Problems and complexities in rural schools: Challenges of education and social development

One of the greatest challenges South Africa faces is rural poverty and education. Rural school principals face a number of challenges that are unique to their environment. These challenges stem from a number of sources, from within the school division structure from a community perspective, and from the school setting itself. After eighteen years of democracy, rural schooling has shown little improvement. Collectively the article illustrates the complexity, interconnectedness and intractability of the challenges that face rural schools and education in South Africa. The article explores the responses of school principals of rural schools in the Mpumalanga province and explores the responses of school principals of rural schools in the Mpumalanga province are especially in the Nelspruit and White River areas. The research is focused in grounded theory building, with the focus on the challenges and complexities of principals in the areas.