Essay Example on Education: The Cornerstone of Developing Nations' Betterment

Introduction

The rural demographic found in developing countries usually endure severe accessibility restrictions, as a result of their economic conditions, geographical remoteness, their social conditions, and the commonly stunted level of transport systems. Among these restrictions is access to basic education (Tieken, 2014).

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Education is the cornerstone to the betterment of any society. Since time immemorial civilizations have seen that through this acquiring and imparting of knowledge, there have been establishments and advancements in many disciplines that have all contributed to better our living standards (Tieken, 2014). Through education, we have almost peeked human excellence through the establishment of better systems like law, medicine and medical facilities, transport, technology, infrastructure, and food production and storage.

There are many factors negatively influencing the success of education. These include poor infrastructure, lack of labor, and high costs to maintain schooling systems (Gardiner, 2008). Among the key factors is transportation; it is disconcerting that there are areas in the world where education, even though mandatory, is seen as a luxury that many cannot afford due to the country's transport system. This proposal seeks to offer ways in which this issue can be dealt with.

Statement of the problem

Among the many processes and activities impacted by transport in rural areas, schooling is very crucial as it is key to the elevation of those in rural life (Tieken 2004). Rural development highly depends on the availability of basic education. Studies have shown that people with basic education have been able to find off-farm employment as they are better farmers. Even with this, there has been an issue where the allocation of resources to the betterment of rural area education has been neglected (Gardiner, 2008). Most rural primary schools in countries that register a low-income in their economies, for one, usually suffer very much because they are found in remote areas which are inaccessible from central offices of the education ministries which are usually associated with the distribution of resources like books and pens (Gardiner, 2008). Furthermore, the schooling model presented by their education sector is usually less feasible in rural areas. Rarely does the government consider the terrain and economic status of the rural setting (Tieken 2004)? Children are forced to trek long distances over harsh terrain, and this is usually if their parents can afford to put them through the many hours in such low standard schools.

The transport sector is one of the most important sectors of a country's economy. Supported by both the central and decentralized governments, it ensures there is a smooth movement of goods and services across the country (Tieken 2004). Furthermore, the transport system ensures travel to places like school and work is made possible. The transport system in many developing countries is lackluster and thus taxing to everyday activities. Lack of roads through dense vegetation, deserts, or mountainous regions discourages schooling activities. This very true for centralized governments. With the onset of a decentralized government, different regions of the country have discovered that the road systems in their areas highly impact several sectors of their particular economies (Tieken 2004). This includes the education sector. With these newly established local governments, such problems can finally be addressed. Local governments not only have deep access to the national government but also to their surrounding communities. With this comes the benefit of having a closer relationship with the community.

Proposed solutions

Improving rural development will take a number of efforts. These include establishing and enhancing local infrastructure and related services. Surrounding services can also be supported through funding and establishing avenues where they can be improved (Gardiner, 2008). Support includes skill training and provision of higher education to teachers. I propose the following solutions for improving the transport system in rural areas and thus the schooling experience in such places.

Improving teachers' transport

Teachers are the primary source of knowledge in every school. They guide, teach, and ensure learners understand and can apply knowledge learned in the classroom to a myriad of life activities. With the underdeveloped transport systems, the government should consider offering financial aid for the transport of teachers (Gardiner, 2008). Most of these teachers do not enjoy financial aid offered by the government that s aimed solely at transportation. In rural settings, some teachers usually live near the schools, and thus do not suffer the severe transport problems associated with accessing schools (Tieken, 2014). Most of the teachers live far from school, though, and are forced to commute to school on a daily basis. Most decentralized governments offer these financial aids nowadays, but it is still very low. This issue can also be solved by carpooling as many teachers have cars nowadays.

Providing and operating vehicles

In rural areas, most vehicles on roads are bull and donkey-drawn carts, bicycle old busses, and vans that normally flock with passengers keen on traveling (Tieken 2004). The government can provide modern, roadworthy busses and vans to ferry workers and school goers at affordable prices (Gardiner, 2008). These vehicles can form a route following a strict timetable schedule.

Exclusive or shared transport

School transportation that is exclusive to a school is usually free of external constraints like having children share vehicle space with adults who are going on different endeavors (Gardiner, 2008). However, as beneficial as it is, it usually is expensive than simply taking the public route. Shared transport solves this issue by decreasing average travel costs, although it requires this sharing of vehicle space, which is not very popular with parents (Gardiner, 2008). My proposal in dealing with this matter is creating a schedule where adults can be ferried very early in the morning, for example, if they work in rural areas and need to travel from urban suburbs. The children can then be ferried after the early hours, negating the unnecessary clash between children and adults needing to be at different places at the same time.

Expected results

An improvement in the transport sector will result in many benefits to the localities (Hannum et al., 2009). This ranges from better healthcare services to improved employment and education opportunities. Improved transportation impacts a community's exposure to education, which in turn expands its economic livability and competitiveness (Hannum et al., 2009). Rural children usually face a longer time on the road, even in developed countries like the United States. A better transport system will reduce this time significantly, resulting in less fatigued children at school. School resources can also be ferried easily on a well-developed network of roads (Hannum et al., 2009).

The only downside of this proposal is the number of resources that will be required to get it up and to run. If the funds can be availed, then the implementation of the proposed solutions can begin as soon as possible.

Costs

The cost of settling the proposed teacher transport and buying and running vehicles will come to $100,000. This amount can be split into two, the first $50,000 to be disbursed to teachers and the second $50,000 to be divided into single $5,000 to each purchase, run and maintain a bus that will ferry students, school resources and adults at different intervals as suggested (Hannum et al., 2009).

I believe purchasing these busses under one dealer will offer deals that can help cut down on both purchasing and shipping costs.

Conclusion

To conclude, I think improving the education sector goes further than just improving the schools themselves. There is a need to develop infrastructure that directly affects the schooling process. Purchasing busses to aid in transporting school goers and workers is the right step in realizing a smooth experience for everyone involved in the school.

References

Gardiner, M. (2008). Education in rural areas. Issues in education policy, 4, 1-33.

Hannum, W. H., Irvin, M. J., Banks, J. B., & Farmer, T. W. (2009). Distance education use in rural schools: Journal of Research in Rural Education (Online), 24(3), 1.

Tieken, M. C. (2014). Why rural schools matter. UNC Press Books.