THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

It is no doubt that the kind and quality of education that a person receives is influenced by which part of the geopolitics a person lives.

Even in extremely difficult situations, those who find themselves in the urban areas get to benefit more from the best form of education possible.

This leaves most people with the choice of sending their children to these urban areas to take part of the luxury. This situation further encourages rural-urban migration with its attendant effects on the urban area.

Consistently, policy makers have paid little attention to this phenomenon. To curb the syndrome, we need to appreciate the direct relationship that exists between an area nearness to the urban center and the kind of education available. With this done, we can effectively take remedying measures to bridge the gap through affirmative action.

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Permalink Reply by Noble Kelly on December 2, 2009 at 5:27

We have seen this "phenomenon" (though I think is more of a norm in many developing countries) first-hand. Many governments seem not to have the resources to support isolated and rural areas and one also sees a mini brain drain occurring as teachers migrate to the urban centres. Unfortunately this system then perpetuates keeping those in the rural areas lacking for better support and resources which in turn has a negative impact on success. Thank you for your thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by Kwame Phil on March 28, 2013 at 14:25

Yes! Having traveled in living in the States now your submission is more forceful to me now than it would have been those days in Ghana. I see institutions working and many interventions in place to support students, irrespective of where they live. In point, they have the No Child Left Behind program which largely attempts to equal the gap between the privileged urban dwellers, and rural dwellers. There are many researches to identify these gaps. Personally, i think it is not so much about the paucity of resources but about the lack of priorities for education. We need more educators in public policy positions in developing countries.

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on January 6, 2010 at 15:15

When I travelled to Fiji, I noticed something rather unique, I thought. Many of the children on remote islands seem to (from what I saw) go to school in small 'rural'-type schoolhouses, and when they get to high-school age they have to go to the main island to continue their schooling, as it is the only option. However, it seems that most of those students, once having graduated, prefer to return to their original island to resume that lifestyle with their family and friends, despite having more formal education than many of their peers. I have heard of programs in other countries to encourage students (small scholarships, promise of jobs) to go to more 'reputable' (read=urban) schools with incentives to return back to their original town to minimize some of the brain-drain issues you mentioned. Are there other ways that you can propose to encourage good education in rural areas?

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Permalink Reply by alouise diedhiou on March 28, 2013 at 13:43

I agree with the fact of making a relation between the geopolitics and a person. Having the opportunity to teach in different areas of my country, I have noticed how different are the students. I mean that they really reflect the mentality or main attitudes of their zone.