This report describes a British local government's role in the provision of schooling. It identifies the benefits and limitations of that involvement, and draws out the implications for South Africa. The document focuses on the Birmingham City Council, its committees, departments, and services, and their current role in the city's schools. It is…

Describes the outcomes of a pilot project which was designed to predate an expanded Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) literacy development program in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Discusses lessons learned from this pilot program. Highlights the value of pilot programs in general. (PM)

Addresses the poor functioning of the previously black schools in South Africa spawned by apartheid that is commonly termed as 'the breakdown of the culture of teaching and learning.' Analyzes the schools' organization in order to understand why 'the breakdown' and explores interventions to remedy it. (CMK)

This paper aims to provide surveillance information about the extent and consequences of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use by adolescents for three sentinel sites in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng province). From 1997 to 2001, data were gathered from multiple sources, including specialist treatment centres, trauma units, school…

Observations of the relationship between South Africa's universities and adult literacy are offered by a British Council consultant after a visit to South Africa. The purpose was to help university lecturers design and develop an adult literacy course and to give seminars to local literacy groups. Impressions are described on the state of…

In the 1980s, the Border Early Learning Center (BELC) was established to provide support and training for preschools and communities in South Africa. This report describes the rationale and process of an evaluation of preschools associated with the BELC. (The data and conclusions of the evaluation are not included in this report.) A questionnaire…

Discusses the need for a differentiated college system to redress educational disparities in South Africa and to enhance equitable access to postsecondary education within a reasonable budget. Considers adequate primary and secondary education the long-term solution, but sees the development of community colleges from existing educational…

This book contains 15 chapters, some of which are based on papers presented at an international workshop in Africa that brought together a diverse group of participants who shared a commitment to adult education for social transformation. The papers are organized in six sections. Following the first section, "A Transformative Political…

This document contains selected papers and findings of a conference that was held at South Africa's University of the Western Cape to discuss strategies to organize for democracy in the Western Cape. Presented in section 1 are the opening remarks of Bulelani Ncguka, Jakes Gerwel, Shirley Walters and the following papers: "South Africa from…

The curriculum of the Life Orientation (LO) learning area forms an excellent basis for equipping learners to respond positively to social demands, assume responsibilities, and optimise their life chances. I report on a qualitative study that focused on the extent to which schools and LO teachers succeeded in achieving the outcomes of the…

Seventeen people from various parts of South Africa gathered at the Workshop for Gender Trainers to enhance their training and to focus on the gender and development approach. Sessions 1-2 on the second day dealt with gender training nightmares. During session 3, participants discussed what could have been done either to avoid the problems that…

The community college model was developed in response to the inability of universities to meet economic needs and the demand for higher education. Configurations of this model include multipurpose institutions, combing academic, pre-university, technical, remedial, and continuing education; specialized orientations, offering 2 to 3 years of…

We describe the evolving learning design of a computer-based exercise called "Director's Cut" that challenges students to create their own video sequence from a set of clips we provide. The context is a film theory course where the community of educators have been interested in introducing practical exercises so students can, for…

This report examines the current state of community colleges in South Africa. A pilot study was designed to assess the state of thinking, practice, partnership, possibilities, programming, restructuring, and needs with regards to South African community colleges. Preliminary findings suggest that, where community colleges do exist, there is a…

Each issue in the 2001 edition of the Australian Transcultural Mental Health Network (ATMHN) newsletter represents a theme critical to mental health practitioners. The Spring/Summer 2001 issue features articles on building communities of support for refugees, providing support to these families in cultural transitions, and studying depression…