In the last 20 years, progress has been evident in the increase of enrollment in all stages of education in Asia. Tremendous efforts have been made to provide primary education for the remotest villages in the Asian communities. However, the concept that primary education is a means for fulfilling the obligations of human rights and for making…

Updated vocational agricultural programs and school-based enterprises can help rebuild rural economies. Advantages of vocational agricultural programs include leadership training, a problem-solving approach to the teaching of sciences and mathematics, and strong community support. School-based enterprises combine educational objectives and local…

Community development depends on capable, visionary local leaders and on informed and active citizens. Thus, in the long run, education for all citizens may be the most critical ingredient to the success of rural community development programs. Schools can further contribute to the development of rural communities by providing an explicit…

Since the mid-1980s, the Tuscany (Italy) regional government, the University of Florence (adult education department), and the Commune of Castelfiorentino have participated in a joint project aimed at narrowing the ever-widening gap between different segments of the Castelfiorentino population with regard to education and culture. The project…

The possibility of creating a "learning community" as a possible alternative or supplement to traditional indicators of community well-being is explored in relation to Australia's stability. It is argued that traditional economic rationalism-based indicators of community well-being, such as level of unemployment, frequently cause…

Socioeconomic development in China between the two world wars included an extensive mass education effort by reform-minded young Chinese. Focusing on adult literacy and rural reconstruction, Chinese educators employed various strategies to stimulate and assist self-help efforts in Chinese villages. Paramount among these educational techniques were…

This chapter addresses the role of action research in projects that link literacy education and cultural action in peripheral rural areas. These programs aim to improve the living conditions of a population without destroying its cultural heritage or way of life. Action research begins with three broad questions: In what terms do local people pose…

This document is intended to assist individuals directly involved in delivery and implementation of grassroots continuing education programs in the Asia-Pacific region. The first half of the handbook consists of chapters on the following topics: (1) the handbook's structure, contents, audience, and use; (2) the nature and scope of continuing…

Emphasis placed on adult education in Tanzania stems directly from the decision to bring about development through an egalitarian rural transformation. The political decision to stress socialist development with priority to those living in rural areas preceded the creation of the adult education network and shaped its structures and organization.…

The processes by which women living in rural areas of Nepal acquire literacy and deploy it for their own purposes were examined in an exploration of the diverse perspectives of policymakers, fieldworkers, and participants in gender, literacy, and development. The study combined ethnography with a research methodology called participatory rural…

This book contains 15 articles about various aspects of community further education (FE) programs in Great Britain, including program rationales/benefits, administration, and delivery. The following articles are included: "Foreword" (Bradshaw); "Commitment to Community Is Good Business and Practical Politics" (Brook); "Can…

This document contains information about and papers from meetings of educational practitioners and policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and the Arab States and a collective consultation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on literacy and education for all. Contents (arranged by region) are…