(1997). Literacy Practices and Linguistic Choices: A Sociocultural Study of a Multilingual Adult Literacy Student Group. The report describes a study of a multilingual group of six adult literacy students, five women and one man, enrolled in an English literacy class at an Australian college. Subjects' countries of origin include Afghanistan, Indonesia/China, Lebanon, Iran, and China. The study examined factors affecting subjects' daily literacy practices and language choices. Students' statements are presented and summarized on these topics: personal linguistic background; language choices and code-switching; literacies and competence levels; use of family and social support networks; effects of literacy on dependency and the exercise of social power; problems involving children and language shift; and the perceived value ascribed to specific English literacy practices in both personal and family contexts. Results showed extensive previous language learning exposure and a number of variables influencing code-switching behavior in reading and writing. Variation was also found in literacy levels,…
(1983). Learning Needs and Problems in Primary Education. Report of Technical Working Group Meetings (Bangkok, Thailand, September 6-12, 1983). Volume I: Research Issues and Proposals. This first volume in a two-part report reviews completed and proposed research studies on learning needs and problems in primary education and describes research proposed for Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. An introductory chapter considers the following factors involved in children's failure in primary school: lack of emotional and financial support; inadequacies in the school's physical environment or learning climate; and difficulties in adjustment and motivation, especially for children disadvantaged by their social group, language, physical location, or health. The second chapter gives an overview of research studies that illustrate types of investigation conducted in the region. In the third chapter, further research required in the region is described under ten headings: (1) preparation of children for school; (2) teaching strategies and instructional materials for disadvantaged… [PDF]
(1985). Distance Learning Systems and Structures–Training of Distance Educators. Report of a Sub-Regional Workshop. Vol. I. (Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 5-18, 1984). This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop whose objectives were to: (1) review and examine the functions of distance educational systems for the nine participating countries with respect to the training needs of staff responsible for distance education; (2) review, examine, and refine a draft training manual and develop exemplar modules on distance learning; (3) prepare draft plans for national pilot training workshops; and (4) reflect on critical aspects of training in distance education and identify possible future needs. Chapter 1 contains summaries of distance education activities in the participating countries: Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Republic of Maldives, India, China, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Chapter 2 summarizes priority training needs for seven of the participating countries, and Chapter 3 presents proposals for national pilot training workshops in these countries. The proposals include suggestions for organizational set-up, target group,… [PDF]
(1980). Equality of Educational Opportunities for Girls and Women; Report of a Meeting of a Consultative Panel for Asia and Oceania (October 1-8, 1979). Results of a conference on girls' and women's access to education in eight countries in Asia and Oceania are reported. The countries–Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand–show significantly less enrollment of females at various levels of education. The document is organized into five chapters. Chapter I briefly summarizes the current educational and social environment in the eight countries and discusses programs to overcome inequalities. Chapter II summarizes factors affecting equal access to education for females, the sources of which are educational, economic, and socio-cultural. Chapter III identifies programs and alternative approaches to the provision of equal educational opportunities for females. Some suggestions are for awareness-raising groups, national programs to educate men and women about their roles, legislation to support the status of women, relevant curricula, alternatives to formal education, and research….
