Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific are undergoing a critical period in rural development. As part of a plan for integrated rural development, education has shifted its priorities to equalizing access to educational opportunities and improving quality of instruction. Representatives from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal,…

Education is an economically and socially productive investment. Therefore, the educational systems in developing countries must continue to improve in quality, in efficiency, and in equality of opportunity if they are to continue serving as important instruments for improving the national economy. Yet, budgetary austerity tightens the public…

Described are past and present changes in the preparation of kindergarten teachers in China, where kindergarten attendance is not compulsory and kindergarten programs are not universally available. Discussion focuses on (1) historical developments in, and current status of, Chinese kindergartens; (2) preparation of early childhood personnel,…

Twelve papers were presented at a 1980 International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) workshop on the generalization of educational innovations from the local to the national level. Six of these papers are published in this report, along with a substantial bibliography and an introductory chapter summarizing the papers and describing the…

A survey of educational trends at the elementary and secondary school level in countries throughout the world is summarized. Information was obtained from questionnaires sent to 30 pedagogic research organizations and from UNESCO reports and publications. The introduction discusses the universality of campaigns against illiteracy, expansion of…

The educational systems in Asian countries must undergo considerable change if these countries are to deal successfully with the pressures of modernization and foster sustained national development. At the crux of this change must be a reassessment and renovation of teacher education. The first priority must be self-evaluation. Three areas require…

Problems encountered by teachers in Lesotho in implementing the 1981 elementary social studies program were investigated. Twenty randomly selected urban and rural schools participated in the study. Twenty-four teachers and 10 parents answered questionnaires and the chairman of the National Panel for Social Studies was interviewed. Findings…

A preliminary study of the teacher training process in Jamaica used statistics, historical documentations, and a questionnaire survey to address four topics: (1) the future contributions of the Jamaican system of teacher training to the economic welfare of the country; (2) adapting present teacher education programs to the needs of teachers who…

This paper, one of a series of Unesco technical information reports, looks at the educational decision makers in developing nations and examines their access to and use of information and research results. Written in English and in French, the paper consists of five parts. Part one discusses problems encountered by educational policy-makers and…

Experience-based learning has been evident in the Chinese educational system since the 1930s. Following the Long March in 1934-35, the Chinese Communists introduced a nonformal, experience-based educational system in North Shensi province. This system included drama groups in the countryside to educate peasants, classes in factories, and…

Five chapters address various issues in nutrition education curricula: national development, nutrition, and the role of education; roots of nutritional behavior and program planning; curriculum design and the planning process; problems and prospects of educational change; and community and educational support for school nutrition programs. Chapter…

This annotated bibliography is a compilation of selected materials that illustrate recent thinking about theory and practice in nonformal education in both developing and developed countries. The work is designed to enable professionals and nonspecialist educators to define the field, carry out research, and design strategies for maximizing…

The International Education Year objective to promote a period of reflection, experimentation and reform in the thought and practice of education is met in this commentary on democratization of secondary and higher education. An analysis of the myths and realities of equal educational opportunity precedes discussion of the kinds of redirection…

Six individual articles describe the Indonesian distance education satellite system; technology's impact on education in China; computers in public education in Hungary; utilization of educational television in Niger, the Ivory Coast, and Senegal (written in French); the Japanese University of the Air; and educational technology in the Arab world.…

This document describes the proposed 2003 activities of the European Training Foundation (ETF) to support vocational education and training reform in non-European Union (EU) countries in the context of the EU's external relations program. The activities listed cover these four main groups of countries across three continents: the Mediterranean…