African university research is rarely used by policy-makers in the development planning process because there is mutual suspicion between the university and government, there is a dichotomy between university-based researchers and the rural populations intended as the beneficiaries of development, and research is seriously underfunded. (Author/MSE)

Examines the past and present state of school libraries in Namibia, with an overview of the effect of apartheid on education; and discusses present and future needs for training and equipping of libraries. Statistics, provided in seven figures, show the uneven distribution of materials to schools. (Author/AEF)

Examines development indicators from 1960 to 1984 for 38 sub-Saharan African countries to determine whether education is an independent factor in development. Concludes that development indicators are determined by factors including basic education; urbanization; pupil-teacher ratio; standard of living; economic growth; service sector; food…

Literature reviews and a study conducted in Malawi suggest that poor performance in science among students in developing African countries is caused by the absence of vocational incentives rather than by evidence of a conflict between traditional beliefs and science. Explains that science-performance improvement for students in developing…

Rates of primary enrollment, female primary enrollment, private school enrollment, and literacy during 1960-92 were analyzed for 39 sub-Saharan African countries. Throughout the period, strongly Christian countries had higher enrollment and literacy rates than strongly Islamic countries, regardless of economic level, type of state, or colonial…

This article is based on a broad study commissioned by Sida (Swedish International Development Agency) on the status and current trends in adult basic education in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The study included a review of relevant documentation in several languages, an electronic survey with key respondents throughout the…

African higher education, at the beginning of the new millennium, faces unprecedented challenges. Not only is the demand for access unstoppable, especially in the context of Africa's traditionally low postsecondary attendance levels, but higher education is recognized as a key force for modernization and development. Africa's academic institutions…

International commitment to the human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic has grown rapidly in recent years, stimulated by the leadership of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and its cosponsors and supported by a range of new mechanisms. These include the World Bank's Multi-Country…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…

One in a series of studies of lifelong learning, this paper discusses the cultural and educational needs of selected urban and rural communities in Senegal and Ghana, emphasizing grassroots initiative and the community's analysis of its own needs. Information is drawn in part from surveys, public meetings, and interviews in three communities:…

Distance education and information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been marketed as cost-effective ways to rescue struggling educational institutions in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study uses classroom video analysis and follow-up interviews with teachers, students, and local tutors to analyse…

The report provides an annual report and financial review for 1994 of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, a private institution that was created for broad humanitarian purposes in 1949, and shows the varied aspects of the foundation's activities in the project field. In addition, it includes a number of feature articles which highlight specific…

This study reports on the extent to which project designs of World Bank-supported primary education projects in Sub-Saharan Africa take into account the school characteristics that are necessary for effective education. Using a conceptual framework that summarizes research findings on the characteristics of effective schools, the report presents…

This collection of 15 essays provides a state of the art report on research activities in higher education since the early 1980s. It includes: (1) "Research on Higher Education: Global Perspectives" (Philip G. Altbach); (2) "Research on Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa" (Corbin Michel Guedegbe); (3) "Research on…

This booklet addresses issues concerning community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services for people with mental handicaps, especially in Africa. The first section explains CBR services, with subsections on overcoming exclusion, a definition, normalization and community participation, family participation, CBR and mental handicap projects in Africa,…