references to four key elements purported to influence lifelong success: individual skills, personal agency, uncontrollable external factors, and reliance on community or social support systems. This comprehensive framework sought to illuminate where the balance of emphasis lies within globally endorsed educational guidelines.
One of the most striking revelations of the study is the overwhelming prioritization of individual skills and agency. Across the fifty-four surveyed countries, policy documents heavily underscored the importance of a child’s ability to independently develop competencies and exert personal effort as determinants of their future success. References to the role of uncontrollable factors such as family environment, health issues, or inherited socioeconomic status were notably sparse, with only Ireland, New Zealand, Malaysia, and the Philippines explicitly acknowledging these variables. Even fewer documents recognized the critical role of communal actors like teachers, parents, and the broader community, reflecting a surprising neglect of the social fabric in shaping child development.
The research reveals a dissonance between the enthusiastic endorsement of meritocratic principles and the equally important, yet underappreciated, needs for social solidarity and cohesion. Bobrowicz and her team warn that such an imbalance could have adverse psychological and health effects. When societal narratives narrow success to personal achievement, they argue, this may foster hyper-independence at the expense of collective well-being and collaboration. Given that peace and prosperity are increasingly linked to social cohesion in today’s interconnected world, ECE policies that gloss over community reliance may undermine the development of the very social skills essential for thriving in modern societies.
Furthermore, the study observes a subtle but persistent sidelining of teachers and other community contributors in policy documents. Despite their indispensable role in nurturing young children’s growth—ranging from educational guidance to emotional support—the myriad contributions of these actors are barely acknowledged. Bobrowicz expresses surprise at the near-absence of any significant discourse on how various adults within and beyond educational institutions jointly contribute to a child’s developmental trajectory, underscoring a missed opportunity to promote distributed responsibility and support.
The findings also suggest that meritocratic beliefs are not merely neutral educational stances but are embedded within dominant societal discourses that children unwittingly absorb from a very young age. This calls into question the implicit values and narratives that early education perpetuates. By promoting a worldview weighted towards individual hustle and personal responsibility, ECE curricula risk instilling a narrow conception of success that ignores systemic inequalities and external limitations, potentially reinforcing social divides from the outset of formal schooling.
In reflecting on these results, Bobrowicz shares her personal journey, growing up during the collapse of the Soviet Union—a period marked by chaotic social restructuring and shifting opportunities. She recounts how meritocratic ideas initially shaped her worldview, only for her to later recognize the significant influences of inherited advantages and structural barriers. This revelation propelled her to investigate how early education policies might be instilling similar meritocratic assumptions globally, particularly in the context of early childhood education where interventions could profoundly shape collective future outlooks.
Co-author Pablo Gracia further emphasizes the disparity, noting how international ECE programs systematically champion individual competition skills while marginalizing cooperative and solidarity-oriented values. This imbalance suggests a global trend where educational frameworks may not be equipping young learners with the social competencies required to foster empathy, collaboration, and inclusive community engagement, raising urgent questions about the long-term consequences for societal resilience.
While the study’s scope is expansive, the authors caution that regional variations and cultural nuances demand deeper exploration. Their work lays a foundation for future research to examine how local contexts might diverge from global patterns or reveal unique approaches balancing meritocracy with social cohesion themes. Additionally, temporal analyses could reveal shifts in educational philosophies as societies grapple with evolving challenges related to inequality and social justice.
Ultimately, Bobrowicz and her colleagues advocate for reimagining ECE curricula to intentionally cultivate collaboration and global cohesion alongside individual development. They argue that early education should transcend skill acquisition and foster values that support societal peace and well-being. By doing so, educational systems can help mitigate the psychological strains documented to stem from meritocracy’s competitive pressures and align learning with broader humanistic goals.
This research sparks a vital conversation about the implicit messages conveyed to children through policy and practice, urging educators, parents, and policymakers to reflect critically on what stories about success and society they impart. As global challenges increasingly demand cooperative solutions, embedding social cohesion into early education may be imperative in nurturing generations prepared not only to excel individually but to thrive collectively.
The article, published in PLOS One on July 2, 2025, stands as a timely reminder that education shapes more than knowledge—it frames our understanding of fairness, agency, and community. By interrogating the dominant discourses inscribed into ECE policies worldwide, the study calls for a deeper reckoning with the values cultivated in our youngest learners, ones that will ripple across the fabric of future societies.
Article Title: The meritocracy trap: Early childhood education policies promote individual achievement far more than social cohesion
News Publication Date: 2-Jul-2025
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0326021
Image Credits: Bobrowicz et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0
Keywords: Early childhood education, meritocracy, social cohesion, education policy, individual agency, collective wellbeing, educational values, international survey, OECD, European Union
