In most parts of the world today, the goal of providing all children with free and Universal Primary Education (UPE) has received broad national and international support and some educational systems have evolved from predominantly "fee-charging" towards "fee-free" status in recent times. In Ghana, for example, the endorsement…

This article deals with the politics of aid partnerships in the education sector of Benin following an anthropological policy research approach based on empirical data. I present local debates on primary education and the New Study Programmes, the latest education reform introduced nationwide in 1999. The different perceptions of the reform…

In 1983, after over 10 years of working on mathematics education reform in the Philippines, I wrote a paper for a Tokyo conference arguing that education reform in developing countries such as the Philippines should begin by working on macro-problems, namely the social, political, and economic environment of the schools, as a context for the…

The study examined variations in district performance in KCPE national examination in Kenya between 2001 and 2007. The individual change model revealed that district poverty rate was not a significant predictor of either the initial district performance (2001) or the rate of change over the seven-year period. The regional context of North Eastern…

Over the last decade, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has pursued educational reform in elementary teacher education. Because elementary teachers and teacher education are central to the reform agenda, there is a need to gain empirical evidence about how PNG teacher trainers' understandings about learning and teaching impact on their practice. The study…

In the early 1990s, large numbers of children in India remained out of school. International commitments to achieve education for all (EFA) globally meant that India was an important case for donors. India was pressed to accept aid for primary education, and agreed with some reluctance. Although subsequent donor involvement was substantial and…

The Radio Mathematics Project is being undertaken in Masaya, Nicaragua, to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of radio as the medium of instruction for primary school mathematics in the developing nations. The curriculum is based upon a series of segments, each of which contains several conceptual or topical strands. Thus, for example, one…

This study examines the functions and methods of Pakistan's primary school inspectorate as they relate to instructional improvement and suggests practical changes in the inspectorate's staffing, operation, recruitment, and training practices where appropriate. Most of the data for the study were gathered by a UNESCO consultant during a study tour…

This study considers the ways in which recent major changes in Peruvian education (particularly primary education) will affect the organization and effectiveness of the school inspectorate. It also attempts to identify problems that are likely to arise as a result of the confrontation between traditional and new educational approaches and…

Nonformal approaches to primary education in developing countries are described in detail in the hope that the discussion will benefit decision makers and planners confronting situations marked by mass rural illiteracy, urban marginalization, employment of young children, and ethnic and cultural differences between minorities and the majority…

The efficiency of educational broadcasting in the Ivory Coast is assessed from the standpoint of what and how physical and human resources are utilized. Information was obtained by reviewing the large volume of documents that have been published about the project and through interviewing personnel involved in its management and operation. The…

This study of primary school inspection in Nigeria was carried out in May and June 1973. Questionnaires on the organization, staffing, and duties of the primary inspectorate were sent in advance to the Chief Inspectors of Education in five of Nigeria's 12 states. Information gathered through these questionnaires, supplemented by personal…

Describes the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) which provided information and instruction via satellite to rural India. The satellite program supplied inservice teacher training to update content knowledge and teaching approaches in science. (KC)