For Rural India the journey of education is not easy, Children from disadvantaged backgrounds may struggle to attend school regularly, and their learning outcomes are compromised due to the hardships they face both outside and inside the classroom. Few of them are listed below,

• Lack of access to schools: In some rural areas, there are no schools or the schools are far away and difficult to reach. Children have to walk miles to attend the classes. Some parents don’t find it safe to send their daughters to go on foot to such distances.
  
  
• Poverty, Hunger and Starvation: Families in poverty often cannot afford education costs such as uniforms, textbooks and transportation. They are always in financial burden due to various reasons. For them education for their children becomes the second priority, that’s why they are forced to do income generation activities for their survival. Insufficient nutrition affects students’ overall well-being and cognitive development.
  
  
• Poor Infrastructure: Many rural schools suffer from subpar infrastructure, including broken walls, insufficient lighting, inadequate sanitation facilities, lack of safe conveyance to and from school, especially for girls, insufficient classrooms and desks, textbooks and teaching aids which makes it difficult for students to focus on their studies and resulting in irregular attendance.
  
  
• Insufficient access to water and hygiene facilities: Many girls– particularly adolescents who are menstruating – don’t go to school because of a lack of privacy, unavailability of sanitary disposal and water facilities. It has been seen that many schools situated in rural areas still have only mixed toilets and girls do not feel comfortable to use it due to lack of privacy and comfort.
  
  
• Early marriage: Due to lack of awareness of the importance of education in poor families, Many girls are married off at a young age, which prevents them from completing their education.
  
  
• Gender Discrimination: Some families believe that girls do not need to be educated and that their primary role is to take care of the household duties and family. While male children of the family are encouraged to go to school, female siblings are not.
  
  
• Lack of Quality Teachers: The scarcity of quality teachers in rural areas remains a critical issue: No education system is better than the quality of the teaching it provides, it is essential that teachers are properly trained and well qualified. Also teachers in rural sectors receive inadequate pay compared to their urban counterparts, making it challenging to attract and retain skilled educators.
  
  
• Inaccessibility to Modern Learning Tools: Rural areas lack access to modern learning tools and internet access making it difficult for students to access online learning resources and hindering educational advancements seen in urban areas.
  
  
• Communication Gap: The communication gap, particularly in the English language. Day by day importance of the English language is increasing, whereas in rural areas the majority of schools are in vernacular language. Which creates obstacles for rural youth seeking employment in urban areas.

These are just a few of the many reasons why millions of children from rural India don’t go to schools.

5 Ways To Improve Rural Education

• Well Developed Infrastructure: Ensuring well-equipped classrooms, clean water, Sanitation facilities, Playground equipment, Transportation and Reliable electricity providing a conducive environment for effective learning.
  
  
• Technology Integration: Bridging the digital divide by providing access to Modern technology, Computers, Laboratory and the Internet facilities.
  
  
• Well Qualified Teachers: Though we live in a time where technology has taken over most aspects of lives, something’s will never be replaced by it; Once such thing being face to face interactions with humans. Fostering comprehensive training programs so that every teacher can bring the right blend of discipline and engagement to classes.
  
  
• Socio-economic Programs: Implementing comprehensive socio-economic support programs that address poverty, nutrition, and healthcare, ensuring students’ holistic development. Demonstrating how effective Education is in breaking the bonds of poverty.
  
  
• Community Engagement: Fostering collaboration between local communities, government bodies to collectively address educational challenges.

By implementing these measures, we can ensure a brighter future for India’s Youth.