Relevent, locally-controlled educational programs play key roles in rural development in developing nations. Education has a desirable controlling influence over development of the rural individual, family, community, and society, leading to reduced poverty, income equity, and controlled unemployment. The failure of trickle-down development and recognition of the importance of rural areas and rural people to the economic emancipation of developing countries has given education a key role in rural systems of supply, production, marketing, personnel maintenance, education, health care, and governance. Functions of education include imparting social change, improving individual social position and standard of living, activating participation in rural and cultural development, increasing critical abilities of rural people to diagnose their needs, assert their rights, and take greater control of decisions affecting their lives, providing trained manpower in rural areas, linking rural and urban sectors, providing employment and income opportunities, increasing labor force productivity, and developing leadership. Education oriented to urban rather than rural needs may do more harm than good by accelerating rural to urban migration, generating youth unemployment, and leaving students ill-equipped to succeed in a rural environment. Education contributing to rural development must be locally controlled, practical, applied, problem-posing, and focused on functional specialization. (LFL)