(1980). Technical and Vocational Education in Asia and Oceania. Bulletin of the Unesco Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania. Number 21, June 1980. This issue contains a regional review, discussion of technical and vocational education in countries of Asia and Oceania, articles dealing with various aspects of technical and vocational education, and a bibliographical supplement. The brief statistical review in section 1 concerns second-level technical and vocational education in the developing countries of Asia and Oceania from 1965 to the mid-1970s. Section 2 deals with second-level, tertiary (postsecondary) level, and on-the-job technical and vocational education by country. Topics include structure, curriculum, programs, institutions, teacher preparation, financing, innovations, and experiments. These countries are included: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Section 3 contains five articles: (1)…
(1979). Moral Education in Asia: Promotional Strategies and Evaluation Techniques. Reports of a High-Level Seminar and a Regional Workshop (Tokyo, Japan, 1978). This publication reports on a seminar and a workshop held in Tokyo, Japan, 1978 dealing with moral education in Asia. The seminar and workshop participants exchanged information and experiences, examined problems, and suggested guidelines for the implementation of regional programs in moral education. Participating countries include Afghanistan, Burma, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Chapter I of the report presents problems and issues discussed. In many of the participating countries, moral instruction is provided as a part of other courses; in others it is offered as a separate course. In all of the countries, the main focus of moral instruction is on the development of character traits that reflect the moral values of each individual country. Only a few countries have provided textbooks for teaching the subject. Countries have, however, provided the teachers with guidelines and sample materials to…
(1978). Policy Towards Social Sciences in Asia and Oceania. Report on the Meeting of Experts. Manila, Philippines, 3-7 April 1978. The document reports on a meeting of Asian social science policy experts sponsored by UNESCO. The objectives of the meeting were to review the basic elements of the social science policies of countries in Asia and Oceania, to examine the feasibility of establishing a Regional Centre for Social Science Research, and to make recommendations for further formulation of social science policies at national and regional levels. Experts attended from 16 countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Sessions covered organization of the meeting, the social science situation in Asia, brief reports concerning basic elements of social science policy in each country, possible formats and role of a regional social science centre, and ways UNESCO could promote the social sciences. The concluding session made ten recommendations, including the development and…
(1979). Making and Using Low-Cost Educational Materials. Report of a Sub-Regional Workshop in Educational Technology with Special Reference to Development of Low-Cost Educational Materials (Kathmandu, Nepal, November 7-21, 1978). The materials collected here were generated at a workshop in which 16 participants from Afghanistan, India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Nepal met to examine the subject of developing low cost educational materials. The objectives of this workshop were (1) to exchange experiences in the development of such materials through displays and demonstrations; (2) to consider the use of locally available resources and other appropriate or adapted methods and techniques; and (3) to develop samples of low cost, simple materials together with their instruction sheets, for use in training institutions and workshops, and as guides for supervisors and teachers. This report includes a discussion of the present status of the development of low cost educational materials in each of the participating countries as well as a synthesis of the experiences of these countries as a whole. Broad, conceptual guidelines based on these experiences are provided for use in formulating…
(1970). Southeast Asia: A Bibliography for Undergraduate Libraries. Occasional Publication Number Eleven. This bibliography, one of a series, represents an effort to develop a graded subject list of over 1500 titles relevant to the study of South Asia (the majority of which have been published in the last twenty years) which are appropriate for undergraduate libraries. Its emphasis is upon social studies and the humanities. Selections were made from lists of titles submitted by area specialists. It is intended as a book selection guide for college libraries not likely to have expertise in selecting available to them. Arrangement of entries is in sections by country — Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ceylon, Nepal, and India — preceded by a general section on South Asia, each section comprised of subsections based on type of publications and subject areas. Items are ranked according to those in Western languages which are in print and available. Entries are graded as to degree of essentiality for undergraduate collections and keyed to annotations in existing bibliographies and selected journal…
