Despoblación escolar en zonas rurales del Ecuador de la Provincia de Sucumbíos: Análisis de la disminución de la matrícula escolar en Sucumbíos (2011-2023)

Abstract

Abstract: The present research analyzes school depopulation in rural areas of Ecuador between 2011 and 2023, a process that has profoundly transformed the social, economic, and educational dynamics of numerous communities by revealing the sustained decrease in students within the formal education system. The study explores how factors such as migration to urban areas, lack of economic opportunities, infrastructure limitations, reduction of public services, and the perception of better living conditions in other territories directly influence school attendance and continuity. Based on a descriptive and analytical approach supported by official data, institutional records, and a rigorous review of specialized literature, it was found that the decline in enrollment does not respond to a single cause but rather to a complex combination of structural, territorial, and family conditions that shape rural households educational decisions. The results highlight the need to design differentiated educational policies, intersectoral strategies, and sustainable actions that recognize the particularities of each territory, with the purpose of strengthening school continuity and contributing to the integral development of Ecuador s rural areas.