Study of the Distance Learning in the New Countryside Construction

Jiao Xiaosong1, Cao Yingqi2, Yao Jin’an1, JIAO Lili3, Gao Fei4

1) Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, P. R. China.sinokingsong@yahoo.co.uk 2) Hebei University, Baoding, 071000, P. R. China

3) Hebei University of Economics and Business, Shijiazhuang，050000，P. R. China 4) Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, 650221, P. R. China

Abstract—The human being is the key issue to the New Countryside Construction. The essence of the “Three Agricultural Problems” is the peasant problem. Developing education in order to cultivate the literate peasants is the way that must be followed. By the nature of its characteristics and advantages, the distance learning plays an important role in this construction process.

Keywords-distance learning; new countryside construction;Three Agriculture Problems; peasent

I. INTRODUCTION From a world perspective, the global development is

marked by contrasts. A few of the notable contrasts are prosperity against poverty, globalization against marginalization and knowledge against ignorance. The two reinforcing clusters are seen as prosperity, globalization and knowledge and poverty, marginalization and ignorance. Increasingly knowledge is considered to be essential to escape both poverty and social marginalization. The world has moved to a revolution which is based on knowledge, on technology and on information. If it is properly transferred, if it is made available to all, knowledge will give the greatest opportunity for people to advance and to progress in the fight against poverty. So, lots of countries direct their efforts particularly to improve education and learning among rural communities.

So does China. The difficult points for constructing a well-being society lie in the countryside areas. The conception of New Countryside Construction was brought up in the Suggestion on Making the 11th Five-year Plan in the 5th Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Party (hereinafter as Suggestion). Meanwhile, the development of distance learning was also clearly pointed out in the Suggestion.

The information and communication technology are important interfaces to transfer knowledge and technical expertise and living skills. There is no doubt that the distance learning will play an important role in constructing the new countryside.

II. THE NECESSITIES Great progress has been witnessed since 1978. But the

progress that rural areas have made is far less than that the urban areas achieved. Especially during the recent years, the

gap between the rural and urban areas is widening. The official data show that, the increasing income gap between urban and rural regions reached 3.33:1 in 2006, the rural areas account for 80% of the poverty-stricken population. The Three Agriculture Problems are prominent day by day. In the final analysis, the entire problem can attribute to the disparities of human quality between rural and urban areas.

The disparities are the differences reflected in the regional situation as a persistent lag in relevant learning among rural peasants. A major impediment among rural peasants to attain their full potential for productivity is the disparity in learning and education compared to their urban cohorts. This is partly due to insufficient allocations of resources such as funds, expertise and logistics to reach rural learners.

In a knowledge society, education is central to personal, organizational and national wellbeing. However, school education for all is still an unfulfilled global goal. But the distance learning implies the characteristics of flexibility, best economy and quick returns. So it is highly probable that by using the information and communication technology (ICT), distance learning could create equal opportunities to rural peasants in their access and use of technology for agricultural and rural development.

A. Solid Foundation • The distance learning will be the cornerstone for

promoting the quality of peasants. The principle force for constructing the new countryside is the mass of peasants. Without it, the prosperity and richness of rural areas can not be realized even if the best policy and many funds are offered. But it is a fact that a considerable part of peasants lack the basic cultural education and skill. The adjustment of agricultural structure and the process of wellbeing are restricted by this. However, the advantages of flexibility, vivacity, enjoyment, intensity of distance learning will make it a foundation for forming a new type of peasants who are enabled to construct a new countryside.

• Distance learning provides the peasants a main channel for improving their qualities as a whole. The progress of constructing the new countryside is marked by the aggravating conflicts between the lack of educational resources and ever growing

2009 First International Workshop on Education Technology and Computer Science

978-0-7695-3557-9/09 $25.00 © 2009 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ETCS.2009.616

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2009 First International Workshop on Education Technology and Computer Science

978-0-7695-3557-9/09 $25.00 © 2009 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ETCS.2009.616

395

2009 First International Workshop on Education Technology and Computer Science

978-0-7695-3557-9/09 $25.00 © 2009 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ETCS.2009.616

395

demand for education which leads to the peasants’ poor skills and backward knowledge. The implementation of distance learning can unfold the work of special training. This is the main channel to improve the peasants’ scientific quality.

• Distance learning not only provides information for the peasants but also broadens their vision as well.

B. Platform Firstly, the Information Highway could be built through

the platform of distance learning which can collect, manage and distribute the information, analyses and predictions of agricultural products. This will promote the economic development of rural areas. Secondly, through the platform of distance learning, the bad concept of peasants could be eliminated. Thirdly, through the platform of distance learning, the personal ability of peasants could be improved. This will raise the consciousness of self-management of peasants and guide them to join the political construction of democracy of grass roots units.

