Rural development, according to the World Bank, is “a policy aimed at improving the economic and social well-being of a particular community of people, the rural poor.” Villages are home to half of the population. No one can deny rural India’s contribution to the country’s economic growth. Previously, people associated rural growth with agricultural development, focusing solely on increased agricultural production. However, as time has passed, this misconception has evolved. The definition of rural development today is vastly different from what it was two or three decades ago. Now, rural development encompasses efforts to improve the quality of life of rural residents. It entails improvements in their health and wellbeing, education, a safe and stable climate, income distribution that is equitable, and no gender discrimination. The Indian government is being forced to accelerate the process of improving all branches of the Indian education system due to the country’s continued economic development. Since more than half of India’s population lives in villages, the rural education system contributes significantly to the country’s economic development. Education has a positive impact on the growth of the rural worker, family, community, and society, resulting in lower poverty and managed unemployment.Education serves a variety of purposes, including social reform, raising rural people’s awareness of their rights, improving individual living standards, and providing rural people with jobs and income opportunities, among others. The British launched India’s current educational system in the twentieth century. The system in place has a western style and material, and it ignores conventional systems, which is why it has failed. The responsibility for technical and higher education was transferred to the Central Government after independence. Education policy and planning is established by the central government, through the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Department of Education, and state governments.
Present scenario of rural education in India:
Every Indian citizen, whether their child lives in a high-tech city or a small, underdeveloped village, has the right to an education. In India, rural education is still progressing, but the conditions of these rural schools are still very poor. In rural areas, school systems are scarce, and children must travel long distances to access these services; in addition, the majority of schools in these areas lack drinking water. In addition, the training is of poor quality. Because teachers are underpaid, they are frequently absent or fail to provide adequate instruction. Schools in rural areas are encouraged to improve the standard of education and literacy in rural India. The primary goal of these types of schools in India is to raise literacy rates in rural areas. More than 40% of India’s population is illiterate, meaning they are unable to read or write. And, in rural areas, schools are frequently insufficient, if not non-existent. As a result, the government’s plan to build schools in rural areas came into play. According to Only Indian Schools, the state of rural education in India is gradually improving, and the government is supporting it with a variety of initiatives. The fees in these schools are also very modest, allowing every child to study and afford it. The government has taken a number of steps, but they are yet to be introduced in schools, so the current situation remains unchanged. Despite the fact that there are few schools in rural areas, children and their parents are showing interest and taking advantage of the educational opportunities available. Children must walk for miles to get to school. Children in rural areas receive special attention in classrooms, ensuring that each child has a fair and important opportunity.They encourage reading and writing, as well as improved basic education. Apart from meals during school hours, uniforms, and other necessities, these schools also offer study materials to all students. Rural village schools have also introduced a library scheme, which provides children with books, newspapers, and magazines. They offer disadvantaged children not only science kits and tools for hands-on learning, but also notebooks, textbooks, and pencils. Aside from that, they annually award scholarships to worthy students who wish to continue their education. They raise community awareness of the importance of education and global literacy. Poverty reduction, disease prevention, increased job opportunities, and increased literacy rates are only a few of the many indirect benefits of a simple rural education. English, Mathematics, General Knowledge, and Drawing are also part of the programme. In addition, they provide Value Education and Computer Education. Every family and child have access to basic primary education thanks to rural education. Individuals’ unique abilities are remembered. To achieve excellence, the teaching approach ensures that each and every student is exposed to educational experiences in an active and diverse learning atmosphere. Teachers also allow all students to voice their points of view, thoughts and experiences. The principal aims of rural schools are to ensure quality education for every child in rural India, preparing them to succeed in a competitive international setting.
The following goal is set by the rural education initiative: –
• Provide rural children with free quality education
• Assisting children in pursuing higher education.
• Advising and assisting researchers in the field of educational growth.
• Using modern instructional methods and a new performance framework.
• Creating a stress-free atmosphere in all classrooms.
Problems faced in rural education in India:
India is quickly developing, and while many steps have been taken to help rural India, much more needs to be done. Schools in rural India are dealing with a number of issues. The following are some of these issues:
Lack of infrastructure: Many schools in villages lack adequate infrastructure. There are no proper seating facilities, and children are often forced to sit on the floor due to a lack of furniture. Since the school building lacks doors and windows, the wind and animals can freely enter.
Low income:Teachers in rural areas earn far less than teachers in urban schools. Teachers who are dissatisfied with their salaries are less likely to pay attention to their pupils.
Lack of transportation facilities:This is one of the most serious issues that children attending village schools face. Since there are no adequate transportation options, children choose not to drive long distances to attend school. Fewer in number: Compared to the number of schools in developed areas such as towns and cities, there are very few schools in villages or rural areas.
Lack of basic amenities:Simple services such as drinkable water, clean toilets, and so on are also lacking in many village schools.
Lack of extra-curricular activities:Apart from the course programme, children in rural schools are unable to participate in extracurricular events such as athletics, cocurricular activities, or tournaments. Such events and activities aim to aid children’s overall growth. – There is no such thing as too much supplementary schooling.
Deficiency of funds: One of the severe hurdles in the education system in rural India is the unavailability of funds. Some schools do not have funds even for purchasing benches, blackboards etc.
Improvement Needed in school education infrastructure
Our education system’s key goal is to ensure that all children in the country have access to elementary and secondary schools with sufficient facilities. To meet this demand, we must make progress in the following areas.
1. Increase in the number of schools in rural and urban areas: According to the findings of the 8th all-India education survey, 96.01 percent of rural residents have access to primary stage education facilities within a one-kilometer walking distance, and 92.81 percent of rural residents have access to upper primary stage education facilities within a three-kilometer walking distance. Day by day, our numbers are improving.
