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Further Areas for Change or Transformation

Rural schools and communities continue to face substantial challenges with high rates of
inadequate education level, geographical diversity, and students with special needs.

For generations, infrastructure, leadership, teacher retention and higher education have been in
short supply in remote schools. At a glance, it doesn‘t even appear that there‘s anything wrong.

Kids in rural areas appear to have it pretty good. Their schools are half the size of urban ones and
their classes are smaller. They do pretty well on tests on an average. But it is somewhat like-
―Racing alone and coming first.‖ When they have to share a common platform with urban
students, it is then when they find themselves incompetent and that is one of the reasons why our

rural students do not continue their higher education.

At the school level, rural communities face significant challenges. Here are a few challenges that
we have been facing at our rural school:

1. Finding and keeping committed staff members: One of the most significant challenge is

finding and keeping committed staff members in school. Most of the rural school staffs
are busy trying for a transfer to some favorable place.

Here, an amicable transfer policy could go a long way if implemented properly.

2. Traditional teaching-learning processes: Our rural schools need able leaders to lead the
team of staff members. It‘s not surprising that, under able leadership, the rural Schools
will go from traditional (children at desks, teachers in the front of the room) modern
approach in teaching and administrating school.

Nobody wants and likes changes, because one has to adapt to a new situation; and they
tend to think, ‗This is how I was taught, this is good for me and it should be good for
others too.‘ But we have to understand that we must adapt with the changing scenario and
learn to accept that what we‘re doing might be good for us but not for the present
generations.‖

An able leadership bringing about a shift from a traditional to contemporary teaching-

learning; we just have to try, at least.

3. Absenteeism: Absenteeism is another big concern at rural schools; be it teachers or the
students. Teachers have excuses like social obligations (attending local functions and

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