1. Education for Rural People 6 Years Later
David Acker
Professor and Associate Dean
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Iowa State University, USA
November 28, 2007
Rome

2. Purpose
Present a global synthesis of lessons learned since the launch of Education for Rural People in 2002

3. Source Education for Rural People: What have we learned?
Acker & Gasperini
Journal of International Agricultural
and Extension Education
Spring 2008

4. What is Education for Rural People?
ERP: dedicated to bringing about transformation of rural communities through capacity building of rural people.
Worldwide call to action focusing on education for rural-based children, youth, and adults through formal and non-formal education.

5. ERP Objectives Improving: Overcoming the urban/rural education gap
access to basic education for rural people
quality of basic education in rural areas
national capacity to implement education programs to address learning needs of rural people
Overcoming the urban/rural education gap
I just deleted “basic” after implementing.

6. ERP: A Rich Resource Collection
33 books and conference proceedings
57 virtual publications
7 published articles
8 newsletters
3 theses
93 featured activities
ERP Toolkits

7. History
1990: Education For All Declaration and Plan of Action led by UNESCO in Jomtien, Thailand

8. History 2000: World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal
early childhood development
literacy education
girls education
education in emergency situations
school health
aids, schools and health
teachers and quality of education
education and disability
education for rural people

9. History
2002: ERP launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development, Johannesburg
The majority of poor, food insecure, illiterate adults, and out of school children live in rural areas and suffer from inequitable access to schools, health care, roads, technology, institutional support and markets.
Addressing the educational needs of this "neglected majority" directly contributes to achieving the MDGs
Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of FAO

10. ERP Contributes to MDGs:
1: Eradicating extreme poverty & hunger
2: Achieving universal primary education
3: Promoting gender equity, empowering women
7: Ensuring environmental sustainability
Contributes especially to 1,2 3 and 7 , but is key to all

11. ERP Implementation Policy formation through informed dialogue
Participatory processes to involve stakeholders
Decentralization of educational services
Multi-sectoral approaches to rural development
Opportunities for donor support
Educational management

12. FAO UNESCO (including IIEP, etc) Ministries of Education Ministries of
Agriculture
FAO
UNESCO includes Headquarters, Regional offices and its specialized research centers such as IIEP (a politically sensitive issue
Donors
ADEA
NGOs and
civil society

13. Presentation
12 Challenges
12 Lessons
12 Examples

14. Access to Education Challenge # 1
Senior level government representatives from 11 African countries reiterated the need to address the gross inequalities that marginalize rural people
Fees and other costs
Distance to schools

15. Access to Education Lesson # 1
School attendance in rural areas has improved significantly since 1999 primarily due to:
Removal or reduction of school fees
Free access to learning materials
School construction
1999 to 2004: primary school enrolments
27% increase in Sub-Saharan Africa
19% increase in South and West Asia
UNESCO, 2007

16. Access to Education Example # 1 Education for Rural Adults
Farmer Field Schools
Farmers play an active role in determining training content and in managing training events

17. Quality of Education Challenge # 2
Quality of education available in rural areas lags behind urban areas
Quality remains a critical foundational aspect of any advance in ERP
Atchoarena and Gasperini, 2003
Quality depends on
facilities
teaching
materials
evaluation
leadership
curriculum
links to community

18. Quality of Education Lesson # 2
Critically important link between quality and relevance, vital to increasing the appeal and utility of education for rural people.
Contextualized learning allows students to study and solve real-life problems and to acquire life skills

19. Quality of Education Example # 2
Relevance of learning through school gardening programs

20. Flexibility & Local Autonomy
Challenge # 3
Flexibility & Local Autonomy
Centralized curriculum development
Rigid implementation of curriculum
Lack of community involvement leads to disenfranchisement

21. Flexibility & Local Autonomy
Lesson # 3
Flexibility & Local Autonomy
Systems that combine national curricular standards with some local content determined through community input processes have proven successful.
Flexibility in academic schedules to accommodate weather, cropping patterns and the movement of nomadic people.

22. Flexibility & Local Autonomy
Example # 3
Flexibility & Local Autonomy
In Thailand, for example, as much as 40% of the curriculum was permitted to be based on community and local needs
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2002

23. Parent & Community Involvement
Challenge # 4
Parent & Community Involvement
Schools are often viewed as impenetrable institutions belonging to the central government

24. Parent & Community Involvement
Lesson # 4
Parent & Community Involvement
Parental and community involvement are key to successful and sustainable schools
Participatory and community-based approaches have helped to increase educational access and to increase community ownership of schools (FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2006).
Rural families need to see that the education their children receive is relevant.

25. Parent & Community Involvement
Example # 4
Parent & Community Involvement
Parent–teacher organizations has a significant impact on resources available to the school
Improved monitoring of quality, relevance
School lunch programs

26. Gender Responsive Environments
Challenge # 5
Gender Responsive Environments
Accommodations must be made to attract and retain school-aged girls and adult women

27. Gender Responsive Environments
Lesson # 5
Gender Responsive Environments
Flexible timetables to accommodate peak labor demand for girls and adult women
Well-supervised boarding facilities safeguard female children
School meals for all children
Take-home rations for female children to compensate for the labor lost when they attend school
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2006

28. Gender Responsive Environments
Example # 5
Gender Responsive Environments
Half-day long farmer training short courses geared toward women that have responsibilities at home.

