Descriptors of the socio-cultural assessment of rural areas and the activities of the Presidential Grants Fund for the development of the socio-cultural space of rural areas

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the problem of the formation of a socio-cultural environment in rural areas with the direct participation of rural schools and non-profit organizations (NGOs) in this process. The current situation of education in rural areas is assessed using traditional methods of assessing educational organizations and, accordingly, the approaches applied to the education system in rural areas lead to the need to develop certain areas of rural school activity and socio-economic components of life and activity of the settlement, that is, rural and rural school development programs are implemented on the basis of traditional assessment. In this regard, in the new socio-economic and political conditions of the development of education and the socio-economic sector in rural areas, there is a need to understand the current requirements for the education system in rural areas of Russia and consider existing support measures from NGOs. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the need for the use of socio-cultural assessment of educationMaterials and Methods. The main method of research is a content and contextual continuous analysis of the text of the works submitted to the contest "My little Homeland" in the nomination "Village of my dreams – village of the future" and applications of the winners of the Presidential Grants Fund competition in the grant direction "Support of projects in the field of science, education, enlightenment" using the method of socio-cultural assessment of educational organizations, developed and published by us earlier.Results. Descriptors have been identified, the implementation of which will contribute to raising the level of criteria for the socio-cultural expediency of an educational institution in rural areas and, as a result, contribute to the formation of the necessary socio-cultural situation in rural areas. Working with descriptors will allow leveling or will contribute to improving the current socio-cultural and economic situation in rural areas of Russia. The analysis of the activities of the Presidential Grants Fund in the grant direction "Support of projects in the field of science, education, enlightenment" according to the results of the beginning of 2023 is made.Discussion and Conclusions. The conducted research proved the operability of descriptors and criteria of socio-cultural assessment to identify the needs of educational organizations and residents in rural areas of Russia. In the course of the study, it was found that the current activities of the Presidential Grants Fund through the activities of NGOs contribute to the support of projects in the field of science, education, and enlightenment in rural areas of Russia to a small extent. This study may be useful to federal, regional and local government bodies, including education, for monitoring the current situation in rural areas of Russia and making appropriate administrative decisions.