Education in rural areas has always been a challenging problem to solve. In these areas, children do not always have easy access to education, and as a result receive a poor education or no education at all. The emergence of virtual schools has provided an answer to this problem and in this article, we’ll discuss the issues that rural education presents as well as how virtual schools offer a solution.
Rural vs Suburban Education Opportunities
Rural and suburban areas differ significantly in terms of education opportunities, with those living in rural areas often having to face many challenges in order to get a basic education. This is because there is often a lack of schools in these areas and students are often required to travel extensive distances to attend a school. In many cases, parents don't have the resources or opportunities to transport their children to these far-off locations.
Furthermore, the rural education landscape is often characterised by limited resources, smaller school populations, and teacher shortages. The scarcity of qualified teachers and specialised instructors can lead to a narrower curriculum and fewer extracurricular activities. Additionally, rural schools may face challenges in providing access to advanced placement courses or specialised programmes, which can impact students' preparedness for higher education and future career prospects.
In contrast, suburban areas typically boast larger and more well-funded school districts with access to a broader range of resources. The larger student population allows for a wider array of extracurricular activities, advanced courses, and enrichment programmes. Suburban schools often have the advantage of attracting and retaining a highly qualified teaching staff, resulting in higher academic standards and overall student performance.
How Virtual Schools Assist in Rural Education
Virtual and online schools have provided a solution to those students who are disadvantaged due to their location.
Addresses the Teacher Shortage
One of the significant challenges in rural areas is the scarcity of qualified teachers. Virtual schools overcome this obstacle by leveraging technology to connect students with experienced educators from anywhere in the world. This ensures that students in rural areas have access to high-quality teaching, expertise, and diverse perspectives that may not be available locally.
Therefore, students that lie in rural areas will have a better chance of performing well academically than they would when attending a rural school.
Fosters a Collaborative Learning Environment
As students in rural areas often live on farms or in very small towns they do not often have the opportunity to mingle with diverse groups of people. This can also lead to students feeling overwhelmed and out of place if and when they move to a big city to attend university or start their careers.
Therefore, geographical isolation in rural communities can negatively affect a student's social and emotional development and wellbeing. Virtual schools offer opportunities for students to collaborate and interact with peers from different regions, both nationally and globally. These interactions foster a sense of community, breaking down geographic barriers and creating a diverse and inclusive learning environment.
Provides an Opportunity for Education
In extreme cases, parents might not have a mode of transport to get their children to the nearest school, which could be far away. Even if parents have a means of transportation, they could lack the financial resources to travel these long distances twice a day.
Virtual and online schools solve this problem as children can attend school from their homes, as long as they have a stable Internet connection and a computer, tablet, or phone to access the learning content and attend online classes.
A Cost-Effective Option
Establishing and maintaining physical schools in rural areas can be financially challenging due to lower population density and limited tax revenues. Virtual schools, on the other hand, offer a more cost-effective solution. By eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure and reducing operational costs, virtual schools can efficiently serve rural communities.
This limited student population in rural schools can lead to higher per-student costs due to the fixed overhead expenses. Because virtual schools can pool students from multiple rural areas, they allow for economies of scale. Therefore, by serving a larger number of students, the overall cost per student decreases, making this form of education more cost-effective to parents.
What Remote Learners Gain
While virtual and online schools making education accessible is a massive advantage, there are also a number of other benefits that rural students can experience by attending a virtual school.
Access to a High Level of Education
Virtual schools offer a higher level of education through access to quality teachers worldwide, personalised learning paths, and an expanded curriculum that includes advanced courses and specialised subjects.
The flexibility offered by virtual schools allows students to balance their education with other commitments, while innovative teaching methods, such as interactive multimedia and global collaboration, make the learning experience engaging and immersive. Additionally, continuous assessment and the quality of instruction, foster critical thinking and prepare students for success in an ever-changing world.
Opportunity to Attend World-Renowned Universities
Rural schools, as with most traditional schools, only offer one curricular option. This will typically be the national curriculum offered in their country of residence. While this is perfectly acceptable, some of these curricula are not as easily accepted at international and well-known universities, which limits these students’ opportunities beyond high school.
A virtual school will offer multiple curricula, allowing the students to choose the curriculum that is best suited to them and their aspirations.
Therefore, students will have the opportunity to attend world-renowned universities and potentially even receive bursaries if their grades are high enough.
Flexibility and Personalised Learning
Virtual schools provide flexibility in scheduling, allowing students to balance their education with other tasks, such as extracurricular activities or part-time jobs. This flexibility enables students to create a conducive learning environment and manage their time effectively, leading to higher engagement and motivation.
For example, if a student lives on a farm and is required to help their parents with certain farming tasks, they can do so while receiving a high level of education.
Establishing Learning Pods in Rural Areas
At CambriLearn we understand the need and desire for a physical learning centre that students can attend to complete their studies. This is why we have created our affiliate programme. This allows for tutors, education specialists, and other individuals to establish learning pods in rural communities.
CambriLearn offers the curriculum, lesson plans, live lessons and other support functions to a learning pod. In return, the learning pod offers a physical location for children to attend school as well as increased support to parents and children.
At CambriLearn we aim to make education available to every child, as each child deserves to receive a high level of education that will propel them towards a successful future.
