Challenges of Rural Youth to Pursue Higher Education: A Study in Kuchimpudi Village of Eluru District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Education is an important tool for the growth and development of both the nation and the society. More specifically higher education plays a crucial role in the development and transformation of society and as well as the nation as a whole. Accessing higher education in rural areas is little bit difficult if compare with the urban areas. Rural students face many challenges for getting higher education which may include lack of transportation, lack of awareness, non-availability of higher education institutions in the rural areas and poverty. Sometimes they may not get proper guidance and mentorship. This article emphasizes the major challenges faced by rural youth in accessing higher education in Kuchimpudi Village of Eluru District. The study was conducted with 147 rural youth who pursuing higher education and also looking to join in for their higher education from Kuchimpudi Village of Eluru District of Andhra Pradesh. The study found that 18.5 of the respondents dropped their studies due to a lack of awareness, backlogs in the previous classes, poverty and due to marriage. The major challenges faced by the rural youth to access higher education are financial challenges (72.8%), difficulty in getting loans or scholarships (65.3%), lack of good higher education institutes in the nearby area (66.7%), difficulty or expensive transportation to college (57.8%), accommodation problems in cities (61.2%), difficulty adapting to a new educational environment (47.6%), lack of resources (53.7%) and lack of quality education (47.6%), difficulty in balancing studies with family responsibilities (55.1%), lack of social support networks (44.9%), family expectations and pressures (51.7%), facing language barriers (99.3%) (learning English and Hindi is a challenge), caste/gender discriminations (51.7%), and lack of awareness about higher education opportunities (39.5%). The needs of rural youth are educational resources (94.6%), guidance and mentorship (81%), financial support (50.3%), and Transportation and Accommodation by 17.7%. There is a lot of scope social work and rural development professionals in this sector. The study suggested that more focused interventions to improve higher education in rural areas are required. The government and NGOs should educate the rural youth to complete their higher education. The rural youth also should be committed towards their higher education.