School education from the perspective of a rural society

Abstract

The study summarizes the results of a research project on education conducted within the framework of the WAC – Center for Regional and Anthropological Research in Miercurea Ciuc (Harghita County, Romania). The research that used qualitative methods (questionnaire on family households, interview data collection among teachers and parents, case studies, narrative analysis), took place in the Szeklerland region of Romania during the three decades following the regime change. The study reviews and summarizes research results with a view to lessons about repositioning the social role of education institutions operating in rural areas. The repositioning of rural education has gained special attention in academic research in recent years. The study outlines the socio-historical antecedents that influenced the development of attitudes towards school education after the regime change in Romania in 1989. It then presents the main features of the change in attitudes towards school education after 1989 and its current situation. The study deals with the issue of school education from the perspective of rural studies rather than minority politics.

Our findings suggest that the role of education institutions and the relationship between schools and local society should be given more space in academic research. Policy relevance can be seen in the way the development of rural institutions is not a priority for national educational development. Pilot programs supporting innovation in education in Romania take place in nonrural areas, decisions related to the maintenance of individual schools (for example merging of institutions and classes) are based primarily on economic and financial considerations, and investments are rehabilitative in nature and serve to maintain existing levels of actual activities. In the Szeklerland region, the question arises from time to time whether the region can do something for its own education institutions relying on its own resources (for example municipalities and other local institutions, enterprises, non-governmental organizations)? One important answer to this question may be the change in the social role of education institutions, which is a multifactorial issue. The study oUers starting points for outlining the conditions for the changing role of rural schools in local societies.