EN
The objective of this study was to analyse difficulties and barriers where access to education for young people of the rural areas of Zamość region was concerned. A survey conducted to this end with students of the Agricultural Academy in Zamość not only revealed social inequalities in access to education, but also emphasised that these were deepening. A division of the barriers presented into those of an indirect or direct nature was then made. While the former were taken to exist independently of a student's will, or of the encouragement of his/her family, the latter depend on the learner and his or her close environment. In the view of the students surveyed, the most important indirect barrier is consti-tuted by the weak socio-economic growth and insufficient educational development in the Zamość region. Among the direct barriers, in turn, the most crucial to emerge concerns the difficult financial situation of the learner and the barrier of insufficient skills gained. Taken together, the difficulties and barriers reported in the survey were the reason for 55% of students to consider access to education difficult and for 30% of them to consider it insufficient. There were 14% of students who regarded access to education a satisfactory. Fortunately, nobody stated that access to study was impossible. The survey attested to the reinforcement of negative phenomena during Poland's transformation period that is leading to an intensification of many educational barriers in the rural parts of Zamość region. There is also a diversity of levels of access to education even within rural society. If there is hope, it lies in the fact that rural young people are coming to differ less and less from their urban contemporaries when it comes to expectations and dreams as regards education. If this potential is to be taken advantage of and educated people kept in rural areas, then effective action is required from local authorities, as well as further help for Zamość region from the centre.