As it ensures leaders and public alike have clear operating parameters, policy formulation is an essential phase in any administration. Policies enacted within governments help provide justifications and processes for government actions. The government has the obligation to provide social welfare programs which improve the lives of its citizens. Social welfare policies are plans and activities that aim to change or improve the socio-economic situation. The laws, rules and regulations that improve the quality of life for community members are called social welfare policies.
People who live in rural areas are more likely to be poor than those living elsewhere. Therefore, social welfare programs should provide rural citizens with equal opportunities as urban residents. Effective policies are needed to address the problem of inequalities in educational access.
Understanding the problem
The most fundamental right citizens have is education. The development of education and schools is primarily dependent on the formulation and implementation of rural policies oriented on the needs of the people, which foster cohesiveness among rural communities and the delivery of public services (Trahar, Timmis, Lucas, & Naidoo, 2020). The quality and availability of rural education has been a problem. A study by the National Center for Educational Statistics revealed that there is more rural education in the United States (322,000) than there is in the urban area (14,000). However, there are fewer rural students enrolled in public school. Survey results showed that rural areas saw 24% enrollment, suburban areas 34%, and urban areas 29%. These numbers show a wide gap between the availability and quality of education resources, especially in rural areas (The Status of Rural Education, n.d.). This government should ensure it has policies in place that will effectively correct these gaps and increase the quality of rural people’s lives.