The Role of Education Plans on Rural Youth Empowerment; Case: High School Rural Students, Central District, Sarband Township

Friedman and Weitz are among the theorists of the Rohout School who propose models such as rural-urban development within the framework of comprehensive rural development schemes; consider rural development beyond urban development and perceive national development as dependent on rural development. In this regard, sustainable human development as a step beyond sustainable development is accepted as the Universal Declaration of Development for the next century, emphasizing that not only development should be sustainable and persistent, but should stress the needs of the present human generation. In this regard, empowering rural people, especially young people in rural communities has a significant impact on achieving sustainable rural development. Here, empowerment refers to a process in which individuals are able to acquire autonomy, control and self-confidence; and empowered individual is one who possesses the components of empowerment including the sense of sufficiency, the right to select, the sense of being effective, the sense of meaningfulness, and finally the sense of trust in others. Education and awareness as a key element in the process of empowerment as well as achieving sustainable development is a very significant issue. In fact, it could be concluded that empowerment and education are interrelated concepts. Education is a process through which, individuals acquire knowledge, learn skills and develop their own attitude and beliefs in life. Thus, formal and public education that as a social institution encompasses an important part of human life, will certainly have a remarkable and effective role in this process. Identifying talents and creating necessary conditions for them to flourish in different areas and a harmonious and balanced human growth in intellectual, emotional, social and physical aspects are among the heavy responsibilities that education should accomplish. However, the questions posed here include: “Has education succeeded in having an effective role in empowering students?”,“Do policies and plans of this institution serve the accomplishment of such an affair especially for rural youth who by some means require more attention by the education system?” The main purpose of this research will be to explain the role and position of education in the process of empowering rural high school students. The research adopts a survey method using subjective indicators based on a questionnaire. With regard to the nature of the research topic and hypotheses, information needed to confirm or reject the hypotheses has been collected through objective data (Statistics Statistical Center of Iran and maps) as well as subjective data (questionnaires completed by students and teachers in rural secondary schools). In order to achieve the research objectives, based on the studies and theoretical fundamentals in this area a questionnaire with closed and open questions was designed. The results indicate that based on the statistical tests such as one-sample and independent t-test, according to rural students, the domestic public education system in different educational periods especially in secondary schools has not been able to create adequate skills for employment or employing and in other words an entrepreneurial spirit in students; and as a result it has been ineffective in this regard. In addition, according to rural students, not only ruralization has not reinforced and influenced rural students’ sense of local attachment but also has strengthened urbanization behavior among rural students. The results indicate that based on the statistical tests such as one-sample and independent t-test, according to rural students, the domestic public education system in different educational periods especially in secondary schools has not been able to create adequate skills for employment or employing and in other words an entrepreneurial spirit in students; and as a result it has been ineffective in this regard. In addition, according to rural students, not only ruralization has not reinforced and influenced rural students’ sense of local attachment but also has strengthened urbanization behavior among rural students. The results indicate that based on the statistical tests such as one-sample and independent t-test, according to rural students, the domestic public education system in different educational periods especially in secondary schools has not been able to create adequate skills for employment or employing and in other words an entrepreneurial spirit in students; and as a result it has been ineffective in this regard. In addition, according to rural students, not only ruralization has not reinforced and influenced rural students’ sense of local attachment but also has strengthened urbanization behavior among rural students. The results indicate that based on the statistical tests such as one-sample and independent t-test, according to rural students, the domestic public education system in different educational periods especially in secondary schools has not been able to create adequate skills for employment or employing and in other words an entrepreneurial spirit in students; and as a result it has been ineffective in this regard. In addition, according to rural students, not only ruralization has not reinforced and influenced rural students’ sense of local attachment but also has strengthened urbanization behavior among rural students.