Daily Times July 18, 2021 Education creates an enabling culture. University qualifications generally lead to better-paid jobs and higher social class positions. Quite expectedly, teachers and even students look down on vocational qualifications as ‘inferior’ or a second-rate option compared to more traditional academic subjects and courses. Those from working-class backgrounds are more likely to enrol in vocational subjects and courses; reinforcing divisions between social classes. Sociological perspectives on education offer different explanations of the role of the education system in society. The focus here is on functionalism and Marxism, which try to understand the role of education in other social institutions, such as the economy (the world of work and production).