Education is one of the main contributing factors to economic development and improved standards of living. The dynamic structure of the Australian economy raises the demand for a skilled and highly educated workforce. Despite the improvements in Australian education, some sectors of still find difficulty accessing education beyond the compulsory limit. The Rural and remote region are defined as the areas outside the urban sectors with a population exceeding 100,000 people. The following are the disadvantages of remote education in Australia;
Difficulty in Recruiting and Retaining Teachers in Rural Areas
Employing bodies have had a difficult time alluring and keeping good teachers for the communities residing in the rural areas of Queensland. Factors acting as obstructions to the attraction and maintenance include personal exclusion, technological and expertise isolation. The difficulty has been considered as one of the major problems affecting the Queensland region by the Department of Training (DET) (Young, Grainger & James, 2018). Other rural and remote regions affected include Bright, Donald and Orbost (Lamb & Glover, 2014).
According to the Department of Employment and Training, there are approximately four hundred and seventy-one schools in the Queensland region. Also, about 165 of the public schools are located in the remote areas of the country. It, therefore, means about 636 public schools are located are located either in the rural or remote areas of Queensland. The figures show that about 51.5% of institutions in Queensland are in the rural or remote area harboring approximately 115,000 pupils annually (Young, Grainger & James, 2018). The number is substantial and thus poses substantial institutional difficulties in delivering quality education to people dispersed all over Queensland which is a territory covering about 1.73 million square kilometers. Despite the locale, pupils in the rural and remote areas have a right to quality education which should be prepared by competent, quality teachers just like pupils residing in the urban areas (Halsey, 2018).
Family Background
Remote and rural students are less likely to attend school and finalize the stipulated compulsory educational years. Family background was a major factor affecting their education. The proportion covered about a third (Fleming & Grace, 2017). Despite revolutionary developments and infrastructural transformations, children from poor residences, for instance, homes for farm workers miners and unemployed parties missed school.
Education Cost and Limited Funding
The third factor affecting education for the rural students was cost. To access education, parents or guardians had to pay a large amount. The parents reported the financial incentives and fund programs being inefficient and unable to cater for the educational expenses (Fleming & Grace, 2017). Inequality in income distribution has segregated the communities. Some are able to cater for the hefty educational expenses while others are forced to embrace absenteeism. In the year 2012, schools in Melbourne raised approximately two hundred and sixty two thousand dollars. Public schools in the rural areas were only able to generate about thirty thousand dollars. The figures showed that rural areas could only afford to employ a single teacher for two days weekly while the urban ones can employ three teachers on a full time basis (Lamb & Glover, 2014).
Discriminative Inequality
Analysis of specific groups, for instance, the Aboriginal youngsters increased inequality and segregation. In this group, a proportion of about 39.7% of females and 28.2 males participated in the post-compulsory years of education. Completing high school was much lower considering the living standards and challenges associated with financial stability and welfare. According to the study, aboriginal children residing in the remote sectors did not attend schools due to the lack of schools (Martin, 2016). Primary education was even a challenge to some, for instance, children residing in the Arnhem Land.
Apart from primary education, students from the Arnhem region had a problem also accessing secondary education. The secondary schools were not there. The inequality in education has been depicted through the difference in facility distribution across the rural, remote and urban sectors. On analyzing the results of the three groups of students from the Higher School Certificate, it was observed that only about 4% of the students from the RR regions were among the top performers. In institutions of higher learning and tertiary colleges, RR students were not well presented at the university and tertiary levels making about only 17% which is a significantly low figure (Halsey, 2018).
Inexperienced Teachers
According to the report, some of the students from the rural and remote areas outlined inexperience as one of the major factors affecting rural-remote education (Young, Grainger & James, 2018). Many of the teachers had not worked for a long period and had attended classes for a spa of about one to two years. Experts in various fields such as mathematics, science subjects and languages were not many and thus could not satisfy the needs of all the students.
Demographics
The inequality is also initiated by the Australian politics. Looking at parliament, only six members out of one hundred and fifty members represent people living in rural-remote sectors, that is, 78% of the whole Nation (Halsey, 2018). Voicing out concerns and passing Bills requires support from a large number of members. With such a small proportion, it only means educational concerns and policies will take a long time to be passed furthering segregation.
Lack of Proper Infrastructure
Innovation and technological improvements occur every single day all over the world. And therefore it is paramount to empower students through training to instill knowledge and skills. In most of the rural-remote areas, reduced infrastructural developments have made it difficult for students to enjoy telecommunication servicing. Since they are minor schools, they do not often get ICT labs which make education rather traditional (Halsey, 2018). Lack of proper digitization and internet access is a large contributor towards attracting and retaining teachers. The students are not able to comprehend on latest trends, societal changes or initiate their innovativeness. Their counterparts in the urban regions, on the other hand, come into contact with latest technologies, updates and are able to utilize technological devices which serve to further equip them for their future careers (Young, Grainger & James, 2018).
