The advantages and disadvantages of placing outside staff to represent international aid agencies in developing countries' service programs for blind persons are explored. Alternative models are offered, and sustainability through empowerment is presented as an approach to ensure long-term benefits from the services offered by the international…

Nongovernment organizations providing services to visually handicapped persons in developing nations should direct increased efforts toward project evaluation, monitoring, documentation, and dissemination, to ensure that innovative, flexible strategies direct self-help information to the "grassroots" level in forms that are familiar,…

Discussion of educational opportunities in Third World countries focuses on textbook development projects financed by international organizations, including the World Bank. It is concluded that instructional systems development elements are needed in textbook development projects to improve both the quality of textbooks and inservice teacher…

Presented is a study designed to determine the best approaches for developing environmental education and teacher training materials for schools in Honduras. Results dispute the value of materials produced in the United States for use in developing nations. (CW)

A population-based study of the prevalence of mental retardation among children (ages 2-9) in Bangladesh screened 10,000 children and found the prevalence rates of 5.9 per thousand for severe and 14.4 per thousand for mild mental retardation. Only the prevalence of mild mental retardation was strongly associated with low socioeconomic status.…

Describes a project conducted by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to determine the possibility of establishing indicators to concretely measure the relevance of information to decision-making processes in the context of assistance to developing countries. Use of a computer conference and a workshop to develop a model are…

A review of 19 university libraries in 12 African countries compared the benefits and drawbacks of information technology (IT), concluding that IT will not reduce the need for books and journals and that IT's biggest potential is in increasing intra-Africa communication and providing links to the outside world. (PEN)

The 1980s were a "lost decade" for Latin America, due to the international debt crisis. This paper explores the lost decade's effects on schooling indicators in Mexico. Falling opportunity costs improved schooling indicators at the same time a reduced national income worsened them. Enrollment rates were stagnant. (33 references) (MLH)

Describes visualization methods used to design projects intended to improve the quality of life in developing countries, but which are also applicable to group problem-solving situations. Details main stages of a case study. Demonstrates that the techniques improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the problem-solving process and the quality of…

Meeting children's needs for early childhood education is one of eight strategies identified by the Food and Agricultural Organization as necessary for the eradication of poverty. Explores how early childhood education might be funded in developing nations. (SLD)

Describes pedagogical foundations of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's revolutionary praxis, situating Guevara within a redemptive educational leadership model. Articulates Guevarian leadership within a historical materialist framework; presents a leadership model that addresses resistance to and transformation of global capitalist social…

Examines three of the apparent deficiencies in the educational system in the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states: a mismatch between traditional and modern learning, an imbalance between indigenous and expatriate labor forces, and the gap between men and women. Concludes that a fundamental change in educational quality is needed. Contains…

Describes several Peace Corps volunteers' experiences in establishing libraries in developing countries. Discusses how the service teaches global diversity and trains librarians to recognize needs and address them. Presents recommendations by returned Peace Corps volunteers for developing sustainable library plans for communities in developing…

Examines ethical issues in computer technology in a global context by comparing lessons from the green revolution with the current information revolution. Identifies issues, such as inappropriate world views offered by Western software to developing nations and the need for culturally sensitive approaches to technological literacy. Identifies…

Case studies of the transfer of training policies, practices, and delivery systems from one developed country to another and from developed to developing countries identified barriers. Because the education and training system is embedded in a sociocultural context, the success of transfer may be limited. (Contains 49 references.)