To get rid of this gap, the government should adopt a long-term vision that contains sustained investment, innovation and community development
Sana Gulzar
All over the world, education is recognized as an important aspect of national development and social transformation. When it comes to our country, a clear and vast divide can be seen in the quality of education received by rural area children and the one received by those living in an urban area. This divide has created many problems in the lives of people which results in many issues in our country’s socio-economic progress. Bridging this gap is necessary not for only the people but also for our country’s success globally.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIVIDE
The difference between the education is as clear as day. Urban schools generally offer better academic opportunities, with better infrastructure, syllabi recognized worldwide, make the students skilled in necessary digital tools and apps, and provide exposure to the student to the practical side of things. In contrast, when we take a look at the conditions of rural schools, they are buried knee deep in troubles such as, lack of funds, shortage of teachers, and lack of basic facilities such as electricity, clean drinking water, and functional toilets.
When we look at the statistics provided by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the literacy rate of urban areas is about 74% while that in rural areas is around 46%. But if we break it down in terms of gender, then the gap is more pronounced as rural girls are unable to even get education till class 5 some do not even go to a school once in their life. The bleak reality is a child’s educational prospects are determined by the place they are born.
CHALLENGES OF RURAL EDUCATION
There are both structural and systematic issues when it comes to rural education in Pakistan.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEM: Many schools in the rural areas lack basic infrastructure. Some do not have proper classrooms, some do not have roofs, students are seen sitting on the floor due to lack of furniture. All these conditions form an environment that is not good for learning. This is also one of the reasons why children do not want to go to schools.
SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS: Rural schools are usually short-staffed, in many cases either the teacher does not come and take their salaries without even doing anything. Because of the shortage of teachers, sometimes a single teacher is seen teaching multiple grades at the same time.
TRANSPORTATION ISSUES: In most of the rural area’s schools are often at a great distance from the student’s home because of which the attendance of many students is often low. This is a very big issue especially for girls as they are unable to go such a long distance either due to safety or cultural reasons.
LANGUAGE BARRIERS: In cities, the language of conversation and curriculum in many schools is either English or Urdu. In both cases, they have well-developed curricula. But when we look at the rural school’s many students even have problem to understand Urdu as they often speak the regional language making it difficult for them to study properly
ECONOMIC PRESSURES: In many rural households, send their children to work to earn money so the rate of student’s dropout is considerably high especially after primary school as they have to take the role of bread earner of the family.
STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS
INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE: The improvement of schools in rural areas must be prioritized. This improvement should not only be about building or renovating the schools but it should be about the access to basic facilities like clean drinking water, toilets, electricity and even internet facilities to make them skilled in this competitive world.
TEACHERS RECRUITMENT: Qualified teachers should be recruited for these schools by giving them incentives like rural hardship allowances, housing and career development. Moreover, teachers training programs should be digitalized so that the students can have experienced and skilled teachers.
LANGUAGE INCLUSIVITY: Such bilingual or multilingual teaching models should be designed so that it becomes easier for the students to grasp the meaning and the curriculum should be designed in a local context.
TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS: Providing schools own transport services can result in increased attendance and makes it easier for students to come to school especially for girls.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: Non-profit and private organizations efforts can help the government in their efforts. There are many organizations who are playing their role in contributing towards rural education.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Local communities should take part in school management. NGOs and village elders should do their part to ensure accountability and to increase the rate of enrollment.
USE OF TECHNOLOGY: As it was seen in COVID-19 pandemic that television and radio can be used for educational programming so the use of this technique should be continued. The issues like shortage of teachers, transportation problems can be overcome if digital education platforms are used to provide consistent educational content.
INFORMED POLICY MAKING: Accurate data collection is necessary to identify and fill the gaps in the system as well as to monitor progress. Real-time dashboards and education management information systems (EMIS) can help the government in making informed decisions and policies as well as in allocating resources.
CONCLUSION
This divide between the education of urban and rural areas is not an isolated issue and we should not think of it as such as it affects not only the future of millions of students but also has an effect on national cohesion and economic growth of our country. To get rid of this gap, the government should adopt a long-term vision that contains sustained investment, innovation and community development. Quality education is a right of every student it is not a privilege that should be determined by geography. Every child, no matter where they live, deserve the opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to the nation’s progress without having to face so many hardships. Getting rid of this gap is not just an educational necessity but it is a moral one. The faster we act, the brighter our future would be.
Read: Impact of Pakistani Serials on Youth
_________________
Sana Gulzar is a student of Mass Communication Department at Karachi University.
