Background: Indonesia's growth and prosperity as a lower-middle-income country hinges on the ability of policymakers to develop effective public policies based on evidence. Yet Indonesia's policy and regulatory environment does not support the production of high-quality evidence and its use in policymaking. Key points for discussion: This article…

Britain has funded English language teaching (ELT) initiatives in developing countries for decades, despite changes in government and a series of substantial overhauls in the administration of development aid. This article reveals the relevance of ideational factors in explaining how ELT remained a key part of Britain's aid policy during a period…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the current landscape in early childhood care and education and spark discussion and debate around potential areas for KIX investment. The paper is part of a series of discussion papers, drafted to support the engagement and consultation of developing country partners and technical experts in the initial…

Mobile learning has moved in the last decade from being a small, scattered research interest to being viewed by many international agencies as a way of delivering their humanitarian missions to the developing contexts of the global South. This paper explores and documents fundamental concepts and concerns that characterize or perhaps jeopardise…

The shifting ideological winds of foreign aid donors have driven their policy towards governments in poor countries. Donors supported state-led development policies in poor countries from the 1940s to the 1970s; market and private-sector driven reforms during the 1980s and 1990s; and returned their attention to the state with an emphasis on…

This report provides a systematic review and empirical evidence related to the experiences of middle-income countries and economies participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2000 to 2015. PISA is a triennial survey that aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old…

This study explores the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) discourses and practices in the context of its educational sector support in Kazakhstan. Drawing on the document analysis and interviews with the ADB staff and Kazakhstan's education officials, the article examines ADB's discursive and operational frameworks in this Central Asian country. The…

Over the past 8 years, the debate over U.S. policy in Central America has degenerated into an unproductive partisan clash that has obscured the issues and eliminated the possibility of a bipartisan consensus. Conference participants agreed that Central America, for historic, geographic, economic, and political reasons is of vital interest to the…

The reports seem contradictory. With about three billion dollars per year in new loan commitments, the World Bank has become the single largest source of development capital in the field of international education. These resources help expand educational opportunities for young women in South Asia and rebuild primary schools following civil…

Comments on a recent "Prospects" article on education in developing countries are presented. The author, a World Bank executive, commends the efforts of the Education Department of the World Bank at looking, listening, and discussing on the spot all aspects of the development process and in financing educational reform in economically…

Discusses ambivalent attitudes toward the influence of external agencies, specifically the World Bank, on policies and programs of development. Concludes that the strategy of lending must be backed up by the analysis of development situations, assessment of the political climate for mass oriented development, and the basis of political commitment…

Discusses variables such as financial resources, political determinants, resistance to innovation, learning styles, student population, organizational and institutional structures, human resources, and communication, as possible factors which detain adequate development of the open university in Latin America. Nineteen references are listed.…

Primary health and nutrition have been linked with communication in a variety of well-publicized projects. This partnership between communication and nutrition was made necessary by the confrontation between an expanded demand for services and limited resources for meeting the demand. Senior officials have a substantial role to play in seeing that…

Discusses development of educational television in Nigeria, some aspects of educational and instructional television, and their importance in Nigerian education and national development. Some educational programs broadcast on Nigerian television are described, major problems facing the television industry are discussed, and recommendations for…

This detailed report states that information and documentation services in Eastern and Southern African countries are expected to: (1) increase the efficiency of research, development, and training; (2) improve the efficiency and competitiveness of industry and technology, particularly of medium-sized and small concerns, by assisting professional…