The role of educational planning is examined in light of the educational scene in developing countries and the economic crises of the 1980s. Divided into three sections the first section of the report deals with educational planning in the eighties, with some of its background; and with the major challenges that are faced by the educational systems of developing countries in the decade ahead. The second section addresses the political nature of educational planning, its scope and its relationships with policy-making and management. The third section discusses the challenge to promote a democratization of basic education in light of both the current economic crisis and the prospects for the nineties. An 80-item list of references is included. (Author/DB)