This commentary discusses three articles (Jukes et al., 2017, McCoy et al., 2017, and Aber et al., 2017), which respectively focus on Kenya, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They all cite poor educational outcomes as a key motivation for developing and implementing new programs, and all three articles provide helpful evidence…

Quality in primary education is currently high on the education agenda in developing countries. What is quality? How can we effectively measure it? How can we achieve it? How can we improve it? The author considers two suggestions to be critical to answering these above questions and engages with them in this article: (1) place what is happening…

Children in a rural preschool in China were observed while they participated in group learning activities. Although many aspects of the preschool program did not meet standards used in developed countries, the ability of the teacher to plan and conduct large group activities was admirable, and the children displayed many positive behaviors. (BG)

This paper (1) defines "quality education"; (2) examines choices for improving primary education in developing countries; (3) describes the processes of change and decision making; (4) identifies the historical, economic, political, and social contexts within which these decisions are made; and (5) proposes ways to improve educational decision…

States that despite spending massive amounts of money to expand their educational systems, poor countries have witnessed a 4-decade decline in their medium economic growth rates from 3 percent in the 1960s to zero percent in the 1990s. Offers several reasons for the decline, such as variations in the quality of education and low labor…

Offers four brief stories about teachers and teaching in Africa and the Caribbean. Points out that being interested in reading around the world and, in particular, in Third World countries has helped the author and many other people. (SR)

Argues that economic constraints for educational planners and the political/ideological context in which educational decisions are made have changed despite the demand for educational expansion with reduced spending. Suggests development of new strategies to increase public spending and improve educational quality. (Author/TRS)

When distance education is provided to developing regions, reports of the effects on culture and local educators should be mandatory. The growth of postsecondary education and the declining standards of basic education in the Pacific region are considered in relation to aid assistance and education policies. The advantages and disadvantages of aid…

Discusses quality assurance and evaluation at institutions of higher education in Africa. Notes driving forces behind this trend, including declining financial resources; accountability to stakeholders; and massification, internationalization, and globalization of education. Notes establishment by many institutions of internal and external quality…

Argues that the positive impact of the Universal Primary Education scheme in Nigeria was that more people went to school, and greater numbers of them are able to read and write and seem better informed, but it also has resulted in a reduced standard of learning. Scheme planners failed to appreciate the importance of the availability of enough…

Addresses the involvement of international interest groups in defining and determining educational quality in developing countries, suggesting that global measures of quality damage the educational systems of developing countries by creating feelings of isolation and inferiority. Suggests alternative measures which meet global standards and may be…

The role of the political class in the debate on how to improve education in the Sahelian countries is examined in this monograph. Although cultural backwardness and faulty inquiry impede educational quality, the major problem is the absence of political forms through which all people can participate in educational reform. A review of the…

This report presents policy options for improving the effectiveness of schools in developing nations. Taking into account various conditions and experiences of third world countries, the text focuses on problems common to most developing countries and presents an array of low-cost policy alternatives that have proved useful in a variety of…

Academic research and publishing, particularly at the higher education level, are activities that do not only complement effective teaching but are also sine-qua-non for the achievement of academic excellence. However, due to myriad of factors, many academics in Tertiary Institutions have a myopic belief that universities are meant, essentially…

The development of a higher education system in India based on three imported models is outlined. Problems arising from application of the "MIT model" of technological institutes are discussed specifically, including isolation of the elite from reality, mediocrity, and irrelevance of curriculum and system. (MSE)