The conditioning of contemporary changes in the network of primary schools in rural areas of the Malopolskie Voivodeship

Abstract

The subject of the research presented was primary education narrowed down to the first and second stages (grades1-3 and 4-6) within the rural areas of Malopolskie Voivodeship. The aim of the studywas to determine the operating conditions of the network of primary schools and the consequencesof closing schools on youth education. The article utilises data from the years 2000-2012 concerning the number of pupils and primary schools, as well as teachers working at those establishments, andthe state of the population of Malopolska’s (Lesser Poland’s) villages, made available by GUS BDL(Central Statistical Office - Local Data Bank). In order to achieve the research objective the resultsof own direct studies were also used, conducted in schools via the diagnostic survey method, as wellas studies of literature on the subject, including legal acts. Twelve primary schools were subject toresearch, all located in the district of Miechow. The studies were directed at two groups of respondents. The first group consisted of students’ guardians; the second - the head teachers of the surveyedschools. A group of 705 respondents was covered by the survey. Due to unfavourable demographic trends (Fig. 1) in the rural areas of the Malopolskie Voivodeshipin the years 2000-2012, the number of students fell by 30% (Fig. 2). The consequence of this wasthe closure of 143 primary schools, which meant reducing their number by 12% (Fig. 3). Mostly small rural schools were closed in the typically agricultural areas of the north-eastern part of thevoivodeship, and less populated areas of south-eastern and eastern Malopolska (Fig. 5). This processalso took place in cities, to a lesser extent, where the decline in the number of children per school issignificantly higher as compared to the rural areas (Fig. 4). The number of closed schools would have been much higher if not for the actions of the local communities. They exploited the opportunity totake over schools through the establishment of associations and social organisations and, at the nextstage - to change the managing authority (Fig. 6). As a result, the location of schools changed considerably.Studies conducted in schools of the Miechow district indicate that the average commuting time from home to school equals 21 minutes, and is longest to schools in areas where at least twoinstitutions were closed (Fig. 7). Most students arrive at school by school bus - 60% of students. The participation of students in extracurricular activities is directly connected to the form of transport.Only 44% of students attended additional classes.