The development of education in the rural areas in the post economic crisis period. Case Study: Argeș county, Romania

Education is the main pillar of any society, both worldwide and in Romania. The paper analyzes the evolution of the educational system in the rural areas from the county of Argeș during the crisis period and also after the financial crisis. The study has been based on statistical evidence data and also on the data provided by the Ministry of Regional Development, European Funds and Public Administration. The analysis has been applied on 95 communes, which form rural area in the county of Argeș. In addition to the educational variables, the study also took into account social and economic indicators in order to obtain a greater veracity over the analysis. In the methodological approach the article uses the principal components analysis and the hierarchical ascendant classification analysis, taking into consideration the year of 2010 and the year of 2016. The analysis points to the fact that the villages close to Pitesti stands out, as these are more developed. They are followed closely by the category represented by the villages with an aging population, from where the majority of the young workforce has emigrated. Another category is represented by the villages which have their economy based on the primary sector, and the last category is the one containing the villages with a disadvantaged ethnic population.