Lack of Access by Majority to Quality Education and Opportunities
Students in the rural areas lack similar opportunities as their urban counterparts which serve to institute difficulty in transitioning from education to employment. The rural regions in Australia lack ICT servicing which is paramount in enticing innovation, education, and exposure to activities and global events. There is also difficulty in increasing VET and University qualification levels that empower graduates to be employers rather than consumers of employment (Halsey, 2018). In a bid to foster change, various states and regions have partnered with the government of Australia to avail standard and quality education to RR students. This is a bold step towards instituting change in the education sector as it aids further studies to institutions of higher learning, training and availing employment opportunities. The exercise, however, still remains partially unsuccessful in bridging the gap between opportunities and achievements for the rural students.
Recommendations
The government together with other stakeholders should provide opportunities to rural and remote students similar to their urban counterparts by availing pathways to institutions of higher learning. They can achieve this by giving consideration to the following factors;
School Curriculum
The curriculum system should ensure students get the best quality education. They can focus not only on books but a more progressive form of education that encompasses fieldwork, training, and experience (Halsey, 2018). Most of the students in the rural and remote areas are least exposed to trends. Giving them an opportunity to experience life outside the class can help them learn how business operates, note their mistakes and see new sites which largely entice innovation and problem-solving.
Student Relocation
They ought to provide scholarships that enable them to relocate and move away from their rural residences, for instance, through the student exchange programs. The educational stakeholders can go ahead to change priority from rural to urban by intensifying training and education (Halsey, 2018).
Providing ICT Experience
Availing ICT in rural areas will help ensure the rural students easily access information through the web. Technological improvements have globally enhanced communication and information access. One can advertise goods online and create awareness through social platforms. One can also attend online classes which ease travel and also provide opportunities for furthering education and expertise. ICT is paramount when it comes to availing exposure and innovation to the rural students. Through technology, they will be able to understand the latest trends that will keep them at par with the urban students.
Funding Programs
The rural communities can get funding through Corporate Social Responsibility to foster change and entice innovation. Corporations are obliged to provide social welfare not only to their employees but also to their surrounding communities. They can be involved in programs such as scholarship awards for best-performing students, repair and maintenance of school facilities and providing internship programs for undergraduate students.
Government Involvement
The government can prioritize on historical, social, economic and political spheres of the society which are significant in providing a full enumeration of the Australian rural communities
Incentive Programs
In order to allure quality teachers to the rural and remote areas, financial incentives have become a significant tool. For instance, the Remote Area Incentives Scheme avails incentives to teachers remunerating them by catering for costs associated with travelling and maintenance (Young, Grainger & James, 2018). The teachers are also paid to stay in the rural and remote areas for a longer period than the one contracted for (Halsey, 2018). Another good example of an incentive program is the Beyond the Range; professional experience grant. It motivates educators to gain expertise and experience by working in public schools located in the rural and remote areas of Queensland. The teachers are financially supported and assisted professionally at the school level. The outback advantage project through DET allures teachers to the rural areas.
Conclusion
In Australia, rural and remote education is largely impacted by lack of funding, inability to attract and retain teachers, limited funding, income disparities and inexperienced teaching staff. However, these situations can be combated if the stakeholders undertake incentive and funding programs provide ICT experience through infrastructural development, implement student relocation programs and institute change in the discriminative school Curriculums. The approaches will serve to instill equity in availing opportunities and ensure the students complete the compulsory period for education completion.
References
Fleming, M. J., & Grace, D. M. (2017). Beyond aspirations: addressing the unique barriers faced by rural Australian students contemplating university. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 41(3), 351-363.
Halsey, J. (2018). Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education. Department of Education and Training.https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/01218_independent_review_accessible.pdf
Lamb, S., & Glover, S. (2014). Educational disadvantage and regional and rural schools.
Martin, K. (Ed.). (2016). Voices & Visions: Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Australia. Pademelon Press Pty Limited 5.
Pugalis, L., Tan, SF., (2017), The Role of Local Government in Local and Regional Economic Development, University of Technology Sydney.https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2017-09/The%20Role%20of%20Local%20Government%20in%20Local%20and%20Regional%20Economic%20Development.pdf
Young, K. D., Grainger, P., & James, D. (2018). Attracting preservice teachers to remote locations. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43(2), 9. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss2/9/
