Many aspects of the agenda for education reform has been criticized repeatedly for being focused on what some refer to as a “deficit mindset.” This means that instead of seeing people, organisations, and communities as having culture, history, and potential that could be developed and built upon, reformers saw them as damaged and in need of fixing or, worse, saving. “The biggest strength of rural schools is their strong foundation which is built on their community’s values, history, and morals, which educators should make use of to enhance learning environments in classrooms,” says Anoop Singh Bishnoi, Chairman of The JDS School, Village Mehrajpur, Distt Fazilka, Punjab.
The difficulty of finding and retaining high-caliber teachers and leaders is one of the most typical barriers to improving rural schools. These children need and deserve teachers who are aware of the significance of schools in rural communities. “There is undoubtedly a need for better teachers, as well as for teachers who are committed to working for change, but these factors won't be enough to address the issue on their own; policymakers must consider enhancing the options available to students in rural schools. Finding educational advancements that benefit both rural and urban populations, or at least do not favor one over the other, is crucial. There should be no competition in education, and instead of dividing urban and rural communities over education, we should be thinking about bringing them together. Whether it's the quality of education or the availability of resources, efforts should be made to improve conditions on both sides of the divide to close the gap between the two,” says Anoop.
For rural towns, deindustrialization and a lack of economic opportunities produce a vicious cycle. Young individuals in rural places have fewer good career opportunities or those that do require middle-skills training that they lack. As a result, employable young people frequently relocate to places with greater possibilities, depleting the local labor pool and reducing the pool of competent candidates accessible to the enterprises (and institutions of higher learning) that are still around. “If we want a change, we must start acting for it rather than constantly focusing on what these institutions lack. The emphasis should be on improving what we already have rather than building additional schools with subpar facilities. In addition to government’s budgeting, public funding and NGOs can also be helpful; all of these resources should be concentrated in a way that will make things better for learners,” adds Anoop. He further says, “Schools must be prepared to offer a wide range of prospective courses, from advanced maths and science to professional and technical education, because it is crucial to prepare children for a changing workforce.”
Given the enormous variety in needs among these schools, no single program can be expected to benefit all rural schools. Education reformers will need to be more in-depth in their analysis if we want these institutions to do better in the future. Families’ pride in and confidence in their schools, as well as the prevalent perception that these institutions are the backbones of their communities, are things that rural schools do have in common. This knowledge offers hope for reforms. At this point, nothing should be done that destroys their social cohesiveness, or make such schools compete for scarce resources. On this basis policies must be built, whether it be in the areas of school funding, teacher hiring, and placement, or school choice. Policymakers must identify unmet needs and then customize solutions for different schools belonging to different communities.
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