Focus

Educating rural people: a low priority Access to quality education in rural areas has been consistently neglected. Many governments either lack the political will or the capacity to meet the educational needs of the huge numbers of rural people who remain outside the mainstream education system. Today in many parts of the world, growing up in a rural region often means growing up without a decent education. School attendance is generally low and drop-out high, with girls, mountain populations and ethnic minorities losing out most. More

A flagship initiative for the education of rural people Recognition of the link between education, rural people and development led to the launch of the flagship initiative on education for rural people at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, (Johannesburg, 2002). This new initiative is one of nine flagship programmes to tackle specific challenges in achieving Education for All. More

A centre for rural development The International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) was founded in 1994 in Baoding, in China’s Hebei province. Its aim: to boost social and economic development in rural areas through education. “Educating rural people is facing critical challenges, such as poverty, lack of qualified teachers and urban-biased curricula,” says Dr Zhai Haihun, Director of INRULED. More

Multigrade schools: a rural solution Multigrade schools are often the only way to ensure quality education in rural and remote areas with low and scattered populations. More