A Brief Study on the Challenges of Rural Education

Education is heavily reliant on government-run and assisted institutions and non-governmental entities for the greater part of the rural people. However, rural regions continue to suffer a variety of challenges that have a direct influence on the nation’s literacy level. The National Education Policy 2020 promotes online education as an alternative to the existing classroom paradigm, but putting it into practice in rural India would be difficult.

Rural education faced several issues due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to digital learning that came along with it. While students from better-off families could easily make the switch to remote learning, pupils from less-affluent backgrounds were more likely to succumb to inefficiency and a lack of adjustment, either due to the unavailability of technology or the inability of their parents to assist them through tech-savvy applications. The most difficult problem for students and instructors has been the lack of technological infrastructure and intermittent internet access across India. 

During online education, both professors and students faced several challenges. The major issues in rural education observed were a lack of basic amenities, external distractions, and family disruption during instruction. Barriers to educational facility support, such as a lack of funding for acquiring modern technology, inadequate training, a lack of professional assistance, and a lack of clarity and direction, were also identified. Teachers had to deal with technical issues as well. The issues were classified as a lack of technical assistance, which included a lack of technological infrastructure, a lack of understanding of online education platforms, and security issues.

Hurdles Faced in Rural Education

• Financial Issues 

• To begin with, low incomes make education a secondary priority. 
• Education is often viewed as a cost instead of investment by rural people. They would prefer the kids to work hard and earn money. 
• Whenever it concerns higher education, the dearth of suitable colleges nearby forces students to consider relocating to cities, which increases their costs. As a result, enrolment rates are low, while dropout rates are greater.

• Lack of Faculty and Infrastructural Facilities  

• Children seem to have little access to fundamental learning resources like well-equipped and infrastructurally good classrooms, computers, laboratories, and playgrounds, to name a few. 
• Teachers are frequently unqualified or fail to appear, resulting in low educational quality. Students’ motivation to join or attend school suffers as a result of this.

• Lack of Proper Guidance 

• Students from remote regions have enormous potential and thus are willing to learn, but they lack the proper coaching due to the poor rural education scenario. This is necessary for the kids, as well as for the guardians.

1. Gender Inequality 

• One of the major issues in rural education that still persists is gender inequality and lack of girl child education.
• Women are not permitted to attend school in certain areas. Or, if permitted, it is restricted to a specified age range. They are not permitted to leave their community in pursuit of higher education and better employment opportunities.

• Digital Dividend 

• Rural communities, unlike metropolitan ones, lack access to advanced learning resources. 
• The emergence of digital platforms and tools, for instance, is the most recent educational instrument.
• Unfortunately, these sophisticated learning aids are not available in rural locations. Rural communities face issues such as poor internet connectivity, digital gadgets, and efficient or uninterrupted supply of power.

Methods to Enhance Rural Education

To improve rural education development, we must overcome the aforementioned obstacles. To increase this, we must implement the following steps:

• Encouragement of Free Education 

• Free education can be regarded as an essential approach to improving the rural education scenario. 
• Because our constitution guarantees the right to proper education to every one of its Indian citizens, the government must concentrate on how to improve the enrollment of children living in remote regions.
• This may be accomplished through constructing additional schools, as well as providing enough resources and facilities. 
• The government must also guarantee that the percentage of children enrolled in school continues to grow until they reach the elementary education level.

• Modern Teaching Methodologies  

• Modern technologies play a critical role in educational delivery. 
• In today’s modern and globalised society, wherein technology is continually evolving, everyone needs to keep up to speed with the latest technological advancements.

• Proper Resources and Infrastructure 

• Another strategy for rural education development is to provide enough facilities and resources. Education’s goal is to help people develop holistically.
• Access to resources is critical for schooling as well. Textbooks, stationery, labs, playgrounds, and tables, among other resources, must be in great condition and accessible to all pupils. This will help to achieve the goal of education as well as keep pupils in school.

Conclusion

Rural India faces challenges in acquiring education due to a shortage of institutions and facilities, a scarcity of instructors, religious and cultural traditions, a significant distance between home and school, and a general lack of understanding of the need for education.

The development of schools in rural areas, the provision of suitable infrastructure as well as other resources, the use of contemporary technology in education, and the creation of awareness regarding the value of education are all ways to improve the current state of rural education.