Education for Rural People

Background

Education is a basic right in itself and an essential prerequisite for reducing poverty improving the living conditions of rural people, and building a food-secure world. Nevertheless, evidence shows that:

Children's access to education in rural areas is still much lower than in urban areas;

Adult illiteracy is much higher and the quality of education is poorer in rural areas;

Urban-rural disparities in educational investment and learning opportunities are widespread.

Since around 70 per cent of the poor live in rural areas, educating rural people is one of the main challenges facing the drive to achieve Education for All, sustainable development, food security and poverty reduction.

Objectives

The Education for Rural People flagship was launched by the Director of FAO and UNESCO during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (September 2002), with the aim to:

Build awareness of the importance of education for rural people as a crucial step in achieving the Millennium Development goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education.

Overcome the urban-rural education gap.

Increase access to basic education for rural people.

Improve the quality of basic education in rural areas.

Foster national capacity to plan and implement basic education plans to address the learning needs of rural people

Activities

At the national level:

Technical support to countries willing to address the basic education needs of rural people by formulating specific plans of action as part of the national EFA plans.

At the international level:

Advocacy and mobilization of partnerships for the education of rural people concentrating on strategic global, regional and international events, and encouraging the same within countries.

Identification of capacity for different substantive components of education for rural people within partner institutions.

Support for the exchange of good practices and knowledge related to education for rural people.

Partners

This flagship initiative is led by FAO. UNESCO, WFP, USAID, ADEA and Non-governmental organizations are among the 57 other partners.

Contact Information:

Namtip Aksornkool Literacy and Non- formal Education Division of Basic Education Education Sector 7, Place Fontenoy / 75352 Paris 07, France Phone : +33 (0) 1 45 68 11 32 Fax : +33 (0)1 45 68 55 17 E-mail: n.aksornkool@unesco.org

Lavinia Gaspirini Senior Education, Agricultural Education Extension, Education and Communication Service (SDRE) FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Phone : 39 06 5705 Fax: 39 06 5705 31 52 E-mail: Lavinia.Gasparini@fao.org