(2005). The Kingdom of Heaven: Teaching the Crusades. Social Education, v69 n5 p256 Sep. The attacks of September 11th, followed by U.S. military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, have brought greater attention to the simmering conflict between Islam and the West–a conflict most brutally played out historically during the Crusades. The series of holy wars for control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land stretched over centuries–from 1096 to 1291 (with subsequent efforts as late as the mid-1400s). Recent statements from Islamic militants denouncing U.S.-led forces in Iraq as "crusaders" show that passions still are fired in the Muslim world by the memory of the Crusades. Into this political environment, film studio Twentieth Century Fox recently released The Kingdom of Heaven, the first Hollywood movie to seriously address the Crusades and their present-day implications. The film is a timely commentary–that nearly a thousand years after the Crusades began, peace in the Holy Land remains elusive. This present-day outlook makes The Kingdom of Heaven a useful…
(1990). Beginning Pashto: Textbook. This textbook is a component of \Beginning Pashto,\ a set of materials (including a student workbook, teacher's manual, glossary, and tapescripts) that teaches the Pashto language. The language taught is Afghan Pashto, particularly the standard central district dialect spoken in Kabul and in the official media. The text provides 14 units of study; each unit is approximately 10 hours of class work, and therefore, is sufficient for 2 semesters of academic language training. The first unit of study teaches the Pashto writing system and consists of the following sections: (1) Greeting and Goodby Phrases; (2) Pashto Pronunciation; (3) The Pashto Alphabet Letter Shapes; and (4) Diversions. The remaining 13 units of study present the language through dialogues and readings on various topics (e.g. food, shopping, weather, family, etc.), with accompanying presentations on grammar and vocabulary, and exercises for oral practice and conversation. Each unit also contains a diversion (a proverb,…
(1983). The Role of Technology Education in Third World Development. Traditional attempts at development–such as sending in food, sending in educators, and then sending in technology from developed countries–have not been very successful in the development of Third World countries since these attempts began in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, education, especially vocational education, was seen as the great path to economic development for these countries. Later, assessment of educational programs showed that, in many cases, developmental objectives had not been met. Instead, vocational education had tried to impart manual skills to the privileged few, who preferred academic training and unemployment to such "demeaning" tasks, while failing to reach vast numbers of underprivileged people. A better approach may be that of "nonformal education," which focuses on transmission of immediately needed skills, combined with technological training, in the production of immediately useful goods and services. Technological training…
(1983). Reaching Out: The Role of Audio Cassette Communication in Rural Development. Occasional Paper 19. This report describes the state-of-the-art of audio cassette technology (ACT) and reports findings from field tests, case studies, and pilot projects in several countries which demonstrate the potential of audio cassettes as a medium for communicating with rural people. Specific guidance is also offered on how a project can use cassettes as a communication or teaching tool. The changing concept of development is discussed as well as major communication problems in rural development. The problems of rural development and communication are illustrated by the case study of a migrant farmer project in a remote rural area in Pematang Panggang (South Sumatra, Indonesia). Experience is also reported on the use of audio technology with agricultural extension workers in Bangladesh. Additional topics include the characteristics of cassettes that make them so powerful, the content and format used in ACT systems, and distribution systems. Findings from evaluations of the ACT system are… [PDF]
(2005). Politicization of Bilateral Aid and Educational Development in Pakistan. Educational Studies, v31 n3 p235-250 Sep. Increasing international cooperation and interdependence are important features of the contemporary globalized world. In the present age, foreign aid is a very peculiar type of transaction in the sense that its focus is to satisfy the objectives of the donor and the recipient, which are not always the same. This paper attempts to analyse the situation of US and British aid to Pakistan's education sector. The role of international donors in the development of the education sector in Pakistan cannot be underestimated. They have been even more important for this developing country which has faced financial crises, particularly during the 1990s. These financial hardships faced by the country were mainly the outcome of the changed regional, political, as well as the geostrategic situation which also caused the change in the behaviour of international donors. It is especially true in the case of the USA and the UK where the aid to Pakistan was seriously affected by the changed situation in… [Direct]
(2002). CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides, February 2002. These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of February 2002, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Top stories include: Afghanistan's interim leader is making a global impression (February 1); new report faults the practices of the Arthur Anderson accounting firm and Enron executives, Congress delves deeper into the Enron hearings, Senate panel votes to issue a subpoena for Kenneth Lay, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will visit the U.S., and former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling testifies before a House committee (February 4-8); violence escalates between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Slobodan Milosevic's trial begins, Kenneth Lay pleads the Fifth, Pakistan's president meets with President Bush at the White House, and Enron vice president Sherron Watkins testifies on Capitol Hill (February 11-15); U.S. and Japanese…