Disagrees with Psacharapoulos that theory and qualitative research have little value in studying educational problems. Emphasizes the importance of local context to educational planning, and the need for more thorough discussion of the concepts used in comparative education, consistent use of terminology, and honest elaboration of researchers'…

The efforts of Sight Savers, a service program of the Royal Commonwealth for the Blind, to stem the outward flow of hard currency from developing countries are described. Sight Savers furthers program sustainability by emphasizing local manpower development, selecting equipment that requires less and cheaper maintenance, and using local currency…

Reviews the steps taken toward UBC (universal bibliographic control) in the past 20 years and critiques some of the shortfalls in the UNESCO/IFLA (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization/International Federation of Library Associations) program. Advances such as electronic publishing are put in context to suggest an…

Charged with their own planning and development activities, developing nations have amassed a record of failed undertakings. In this category is Trinidad and Tobago's policy for "de-shifting" its bisessional schools to serve only one group of pupils daily. Experiences with "war on poverty" programs indicates that implementation…

Participatory evaluation research empowers the consumers of services to become leaders in evaluation and change. Participatory research methods have been used widely in developing countries and are consistent with family therapy's recent emphasis on nonhierarchical, empowering, collaborative therapies. Presents several examples of participatory…

Describes a process of training for a transition economy in Uzbekistan. Looks at the problems encountered and offers keys to successful transition training. (JOW)

Reviews some of the ethical issues identified in evaluations in the United States and considers the similarities and differences in application of these issues in developing countries. Identifies a number of ethical issues in international evaluations that are less common in the United States. (SLD)

Argues that the widespread prescription of technologically mediated education for developing countries produces and shapes the rush to technology. Concludes that the constraints of technological mediation and its destructive impact on teaching show its inability to provide for adequate educational development, and recommends a critical, rather…

Several technology projects, originally intended to extend the Internet to major universities in Latin America, have grown into major developments for other sectors, especially the commercial one. This expansion was possible because of the development of specialized human resources capable of handling and implementing complex technologies within…

Discusses issues related to open and distance-learning (ODL) in developing countries, using the virtual campus initiative of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (India) as an example and model of on-line program delivery and on-line, for-profit telelearning centers. Suggests strategies to enable open and distance-learning institutions to…

Despite the newly decentralized local government system in Ghana, communities have been slow to develop broad-based participatory consultative processes for community development. Inflexible bureaucracy also hinders involvement of stakeholders. (SK)

Reviews eight books: "Autonomous Development" (R. Carmen); "Community Power and Grassroots Democracy" (M. Kaufman, H. Alfonso); "Questioning Empowerment" (J. Rowlands); "Seeking a Balance" (A. Fowler); "Funding Community Initiatives" (S. Arrossi et al.); "Whose Voice?" (J. Holland, J.…

Summarizes findings from a report on religious freedom around the world created by a multidisciplinary, multi-religious group of international scholars, explaining that this basic human right is under assault in many areas. Presents descriptions of religious freedom in Russia, India, North Korea, and Sudan. A chart describes and rates religious…

Presents advice for providing management training and technical assistance in developing areas: expect language barriers, even in English; don't expect to be appreciated; expect a lack of resources; seek ways to overcome trainee silence; acknowledge your outsider status; and form alliances with other institutions to secure resources. (SK)

A Massachusetts school board member's travels with Global Volunteers have provided an opportunity to see how people of different cultures live and work. Global Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that sends small groups of volunteers to developing countries or to underprivileged areas in Mississippi and Texas to help local people with work…