The future of UNESCO: Strategies for attracting new resources

UNESCO suffers from two structural incompatibilities. The first is between the breadth of its stated goals and paucity of its financing. The second is between the countries who largely finance the organization and the many other countries who claim its benefits. As a consequence the functions of UNESCO are not critical to the interests of the financing member states. Other UN agencies with similar dilemmas have sought solutions to critical problems as seen by industrial democracies and to attract external budgetary resources as to finance these activities. It is suggested that UNESCO should do the same.     

高等教育腐败的代价

本文以高等教育领域的腐败问题为考察对象,揭示了该现象在中亚和东欧国家的普遍存在.文中的腐败既包括高校管理人员在认证、采购、录取和评分环节发生的行贿受贿行为,也包括学生和老师在评分、考试以及教科书购买环节发生的行贿受贿行为.腐败现象日益严重的原因在于,转型时期决策权的下放和高等院校相关经验的缺乏.本文运用中亚和东欧六国学生调查的数据,阐明了这些国家教育领域的腐败问题较之北美和西欧的严重程度.文章还对遏制腐败的措施、调查中的统计数据以及腐败给国家带来的损失进行了探讨.     

Educational investment and economic productivity: Evidence from Malawi

Tracer study data on the destination and earnings of a sample of nearly 1000 secondary school graduates are used to estimate the returns 10 investment in the Malawi Certificate of Education. Even when adjustment is made for the possibility of unemployment among graduates, the social rate of return is estimated 10 be in the order of 20% and the private rate 50%. These results are used to explain the strong private demand for entry into secondary education and to support the case for further expansion of such schools in Malawi.     

Differences in construction,facilities, equipment and academic achievement among Ugandan primary schools

This study sets out to clarify two questions within the context of a non-industrial society's educational system: (1) In what areas would there be measurable variation in physical facilities between primary schools? (2) Is any of this variation statistically related to the academic performance of children on the national selection examination (PLE) used for entrance into senior secondary school? The discussion would support those who hold that, especially in environments of material poverty, school facilities can make a difference. But aside from reporting a number of significant correlations, the paper explores an additional theory relevant to other educational survey research efforts: that the physical existence of a piece of equipment in a school may not be as critical for understanding achievement as knowing how and by what means it got there.     

Diversifying secondary school curricula in developing countries: An implementation history and some policy options

This paper describes the history of the diversified curriculum debate. The first section briefly refers to the precedents for such discussions during the colonial era. A second section describes the institutional environment behind the beginning of bilateral and multilateral assistance to diversified curricula in 1960. The third section summarizes the changes in thinking about diversified curricula which have occurred in the World Bank over the last 20 years. This third section, itself, is divided into three subsections: (i) the original World Bank rationales for diversified education (1960–1970); (ii) the implementation history (1970–1980); and (iii) post-1980 strategies, including financing the research whose results are discussed at this meeting. The paper concludes with a fourth section which refers to the options on diversified education ahead.     

Economic growth and the international trade in educational reform

Summary The decline in foreign assistance for eduacation can be considered a tragedy. On the other hand, the elevation of education in domestic debate and the increase in trade of professional ideas on educational reform might be considered a benefit. The adjustment to these new functions on the part of development assistance agencies and international agencies familiar with the traditional rationales for educational investment will be difficult, however, in the end, their successful adjustment will be good for the field of education. Original language: English Stephen P. Heyneman (United States of America) Lead Education Specialist serving countries in the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank. After teaching and research in Africa, he completed a doctorate degree at the University of Chicago. He has been president of the Comparative and International Education Society, a member of the board on International Comparative Studies in Education of the United States National Academy of Sciences, and a lecturer at American University and the University of Maryland. On behalf of the World Bank, he has advised senior educational officials in many different countries and other international institutions on educational programmes.