Maintaining Schools in Rural Areas

Abstract

A local school is the most important infrastructure element for rural viability. Without it, families cannot live in rural areas and businesses cannot be started. Lessons from FLIARA underscore the crucial importance of a school – many female-led innovations would not have taken place if the interviewed women had not been able to raise a family in their rural locations. The Swedish government is urged to guarantee schools in rural areas even if student numbers are low. It pays off in the end, since rural decline cannot be haltered without the existence of good schools for the rural population.