RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT: AN IMPERATIVE FOR CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL POLICIES

Abstract

Recognizing and supporting rural communities in educational management represents an act of social justice, as well as being a strategy to build more equitable, inclusive and resilient societies. This approach must be at the center of contemporary educational policies, ensuring that education is a driver of transformation and progress for all. This article analyzed the current state of research on rural policies in Colombia and its recognition of the fundamental role of rural communities in educational management. The methodology was oriented, from a systematic documentary review of studies and scientific articles carried out in the last decade (2014-2024), in three databases: Google Scholar, Redalyc and Dialnet, through this review we sought to analyze how these policies can be adapted to the sociocultural particularities of rural students. In this sense, it is considered that valuing the particularities of the local context can allow the design of inclusive and equitable curricula that favor the integral development of communities, since the recognition of the rural environment in education promotes relevant pedagogical practices, based on the cultural particularities of each region, thus contributing to overcoming the historical barriers of access and educational quality in these contexts. In addition, integrating rural communities in the construction of educational policies can strengthen school management, promoting an education adapted to local realities. This perspective seeks to guarantee quality academic training, promoting the integral development of these communities, from the recognition of local traditions as pillars of the educational process to advance towards more equitable and inclusive systems in rural areas of the Colombian geography.