"Doublespeak," a concept usually attributed to author George Orwell, in which deliberately ambiguous or evasive language is used to disguise or distort actual meaning, is alive and well in the Government's latest policy for adult learning, according to the writer, as exemplified by recommendations of the Leitch report and demand-led…

Distance education has become an important policy option for educational planners in developing countries. In the context of Nigeria, increasing population, growing national demand for education, dwindling financial resources, increasing fiscal constraints, and therefore narrowing of access to education led to the emergence of Open University in…

Critics of the community college are justified in challenging unsubstantiated statements about the institution by college spokespersons or in public relations releases disguised as institutional analyses. During the 1960's, for example, increasing enrollments were often cited as evidence of public support for community colleges--without reference…

Literature on access to education in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is reviewed. Policymakers face the choices and issues raised by limited economic resources. Variables are identified that educational policymakers can manipulate to achieve desired outcomes in access and retention levels. The determinants and contextual conditions that support or…

There has always been a tension in any form of democracy between the public good, majoritarian consensus, and the rights of minority groups and individuals. Some proponents of educational voucher plans suggest that putting more control in the hands of individuals through a laissez faire educational system will be in the public interest. John Coons…

A fantasy of the future is described, when the gains go not to the most qualified but to the most affluent, when college admissions seek to match supply with demand. The "product" higher education wishes to produce and the objectives of the admissions process are considered. (MLW)

The article explores ways of identifying and measuring inequality of access to higher education in Nigeria, explains the identified pattern of inequality (university development and, therefore, access is concentrated in Southern Nigeria), and offers suggestions on effective ways of reducing the observed inequality. (DB)

Realizing the goals of higher and continuing education calls for applying consumer research to university marketing techniques. Several higher education publics have been identified, and the idea of consuming publics can be subdivided into internal and external consumers, with the student viewed as the educational product. Internal consumers…

To meet the national demand for access to higher education, Australia's system must become more market centered and customer driven. Smaller, regional universities have advantages that allow them to be more competitive than others. By identifying and building on their strengths, they can have an important role. (MSE)

While all professional fields, taken for granted in a developed society, are underpopulated in underdeveloped American Indian communities, there is a widespread negative attitude toward academic professionals among Indian leaders today. The attitude may reflect a national and, perhaps, a world trend in increasingly technological and conservative…

The current discourse about access can be changed by using three adjectives: old, wide, and deep. Regarding the first, since the 1870s, when the professionalization and specialization of knowledge took off in so many fields, inequalities in education have actually increased where it matters most--who knows how much of what is available to be…

This paper addresses issues generated by the British government's decision to abolish the binary division between university institutions of higher education and other postsecondary institutions. Sectoralization of British higher education in a post-binary system has created some problematics, two of which appear especially noteworthy: (1) student…

The issue of discrimination against Asian-Americans in higher education is discussed. The focus is on: whether certain of the country's most prestigious universities discriminate against Asian-American applicants; why this occurs; and what university officials, executive branch administrators, and members of Congress can do about it. Suspicions…

The 11 papers in this collection focus on isolation in education, with emphasis on problems associated with geographical remoteness, and with socio-cultural barriers also giving rise to isolation. Five papers concentrate on distance education and possible measures which can be used in social and educational processes to deal with isolation;…

Observing that in affluent societies, education loses its primary significance as an economic investment and increasingly assumes the nature of a private consumer good, the author discusses problems this poses for educational policy development which, in the Federal Republic of Germany, is characterized by conflict between egalitarian and…