C. Safeguard The most urgent and essential task is to make more and

more literate peasants to be the mainstay in constructing a new countryside. To a certain degree, the academic quality, skill, ability and level of ideological moral are the key factors to the success of the New Countryside Construction. The “conventional peasants” can not be converted to “modern peasants” until the overall quality has improved.

III. THE DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS

A. The Quality of People Concerning the Field of Agriculture Is Still Very Low At the present time, the quality of people in rural areas is

improving slowly. But the illiterates and semi-literates still amount to a considerable quantity. The demand for high level talents of the rural areas and the demand for the distance learning of the peasants can not be met at such situation.

B. The Fund Problem Resistricts the Development Distance learning demands huge funds to support the

construction of a resource and service system. The network, communication channel and the teaching software need lots of money to keep them running. The survey result releases that, the funds coming from the governments of all levels contribute to only a small portion of the whole, the main part of the funds is coming from the payments from students. On the other hand, the allocation of the funds is concentrated on the hardware and construction but pays less attention to the software, which limits the use of the funds.

C. The Simplistic Content Makes It Less Effective to Serve the Construction The distance learning for the countryside should have

manifold functions. The economics, politics, technology,

culture and others are included. But the learners in rural areas require the real utility and immediate effectiveness after they got the content. However the content provided for the countryside has the following problems:

• Limited pertinence and poor practicability of the insufficient contents can not solve the practical problems that peasants meet.

• The aims are directed more at theories and distract from reality.

• The obsolescence of contents can not be explained in a simple way.

All these problems exist in the current situation and they will limit the peasants’ enthusiasm for learning new knowledge.

D. The Backward Supporting Facilities Can Not Meet the Demand The advantage of distance learning is that the peasant can

learn the content he likes and needs without going out to the village, without missing the farming seasons. All these goals are realized by means of using the network, computer technology, broadcasting, multimedia, etc. But the facilities available today can not match the demand. The cost of devices is still the threshold to launch the Distance Learning.

E. No Sound Supporting Service Mechanism in Distance Learning Supporting service mechanism is the key factor to the

quality of distance learning. But because of the restriction of faculty shortage and backward infrastructure, the distance learning can not meet the demand individually.

IV. THE COUNTER MEASURES

A. Increasing Government Financil Support to Guarantee the Safeguard System Sustained financial support is the key factor to ensure an

escalating development of countryside distance learning. The investment coming from the central and provincial government should be increased. The expense for maintenance, management, staff training and variable cost should be taken into consideration at the stage of design and planning in order to sustain a smooth running in the future. All levels of governments should combine Distance Learning together with agricultural industry and countryside employment in order to help distress areas lift poverty and get rich.

B. Constructing the Networks The teaching resources for countryside should be

integrated by the administrative department. Based on exerting itself advantages, the distance learning should reinforce the contacts and cooperation with the colleges and universities, scientific research institutions and the administrative departments of all levels. The multi-layered, multi-patterned and multi-formed teachings and trainings can meet the demand of constructing a new countryside.

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C. Strengthing Research Intensity The countryside distance learning is a subject that

deserved further research. The following issues should be addressed at the moment:

• Creative thinking in research methods.

• Corporation and integration in research resources.

• Supporting policy in research measures.

• Improving quality in research ability.

The theory research should be combined with the local practice of school-running mechanism, teaching pattern, management mechanism, etc.

D. Implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development and Optimizing Service Environments The coordinating planning for the distance learning

should be reinforced and the policy of countryside distance learning should be weighted in order to make the remarkable advantages and great functions known better to all.

E. Improving Technology Level of Staff in the Countryside Staff is the most important factors in fulfilling the goals

of countryside distance learning. Because of the low quality

of teachers in rural areas, they should also be trained. Pertinence, practicality and effectiveness should be focused during the training. A sound feedback mechanism should also be built which can provide guidance and service to the staff during their daily teaching practice.

REFERENCES [1] FAO, “Expert Consultation on Distance Learning Resources for Rural

Women”, Bangkok. Thailand, October, 2001, [2] Mussaret Anwar Sheikh,"Rural women and Distance

Learning",Pakistan Journal of Education(V. XXII(I), pp.76-85 [3] Aluwihare-Samaranayake, D. S. De Silva, C. S. Coomaraswamy,

“Distance Learning Resources for Rural Women and Girls in Sri Lanka: A Case Study,” May, 2004 , pp.5-10

[4] PENG Kunming, Zhou Wei, “New Mission of Distance Education for Serving for Agriculture, Rural and Peasants”, Vol. 8, Practice and probe, 2005, pp.49-50

[5] DAI Xiaopeng, YU Fei, HUANG Huang, ZHANG Linfeng, “Distant Education System Research in Field of Village Information Service”, Computer Research, Vol.12, 2006, pp284-286

[6] ZHANG Sanyuan, “Constructing New Countryside under the Socialism: An Important Pivot in the Course of Developing Modern Long-Distance Education”, Journal of HuBei TV University,Vol.2, 2007,pp.9-10

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