The Relationship Between Education and Development in Remote Areas: The Case of Wadi Araba

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to explore the relationship between education and development in the Wadi Araba region. Several sub-objectives branched out from this main goal, including: understanding the role of the education sector in bringing about changes in students, comparing the role of military culture schools with that of Ministry of Education schools, and identifying the changes in students across various educational, psychological, and social domains.

Methods: The study adopted a social survey method, using a questionnaire as a tool to collect data from a sample of 222 students, representing 16% of the study population. Simple statistical methods, such as frequencies and percentages, were used to analyze the data.

Results: The study found a clear role for the education sector in effecting changes in students, with military culture schools having a greater positive impact compared to Ministry of Education schools. However, the changes in the educational domain were slow and require more time to become tangible. The study also revealed significant psychological and social changes among students, especially among female high school students. Nevertheless, the results indicated a lack of family involvement in their children's education, which is one of the main obstacles to the desired change in the education sector.

Conclusions: The study recommended converting Ministry of Education schools in the region into military culture schools, in addition to improving collaboration between families and teachers to support the educational process. It also emphasized the need to strengthen the role of education in achieving sustainable development in the region.