This Policy Brief describes and explains patterns of access to schooling in Bangladesh. It outlines types of educational provision and provides some basic statistics on access, vulnerability and exclusion, as well as insights into the characteristics of those denied access. It is based on findings from the "Country Analytic Review on Access…

This article explores the development of policy in quality assurance in higher education. While it briefly examines the broader context of quality assurance in South Africa in terms of the National Qualifications Framework as one of the political levers for establishing a quality assurance system in education and training systemically it focuses…

The six EFA goals help to shape policies and priorities especially in developing countries; they can be seen as discrete targets or as a cohesive collection of complimentary developmental areas to improve learning for people of all ages and stages. The paper argues that the cohesion, success and impact of the EFA would be improved enormously if…

Education has three main roles: it is developmental because it develops the unique qualities of a child; it differentiates between learners because it treats every child as an individual, appreciating individual differences; and it is integrative because it accommodates people of varying backgrounds (culture, beliefs and values) thereby allowing…

In many developing countries it is apparent that there are multifarious impediments associated with, and acting upon, educational development and the complexity of diverse socio-cultural landscapes. Indeed, numerous perspectives tend to be overlooked or possibly not even taken under consideration when it comes to the transmission of salient…

While its educational policy is still in a period of transition, China in 1983 is more politically moderate, with a longer projected educational program for the masses than at any time since 1949. It is providing more experiential and relevant curricula from preschool through the senior middle school, with increased facilities and financing. While…

A free and pluralistic society is maintained by constitutional guarantees and an educated populace. Nigeria, like other nations in West Africa, spent billions of dollars and embarked on a program of mass educational improvement in the 1960's and 1970's. While secondary school enrollment increased eleven times between 1962 and 1975, over half the…

Discusses a common educational problem in developing nations: how to balance public investment of the national education administration with the private investments of parents who send their children to school. Analyzes the development of national education in Papua New Guinea in terms of policy and relates them to experiences of three villages…

This issue gives information on the preparation of the fifth congress and the activities of the World Council and of various associations of comparative education. Included are minutes of organizing meetings, the theme of the congress (dependence and interdependence in education), and news from member societies. (SK)

The World Bank was one of the five convening agencies for the 1990 Education for All (EFA) Conference held in Jomtien (Thailand) and the Dakar (Netherlands) World Education Conference of 2000. World Bank lending for basic education in the five years following Jomtien increased 500% compared to the previous five years. Yet for all the increased…

Analyzes different social statements on Latin American education and how they are used to construct alliances favoring public education. Argues that the statements have the main role in creating educative policies and on the mobilization of personal and financial resources; and identity and society integration themes are permanent despite…

Traces the development of education in colonial societies and educational policies in postcolonial nations, showing trends toward greater inequalities. Concludes that curriculum should focus less on empirical/analytical and practical/social knowledge and more on critical emancipatory knowledge. (SK)

Argues that the present crisis of basic education for young people in Africa reveals problems that are more fundamental than enrollments, inputs, and costs. Maintains that non-conventional approaches to learning, associated with non-formal and distance education, have important but distinct contributions to make to the reform of mainstream…

It is 40 years since Coombs (1967) first drew attention to the World Education Crisis, and specifically problems in the educational systems of countries in the developing world. Today, many of these problems remain, and are most visible in the educational systems of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A large number of children remain out of school…

"Which school should I choose for my child?" For many parents, this question is one of the most important of their lives. "School choice" is a slogan being voiced around the globe, conjuring images of a marketplace with an abundance of educational options. Those promoting educational choice also promise equality, social…