This paper examines two examples in Third World countries of new media being used for national development through education. The first example is the increase in television universities in China, i.e., universities that offer courses through broadcast educational television as well as videotaped recordings of television programs. Positive results in increased numbers of graduates and broadened curriculum are noted. Negative results reported include the choice of the particular brand of microcomputer to assist in the management of the television universities, and the plethora of television studios that now exist. Based on a study funded by the Harold Macmillan Trust, the second example is the increase in use of microcomputers in African, Asian, and Arabic-speaking nations. Reasons why developing nations with problems including poverty, rural lifestyles, lack of infrastructure, and disease, are spending national resources on the installation of computers in schools are suggested, and four rationales for educational improvement through technology--social, vocational, pedagogical, and catalytic--are discussed. (DB)