Addressing Limited Educational Opportunities in Remote Locations

This essay critically analyzes the challenges of limited educational opportunities in remote and rural locations in Australia. It highlights the impact of geographic isolation, poverty, and inappropriate curriculum on children's access to education. The essay discusses the constitutional right to education for all children, irrespective of location. It presents the difficulties faced by students in remote areas, including the scarcity of secondary schools, the need for long-distance education, and the risks associated with it. Poverty is identified as a significant barrier, preventing access to resources like transport, books, and uniforms. The essay also addresses the issue of curriculum relevance and teacher shortages, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The consequences of limited education on the economy and health outcomes are also explored. The essay concludes by suggesting solutions such as curriculum reviews, teacher deployment, poverty alleviation, and the establishment of more schools. The essay emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair access to education for all children to promote individual well-being and economic growth.

Limited opportunities for education in remote and rural locations
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An open editorial on limited opportunities for education in remote and rural
locations
According to the constitution of Australia, a child between 6 and 14 years has the right to
education. This is regardless of whether the child stays in rural or urban areas (Yigitcanlar,
Edvardsson, Johannesson, Kamruzzaman, Ioppolo & Pancholi, 2017). Since education empowers
children for a better future, it is imperative that different stakeholders strive to provide education
to children especially in rural settlements. In this essay, there will be a discussion on limited
educational opportunities in remote and rural locations in Australia.
Geographic isolation has made it difficult for children in remote and rural areas to access
education opportunities. In a ‘Rural and Remote Education Inquiry Briefing Paper’, results show
that there are very few secondary schools in rural areas. What this means is that children have to
leave their communities in search of education. Furthermore, the report note that some students
have to pursue education through long distance (Strasser et al., 2016). Keeping in mind that they
are still young, they are at risk from violent attacks such as rape. This has therefore made it
difficult for children in remote and rural areas of Australia to access education opportunities.
Poverty is also hampered education opportunities in rural and remote areas of Australia.
According to recent surveys conducted in remote areas in Australia, results indicate that majority
of the people who live in remote areas live below the poverty level. This makes it hard for them
to get the resources needed for education such as transport, books and school uniforms. In some
areas, the communities even lack food and shelter (Somporn, Walters, & Ash, 2018). The
communities or children therefore resort to economic activities at least to get food and shelter at
the expense of education.

Inappropriate curriculum and scarcity of teachers makes it difficult for children to attend
schools. In a report presented to the Ministry of education of Australia in 2015, there are
concerns from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders about the relevance of the curriculum.
These communities occupy vast areas of rural areas in Australia. Respondents indicated that the
curriculum does not fit or suit their needs and they therefore shy off from attending schools.
Furthermore, the number of teachers is low (Seet, Jones, Acker, & Whittle, 2015). Aboriginal
and Torres Strait islanders also report cases of discrimination at all levels of the society including
the school environment. Limited chances of education in rural and remote areas negatively
affects the economy of the country. It is therefore necessary that stakeholders come up with
effective solutions to overcome this problem.
Inability to access education opportunities in majority of remote and rural areas by
children in Australia has dire consequences both to the society, government and the families.
Poor health outcomes among communities in rural and remote areas are directly related (Park,
2017). Education provides necessary information about prevention and the importance of good
health activities. Obesity for example, is high among such communities since they lack
information on good eating habits and good lifestyle. Furthermore, education empowers
communities economically so that they can seek better and improved healthcare when sick.
First of all, the government should review the curriculum and come with a curriculum
that best suits the communities in rural areas. It should also train and deploy more teachers in
rural areas. About poverty, the government should empower such communities so that they have
the necessary resources without straining so much (Farmer, Kenny, McKinstry, & Huysmans,
2015). Furthermore, the government through collaboration with other agencies like the United
Nations, should set up more schools. This will reduce overcrowding in the available schools

which is a threat to public health. It will also save the children from covering long distances in
search of education.
In conclusion, Education is a fundamental right to each and every child be it in rural or
urban centers. It is sad that at this era, some children don’t access education in majority of
remote and rural areas. Education is the backbone of the economy and well-being of individuals.
It is therefore important to implement the recommendations from different stakeholders to ensure
that each individual has fair access to educational opportunities.

References
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Park, S. (2017). Digital inequalities in rural Australia: A double jeopardy of remoteness and
social exclusion. Journal of Rural Studies, 54, 399-407.
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Seet, P., Jones, J., Acker, T., & Whittle, M. (2015). Shocks among managers of indigenous
art centres in remote Australia. Management Decision, 53(4), 763-785.
doi:10.1108/md-06-2014-0386
Somporn, P., Walters, L., & Ash, J. (2018). Expectations of rural community-based medical
education: a case study from Thailand. Rural and Remote Health.
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Strasser, R., Couper, I., Wynn-Jones, J., Rourke, J., Chater, A. B., & Reid, S. (2016).
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