29. Organizational Efficiency
Challenge # 6
No single institution can provide all educational services for rural people
ERP must be approached systemically

30. Organizational Efficiency
Lesson # 6
Coordination among extension, schools, non-governmental organizations and the private sector is essential for optimal efficiency

31. Organizational Efficiency
Example # 6
Rural-based agricultural extension officers are a valuable resource:
presentations in their subject area at schools
conducting adult education classes
organizing farmer field schools with both technical and basic education
Rural-based teachers, if trained in the specific technical subjects, can support extension programs during off hours

32. Non-traditional Learners
Challenge # 7
Non-traditional Learners
refugees and displaced persons
people in inaccessible and remote areas
nomadic and pastoral communities
out-of-school youth
disabled persons
ethnic minorities
retired child soldiers
working children

33. Non-traditional Learners
Lesson # 7
Need for multiple educational safety nets to ensure higher participation rates
Functional adult literacy and alternative basic education programs for those who did not have the opportunity to pursue education earlier in life

34. Non-traditional Learners
Example # 7
Non-traditional Learners
Integrated Intergenerational Literacy Project in Northwest Uganda
Emphasis on both formal literacy and the development of survival skills across all age groups.
UNESCO Institute of Life Long Learning

35. Skills Training for Rural People
Challenge # 8
Skills Training for Rural People
Skills needed to succeed in global, knowledge economies.

36. Skills Training for Rural People
Lesson # 8
Skills Training for Rural People
Life skills
Food production skills
Self-employment skills
Appropriate non-formal skills training for adults and school drop-outs can permit rural people to diversify their skills for a more secure livelihood and greater resiliency during times of stress
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2006

37. Skills Training for Rural People
Example # 8
Skills Training for Rural People
Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools in Mozambique that deal with agricultural as well as life skills development among young rural citizens
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2006

38. Redefining Agricultural Education
Challenge # 9
Redefining Agricultural Education
Agricultural education: sharply focused on the preparation of people for on-farm employment and public sector positions

39. Redefining Agricultural Education
Lesson # 9
Redefining Agricultural Education
Crowder, Lindley, Bruening and Doron (1999) redefined traditional agricultural education
Agricultural education must reflect changes taking place in rural areas:
technology changes
global supply chains
health challenges
on- and off-farm employment
global environmental changes
entrepreneurship and small enterprise development

40. Redefining Agricultural Education
Example # 9
Redefining Agricultural Education
EARTH University in Costa Rica
Four pillars:
Social Commitment
Environmental Awareness
Entrepreneurial Mentality
Development of Human Values
It is suggested to place a subtitle such as :Redefining Agricultural Education – the Role of Higher Education

41. Teachers and Extension Staff
Challenge # 10
Teachers and Extension Staff
Recruitment and retention of rural teachers and extension staff present significant challenges

42. Teachers and Extension Staff
Lesson # 10
Teachers and Extension Staff
Recruitment practices
by attracting prospective teachers and extension workers who are originally from rural areas
More attractive deployment policies:
bonuses and higher salaries
loan forgiveness
provision of subsidized housing
access to better health care
posting newly qualified staff in pairs
establishment of career progression options

43. Teachers and Extension Staff
Example # 10
Teachers and Extension Staff
Malaysia: a package of incentives including a piece of land and training in agriculture was used to encourage teachers to stay in rural areas.
Lao PDR: profit sharing in school-based income-generating activities is allowed
both students and teachers benefit financially
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2002

44. Infrastructure Challenge # 11
School facilities represent a significant public investment in rural areas

45. Infrastructure Lesson # 11
School building use optimized through double shift classes and for after-hours adult education
Satellite schools for the youngest children from remote areas
ICT has potential for us in rural areas

46. Infrastructure
Example # 11
XO Computer

47. Effective Pro-rural Policies
Challenge # 12
Effective Pro-rural Policies
Motivating major changes in policy and resource allocation to favor rural citizens is difficult to achieve due to the absence of powerful political forces that advocate for rural people.

48. Effective Pro-rural Policies
Lesson # 12
Effective Pro-rural Policies
National policies and strategies that effectively address ERP recognize the diversity of needs of rural people
agro-ecological and geographic differences
socio-economic and cultural differences
FAO/UNESCO/IIEP, 2006

49. Effective Pro-rural Policies
Example # 12
Effective Pro-rural Policies
A strategy for Education for Rural People in Kosovo:

50. What Will Success Look Like?
A systemic needs-based approach that fosters education (including extension) by expanding access and improving quality for all children, youth and adults.
Rural people engaged in knowledge-based economies
Rural people prepared to learn in order to adapt to globalization, climate change, and other forces

51. Action at the National Level
National people-centered and rights-based and justice-oriented strategies and sustainable rural livelihoods approaches
Given an unequivocal association between primary education for rural people and food security, strong multi-sectoral cooperation is required.
Burchi and De Muro, 2007

52. Action at the International Level
ERP needs to become a commitment of all UN agencies and plans, bilateral donors, NGOs, private sector and others.
ERP is a complement to programs in food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable natural resources management and could be combined with such programs to increase efficiency.

53. Action: Role of Donors
Investments in the educational aspects of agriculture and rural development are needed.
Donor coordination at the national level can be improved by agreeing on an overall vision with governments, by coordinating separate funding streams and through regular monitoring and dialog.
Leadership from regional and international granting and lending organizations will be essential for those countries committed to elevating the education levels of their rural citizens.
Instead than leadership could we say support?