Discusses the feasibility of educational development in a disadvantaged area of Sri Lanka, considering expectations which are unreasonably high. Concludes that ambitious goals should be operationalized at a practical level. Recommends using the human resources of eager children, supportive parents, and dedicated educators to improve education. (KS)

Reports a case study of the village of Illukwewa, Sri Lanka, which examined traditional technologies, life skills and the feasibility of implementing formal learning programs based on these methods. Makes recommendations on focusing the learning process toward formal education. (KO)

Suggests that "relevance education"--vocational agricultural education designed for rural communities in developing nations--has failed not only because rural parents hope their children will advance in employment, but also because parents value education for its own sake. Reviews the literature and a Sri Lankan study. Contains 27…

This paper examines the notion of reciprocal school-community development in Third World countries. Information on village schools in Sri Lanka and Senegal were gathered from interviews and observation. Tanzania is an example of a country that took radical steps to integrate schools within their respective communities in order to foster rural…

Multidisciplinary training in social competence is of vital importance for service-oriented workers who have direct linkage with baseline citizens. Extension workers should be aware of the nature and characteristics of social science tools and be able to apply them in their daily activities. The following six competencies have been identified as…

This book identifies the problems confronting formal education in a disadvantaged rural area of Sri Lanka. The book is organized in three parts. Part One provides the frame of reference and general background for the research. The first chapter outlines the existing theories on the role of education in developing countries and presents the…

The primary objective of the workshop was to provide opportunity for participating Member States (Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Iran) to develop technical cooperation among themselves through exchange of experiences of their key personnel in the field of education for rural development. Presented in this report are:…

This study evaluates the effects of a family development project implemented in Uyanwatta, a poor rural village in Kandy district, Sri Lanka, on the academic achievement of at-risk elementary school students. Specifically, the study examined the level of mother's involvement in enriching the family environment and its impact on children's academic…

Delineates the need to make rural education more relevant to rural students in developing nations, stressing limitations in traditional Western approaches. Advocates rural pedagogy that encourages lifelong learning and develops community resources. Provides a case study of a rural pedagogy program in Sri Lanka. (CH)