2. The facilities of school buildings and classrooms must be strengthened.
3. Drinking water: Provision of drinking water is a requirement of school infrastructure, with 97 percent of schools in rural areas having this facility.
4. A separate boys and girls’ toilet: schools in remote areas must be equipped to ensure education system development.
Initiatives taken by the Government:
The Law and Justice Ministry initiated the ‘Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009′ to promote the value of education in India. It is a law that was passed to just provide compulsory primary education to all children aged six to fourteen. Since the early 1980s, a number of federal and state-level programmes have been in place. Growing girls’ enrollment, improving educational performance, enhancing community engagement, enhancing learning materials, and providing in-service teacher training in villages are the key goals of all of these initiatives. There are some of the initiatives:
Lok Jumbish Project: The Lok Jumbish (LJ) project is made up of 75 blocks that serve a population of 12 million people. LJ collaborates with government departments, teachers, NGOs, elected officials, and the general public in an interactive community initiative to facilitate universalization of primary education. It functions according to seven guiding principles. There are two types of approaches: – A process-oriented approach and a product-oriented approach. – Partnerships. – The ability to work in a distributed environment. – Participation in the learning process. – Integration into the traditional educational system. – Flexibility in management. – Putting together a multi-level leadership team dedicated to quality and mission mode.
Shiksha Karmi Project: Since 1987, the Shiksha Karmi Project (SKP) has been carried out with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). It aims to universalize and enhance the quality of primary education in Rajasthan’s backward and remote villages, with a special emphasis on girls. Village Education Committees (VECs) have been established in 2000 villages by SKP to promote community participation in primary education and village level planning. SKP also offers PreharPathshalas schools, which are non-formal classes with flexible schedules. AnganPathshalas is run in three blocks for girls’ education. Currently, the programme serves over 150,000 students in 1,785 schools and 3,250 PreharPathshalas, with over 4,271 Shiksha Karmis involved.
SarvaSiksha Abhiyan (SSA): The primary aim of this initiative is for all children aged 6 to 11 to complete primary education by 2007 and for all children aged 6 to 14 to complete eight years of schooling by 2010. This initiative applies to the entire country, with a focus on girl education, children from Schedule Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST), and children with special needs. The SSA centres are mostly developed in places where there are no schools or where schools are very far away. Girl education at the elementary level, the National Program for Education of Girls at the Elementary Level (NPEGEL), the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), and the MahilaSamakhya Scheme are just a few of the special girl-oriented programmes available.
District primary education program: This initiative, which began in 1994, aimed to make primary education accessible to all children. The three main features are Universal Access, Universal Retention, and Universal Achievement. Its goal is to ensure that any child of school age has access to primary education and that once a child is enrolled in school, he or she is kept there. The final step is to achieve the educational goal. The following are the key components of this programme: –Classrooms and new schools are being built. – The establishment of non-formal education centers. – The establishment of early childhood education centers. – The appointment of teachers. Training for children with disabilities. As 1,60,000 schools and 84,000 other schools have been developed under this programmed, this programmed has been effective to a large extent. In addition, planning on new school buildings for 52,758 students is underway. A total of 4,20,203 students with disabilities have been accepted into colleges.
National programmer of nutritional support to primary education (school meal programmed): This programmer began on August 15, 1995, with the aim of increasing enrolment, enrollment, and attendance in primary schools by providing children with nutritious meals. Children attending school are given a free cooked meal of 100 grammes every day under this programmed, which has yielded positive results. By 1997-98, this programmed had reached approximately 110 million primary school students. It is used for the I-V class students.
Operation blackboard:The aim of this programmed, which began in 1987, was to improve the school environment. This has been started in order to help children maintain and improve their learning abilities. Primary education has improved dramatically as a result of this programmed. In the beginning, nearly 5,23,000 primary schools were covered.
Challenges
While many changes in teacher education have been implemented, especially after independence, there are many more emerging issues and challenges that require immediate attention in order to improve teacher quality and professional growth. The following are a few of them:
1. There are approximately 19000 teacher education institutions in the country, with 92 percent of them being privately operated and located mostly in rural areas. A significant proportion of these colleges do not provide quality education.
2. The majority of independent teacher education institutions are located in rural areas and provide a variety of courses in teacher education. A substantial number of positions remain empty due to a lack of qualified teachers.
3. In the current system, teachers with a bachelor’s degree in education (B. Ed) have been teaching from elementary to high school, and in some cases, they are teaching topics that they did not study in college or graduate school.
4. There is no long-term strategy or framework in place for the in-service education of the approximately 90 lakh teachers and teacher educators employed in schools and teacher education institutions across the country.
5. Long-term training courses in a distance-cum-contact mode have not been conceptualized for in-service teachers. So far, the majority of the training has been traditional. In-service teacher training using ICT has received little attention.
6. At both the national and state levels, there is a wealth of educational materials. There is no system in place, however, to make it available to teachers and educators on the ground.
7. Professional development courses for college and university teachers are not organized in a comprehensive and scientific manner by Human Resource Development Centers, Faculty Development Centers, and Teaching Learning Centers established at various universities.
8. Policy analysis, creativity, and exploration are largely discouraged in teacher education programs.
REFORMS SUGGESTED
1. The system of teacher education, recruitment process, service condition, and carrier management must all be fully overhauled.
2. The NCTE has announced the implementation of a four-year integrated bachelors of education programme in art and science from primary to secondary school.
3. The teacher education program’s curriculum should be updated and redesigned in light of the current thrust areas of the national curriculum structure for schools (2005).
4.The centrally funded curriculum revision, reformulation, and upgrading schemes so that institutions such as DIET, CTEs, IASEs, and SCERTs can keep up with the times.
5. A good supervision, assessment, and follow-up process should be established and made an integral part of the teacher education programmed.