EDUCATION FOR SPECIAL TARGET GROUPS: RURAL EDUCATION

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This is an educational activity organised by the rural inhabitants themselves with the assistance of the expertise, by using in most cases the resources available in the rural community in the area of socio-economic and political activities.

Planning of education for rural people should first and foremost be related to, if the education for them is based on cognitive,that is,
-what type of knowledge to be given to them
-what type of programme do they need to be given towards their development
-what is the basis or as regard to what the community is intended to do

It is believed that rural education, which is a lifelong process, assists the community dwellers to acquire attitudes, values, and knowledge.

Besides the acquisition of rural education from the expertise or from the trainings received from the governmental bodies and non governmental organisations, rural education can also be given from the "people within the people" . That is, from family and neighbours by telling stories, information received at the market places and local news.

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Because of the poor level of Western education of the rural people and owing to the poor financial responsibility of the Nigerian government, one would not expect that the same mode and method of teaching used in the formal system of learning like school centres should be used to impart knowledge.

The curriculum of rural education should chiefly reflect the resources and needs of the community. Their resources and needs therefore will create the blueprints for the discussion of what they need and therefore, what they need will facilitate the collaboration with whoever, the NGOs, the government, the experts, etc that they are ready to give education on the rural development.

Education for the rural dwellers is very important in order to fulfill some vital objectives such as:

• To create creative solution to personal and community problems
• To revive traditional and non traditional cultural values and customs
• To acquire knowledge of the natural, social, and economic environment.