Educational Needs of Rural Communities

Functional Literacy - Education for Increased Productivity and Income Growth

Farmers need to have information on specific supplies required on their farms.

They need to know where, when, and how to obtain fertilizer, pesticides, seeds,

mechanical equipment and other farm imputes through purchase or hiring. They

need to know the prices, the names of suppliers in their areas and how to satisfy

other conditions for obtaining them. They also require information on the suitability

of different types of these supplies for their farm activities.

On the matter of equitable distribution of wealth from rural production,

education and information for the peasant farmers is particularly important so that

their lack of education and social contacts might not be exploited by rich land owners

and money lenders who collect usury/interest from them. They require some kind

of alerting system to ensure they have their fair share of required supplies. Fertilizers

for example, are highly subsidized and are always in great demand by peasant

farmers. Very often suppliers are cornered by unscrupulous middlemen who sell to

farmers well above the prices intended by the government. In such a situation, the

farmers need to have clear knowledge about government distribution network in

their areas, and prompt information as to times of arrival of supplies in their areas.

Farmers also need information on how to obtain credit facilities, especially

now that the government is liberalizing credit provision to peasant farmers. There
should be clear information as to the procedures to follow for application, the

conditions to satisfy, the amount that can be borrowed at a time, the nearest offices

for processing applications, and more importantly information on avenues for

complaint if frustrations are encountered in the process. Where the farmers are

forced to borrow from local moneylenders, they must have information on the legal

implications of such transactions, and what legal protections they have from

unscrupulous moneylenders (Aboyade 1987).

Information is also required on the current prices and marketing situation so

as to curtail the sharp practices of middlemen. In situations where government has

set up marketing boards to buy farm products, farmers must know what to expect as

prices for their produce at any given time. Here, adult educators, extension workers

and facilitators must perform their roles to ensure adequate dissemination of

information to the rural people in general and rural farmers in particular.

Education on Rural Non-Farm Economic Activities

People in the rural areas need information on activities that are usually carried

out in their areas. According to Aboyade (1987), these include:-

(a) Food processing and baking;

(b) Textiles and weaving - including spinning, weaving, dyeing, mat making,

raffia work and tailoring;

(c) Services such as barbing; hair-plaiting, shoe-making and repair;

 (d) Woodworks like carving and carpentry;

(e) metal work such as goldsmithing, blacksmithing, welding and fitting;

(f) Repair services for radio, vehicles and watches;

(g) Building activities including masonry, plumbing, painting and fittings;

(h) Pottery and other art works; and

(i) Miscellaneous activities like soap-making and herb processing

Adult educators, here, can facilitate necessary information on requirements

for engaging in these activities, and information on capital, equipment, training or

systems of apprenticeship. Information is also needed on the actual processes

involved, including new and better processes, various designs and standards, and

appropriate technologies available.

Education on Health & Social Amenities

Apart from the supplies of the amenities by the government or through

community development efforts, rural people need to have information on the

importance of good sources of drinking water, the prevention of common diseases

nutrition and the importance of making use of such amenities as are provided,

especially those relating to health. People need information on how to prevent the

energy sapping diseases that incapacitate rural people in a situation where most of

their activities are energy-intensive. They also need to know where and how to

obtain treatment when they are struck by these diseases especially in emergencies,
more so that mortality and malnutrition of children are particularly prevalent in rural

communities. Therefore a lot of information on childcare is required, including pre-

and postnatal cares. Aboyade is of the opinion that since most rural people depend

largely on traditional treatment of their illness, there is need for information on the

efficacy of or dangers inherent in some of the local brews. With regard to

educational facilities, rural people require information on the various educational

opportunities in their vicinities and other places, for themselves and their children.

There should be information to support adult literacy programmes for those who are

motivated to learn. The children need to know how to enroll in different schools,

how to register their names for various examinations, where to obtain necessary

application forms for applying to educational institutions among other things.

Education for Social Participation and Political Involvement

This is perhaps the most important aspect requiring concerted effort for

information support. Enlightened opinion on development advocates the

involvement of rural people themselves in development programmes meant for them

if any success is to be achieved. This therefore, entails increased social and political

awareness so that they will see the need for active participation in any programme

for rural development. For this, the people need to have information on government

activities from local government level.

 They need to have information about public institutions which have bearing

in their lives; so also is information on the political process and systems of

government and information on their political rights and how to exercise them.

Rural people need information on various types of institutions and social

organizations which they themselves can evolve - such as farmers’ cooperatives and

unions - to enable them play a significant role in matters that affect them.

In general, one important consideration in the success of rural development

efforts appears to be the mobilization of the people. It is frequently argued that it is

not enough to initiate programmes aimed at enhancing the quality of rural life, efforts

must also be made to encourage the people to be actively involved in their own

salvation. In this strategy for mobilizing the people the provision of information has

been shown to be a major factor because of its potentials for giving new knowledge,

raising consciousness, strengthening links and achieving integration of disparate

social groups. Here, adult education is a pivotal.

Furthermore, if as it is often argued, the plight of the rural poor boils down to

their lack of access to opportunities, any assistance in identifying the access points

that will lead them to the use of such opportunities will indeed strike at the root cause

of rural poverty (Warren et al. 1986) . The provision of information constitutes such

assistance which will lead them to find out about opportunities in education, health
care, nutrition, housing, transportation, employment, as well as other institutional

resources, services and facilities.

In conclusion, rural poverty is closely related to the factor of illiteracy. There

is no doubt that education enables people to find out opportunities on their own.

Educated and literate people are better equipped to know how to capture the benefits

of government schools, hospitals, housing, water supply, credit as well as technical

assistance. Owing to their being mostly illiterates, rural people are limited in their

capacity to widen their horizon, and in their ability to make the social contacts or

create the political impact required to obtain the benefits which others enjoy. In a

situation where such a large group of people have missed the advantage of formal

education, access to opportunities can be found for them through an organized

information system tailored to their needs. This will ensure among other things that

the provision of information will not just be a patchy affair dictated more by need

for propaganda, but will be an on-going business continuously opening up hidden

paths to a better way of life. Here, adult education becomes a panacea.