Background: Government-funded knowledge brokering organisations (KBOs) are an increasingly prevalent yet under-researched area. Working in the space between knowledge and policy, yet framing themselves as different from think tanks and academic research centres, these organisations broker evidence into policy. Aims and objectives: This article…

Education is one of the major linchpins of economic, social and political development of any nation. Recent evidence suggests that higher education can produce both public and private benefits. Thus, the role of the state in making education policy, and funding education is indeed critical, and cannot be left to be determined by market forces…

This paper explores the making of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in South Africa, and asks how a policy that was intended to unite education and training, and build new forms of equality, failed to become hegemonic as the new state established itself. In so doing, it engages, and argues for, theoretical tools that help keep "the…

This case study discusses the use of public broadcasting technology for educational reconstruction and development based on experiences in South Africa. Highlights include an historical background of educational broadcasting in South Africa; policy frameworks; implementation strategies, including the government's role; and future strategic…

The goal of this booklet is to provide stakeholders in South Africa's early childhood development (ECD) system with information about the government's Reception Year Pilot Project and to help them understand ECD as part of a wider education and training policy. The booklet is divided into two sections. Section 1 describes the Reception Year Pilot…

Value for money as one of the principles of quality assurance in education has often been perceived and significantly misconstrued as placing emphasis on financial efficiency. This mechanistic view of "value for money" in South Africa has been given impetus by what Melck (2001) calls managerial practices and what Cele and Menon (2006)…

The "De Lange Report" (1981) is the third major report on education to appear in South Africa, is by far the most comprehensive and detailed in both stated and implied assertions, poses the educational problem as technicist/manpower questions, and should be seen as part of South Africa's total strategy policy. (BRR)

Analyzes political aspects of postapartheid educational transition in South Africa, 1990-93. Focuses on educational politics as a process of negotiating incremental reform, changes in educational objectives and strategies of key progressive organizations, the role of the state in civil society, and the relative importance of equality versus…

This theme issue is devoted to discussions of early childhood policy issues. "Creating a Shared Vision: How Policy Affects Early Childhood Care and Development" (Judith L. Evans) defines policy, discusses the motivation for changing or creating national policy and the process for changing such policies, and provides a sample design for…

In June 2001, the International Institute for Educational Planning convened a policy forum on the organization, functioning, and effectiveness of national ministries of education. This book presents eight key papers from that forum. The forum discussed how differences in organizational structures and mechanisms affect adjustability and…

This monograph contains 14 papers on the role of higher education in the developing world stimulated by discussion of that issue in "Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience" (World Bank, 1994). The first two papers offer background on the World Bank paper: "World Bank Traditions of Support to Higher Education and…

These papers come from a 2001 conference that explored language policy issues at the global, U.S. national, and California regional levels. There are 15 papers in five sections. Section 1, "National Language Policy," includes (1) "Language and Globalization: Why National Policies Matter" (Chester D. Haskell) and (2) "Real…