This document contains ten working papers on educational alternatives, which were presented at a regional conference attended by 24 educational decisionmakers from eight Southeast Asian countries. The papers touch on such topics as the systems approach to alternatives, alternative objectives, the technology of education, alternative teaching…

Examines the role of elite groups in Zambia educational policymaking in the postindependence era, using three major attempts at educational reform as illustrations. Concludes that well-to-do groups have dominated educational policy decisions to preserve their own interests and have obtained gradual reforms in spite of offically declared radical…

Education, by any definition, is an intensely political matter. Key issues in educational planning that are closely related to premises and controversies fundamentally political in nature--e.g., resource allocation and utilization, international dependencies, bureaucracies--are discussed. (RM)

Institution-building is central to a country's self-sustaining growth because institutions provide an organizational infrastructure that can introduce improvements and innovations, sustain their momentum, and evaluate their results. Increasingly educational projects in developing nations have institution-building as an explicit objective. Key…

In comparison with the context in which reforms usually occur, the current vocational education and training (VET) reforms in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and New Independent States (NIS) have these two unusual aspects: breadth, range, and depth of VET reforms are extremely large; and the reform process is exceptionally rapid. The European…

This document reports the results of a comparative analysis of the current situation and future needs of teacher and trainer training in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Following an introductory section explaining the methodology of the study, the second section focuses on features common to teacher and trainer training in all Central…

Describes and analyzes a decade-long effort at administrative development by which the Colombian Ministry of Education struggled to bring order to a jumble of state educational systems that were functioning in a disorganized condition of semi-anarchy. Examines the historical organizational and administrative problems associated with the public…

Advances in information/computer technology have produced the mental revolution which may cause radical social changes. The world faces the choice of using computers as a liberating technology to free teachers and students for other pursuits or allowing computers to function as pacifying institutions where students become passive participants in…

Discusses three scientific traditions (positivist, interpretivist, and critical) as they inform methodological and strategic choices within a USAID-funded "Improving Educational Quality" project in Ghana, Guatemala, and Mali, examining various challenges researchers face when they engage in classroom anchored research in connection with…

The appropriateness of making qualitative change in the education of developing nations by applying Western innovations uncritically is discussed. It is argued that an appreciation of the complex educational context of the culture by educators in higher education, where such reform generally begins, is more likely to promote qualitative change.…

Author of an article on educating an industrialized middle class in Arab-Islamic countries responds to a critique by reemphasizing the need for a nonacademic technological institute to produce a middle class of highly qualified technicians. The article argues that vocational and technical education must be planned by the state. (SM)

Discusses social change and educational realities in South Africa, noting the relatively poor qualifications of black teachers. The paper also examines South African teacher training models and presents teacher training models suitable for developing countries. (SM)

Contends that the relationship between developed and developing nations' scholarship may be characterized as a type of ideological dependency. Discusses the different approaches to the use of sociological research and knowledge in developed and developing nations. (CFR)

These six chapters examine Thailand's efforts in the 1980s to improve the quality of primary (elementary) education. Thailand's experience in implementing improvement strategies within cost constraints may offer insights to other developing nations. Sample surveys, cost analyses, and case studies are the basis of research reported. (SLD)

Reports on a visit to Nepal to observe art education in rural and urban schools. Discusses art activities among rural families and in schools. Contends that art education is discouraged in urban or more modern school settings because of the influence of Western lifestyles. (CFR)