International Journal of Education for Social Justice, 2020, 9(3e), School Closings in Vulnerable Contexts from the Counsellors' Point of View: Impact in Rural Areas

Just like other fields, educational system is being modified as a result of Covid-19. One of the most outstanding measures is the fact that classroom activity has stopped and it has been replaced by distance learning, which may cause a great impact on vulnerable areas such as rural schools and attention to diversity in the so-called emptied Spain. This research aims at describing and understanding how school counsellors in rural areas perceive the impact on teaching-learning processes because of the Covid-19 health situation. To this end, interviews were performed as a gathering information technique for both understanding and giving a voice to counsellors belonging to Centros Rurales Agrupados de la Provincia de Guadalajara (Grouped Rural Centres in province of Guadalajara), in order to further study the changes in these rural schools. The main results pointed out that, despite a certain virtualization has been done, many barriers still isolated the rural areas from the large urban areas, once again being rural areas the most badly affected and resource-constrained. In this regard, specific proposals must be made for this area for ensuring quality education for everyone.