Reviews the history and development of distance education in Africa. Highlights include the expansion in formal education; language diversity and competing interests; the role of intergovernmental agencies; infrastructure deficiencies; political considerations; social considerations; and possible solutions to problems. (Author/LRW)

Many developing countries have tried, with varying results, to adopt the German Dual System of apprenticeship plus vocational training. Country-specific cultural, economic, and social factors affect success. Promoting apprenticeship and adapting the dual system to local structures such as micro-enterprises may present an alternative to vocational…

Explores how the nondiscursive conventions and requirements of academic publishing serve exclusionary functions with regard to Third World scholarship. Argues that marginalization of Third World scholarship undermines both Western and Third World advances in knowledge, and that therefore steps should be taken to ensure a more democratic and…

Methods used in an educational indicators pilot project studying the conditions in primary schools in the least developed countries are described. Sample surveys with 88.88% to 100% response rates were conducted in 14 countries. Recommendations are made for improving sampling techniques in underdeveloped countries. (SLD)

Discussion of formatting and disseminating information in the developing world focuses on efforts of Ethiopia's Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA), a membership-driven research network. Describes plans to distribute a digital CD-ROM library that incorporates a user-friendly interface and provides…

Discussion of the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing nations focuses on experiences in India. Highlights include the information age; digital divides, including access to information, to technology, and to culturally relevant content; meeting human needs and social goals; private sector roles; and bridging…

Describes LISPA (Library and Information Center Staff Planning Advisor), a set of programs based on Ranganathan's staff plan model. LISPA particularly aids in planning for library staff requirements, both professional and paraprofessional, in developing countries where automated systems for other library operations are not yet available.…

Reports on a U.S.-funded language aid project in Egypt that trained Egyptian English-as-a-Second-Language instructors to integrate information technologies with language instruction. Argues that language and technology are both tools for individual and societal development. (Author/VWL)

Argues that bilingual education in developing countries represents an encouraging facet of efforts to improve primary schooling both quantitatively in terms of participation and qualitatively in terms of learning processes. Using examples from Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mozambique, and Bolivia, demonstrates advantages of bilingual programming in…

Studied the learning outcomes of a science teaching program for preservice teachers in Fiji using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Results for 24 teachers show that students involved in the constructivist pedagogy generally developed a deeper conceptual understanding of the topic, and in some cases these learning outcomes could be linked…

Since 1989, international aid agencies have shown a marked interest in and preference for learner-centered pedagogy. This change follows a shift in agency ideology from modernization theory to neoliberalism, which sees democratic social relations as a prerequisite to free-market capitalism. Thus, the pedagogy represents a process of Westernization…

Policymakers often use Rate of Return information in formulating public resource allocation decisions. The World Bank uses this strategy to advise developing nations in setting student subsidy levels, tuition, and allocation by educational level. However, Rate of Return may be an inappropriate policy device for these objectives. (Author/MSE)

Discusses participants' roles in the policy formulation, planning, design, and construction of the new library at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (Nigeria). The importance of input from librarians is emphasized; the library's objectives and their influence on the new library are explained; and planning for the move to the new building is…

Identifies and analyzes the organizational constraints acting upon and within the Egyptian Ministry of Education that deter its capacity for administrative reform. Despite being highly bureaucratic, the ministry's administrative structure operates with relative efficiency. However, the ministry cannot seem to change the educational system's…

Interviewed 136 female heads of households in rural Sri Lanka. Found that marital status figured more importantly than age in use of health services. Concludes that, as unmarried heads of households increase in less developed places, their demands for health care at the village level likely will escalate. (Author/NB)