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This article seeks to shed light on the contexts and characteristics of principalship in developing countries, as well as to examine similarities and differences between principals in developed and developing countries. Twenty-seven papers constitute the data on which external influences on principalship, patterns of leadership styles and managerial aspects of the principal's role are analysed. Although there is no one portrait of school principalship in developing countries, some common features were revealed, such as limited autonomy, autocratic leadership style, summative evaluation, low degree of change initiation, and lack of instructional leadership functions. Theoretical implications and suggestions for educational policy and reforms are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last two decades have witnessed numerous changes in the administrative systems of many less developed countries. A few have centralised their administrations, but a larger number have decentralised. Usually education has been affected as part of overall changes, though occasionally reforms in education have been initiated independently of other sectors. This paper begins by discussing the meaning of decentralisation. It points out that the term is vague, that systems may have many contradictory strands, and that the terminology and processes may not be understood even by those in charge of decentralisation projects. The paper then discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different structures, and the experiences of several countries during the 1970s and 1980s. Particular prominence is given to events in Papua New Guinea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the author's views on the educational assistance provided by experts from developed nations to students of developing countries. The author says that there will be a comparative rise in this aid. He says that there is nothing good or bad in this assistance but the long existence of the arbitration of foreign advisors and experts from powerful countries can give birth to a cultural conflict and later cultural subversion. He suggests that educational experts need to understand the local system of the receiving country.

In his article 'Globalisation, the Learning Society, and Comparative Education', Peter Jarvis recommends lifelong learning in the period of globalisation as a topic ripe for scholarly research. In particular, he argues for the examination of the extent of lifelong learning around the world and its relation to different levels of employment. This article contributes to this line of inquiry by analysing how education policies facilitate adjustment to economic change and examining how advanced industrialised countries (AICs) compare in their promotion. Principal component analysis is used to construct indices for education systems that reflect these two objectives, and the results reveal considerable cross-national variation. The Nordic countries appear well-positioned to cope with changed skill needs. A closer look at the cases of Denmark and Italy portrays how a national education system can facilitate or hinder adaptation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of school facilities on students' achievements. The author notes that it is commonly argued that the quality of education depends on things such as the availability of classrooms, furniture, equipment and textbooks. Various research in developed and developing countries have shown that these factors contribute to the achievement of students. Research on the performance of students in developing countries and developed countries is summarized vis-a-vis facility quality. A study is presented with the purpose of empirically examining the relationship between academic achievement and variables such as classroom, furniture and book availability in primary schools in Botswana.

The article analyzes the different aspects of the Federal Republic of Germany's vocational training system, which has been attention internationally due to the vocational-qualification and employment issues arising in many countries. International comparative studies have shown a low unemployment rate in the country among young adults in comparison to similarly developed European countries. This was attributed to the Dual System's combination of compulsory part-time education with on-the-job training.

The article discusses dilemmas faced by British scholars in studying women in educational administration in developing countries. The dilemmas faced are categorized into three, namely ethnocentrism, sex-stereotyping and definitions of educational management. The perceptions, experiences and cultural backgrounds of researchers from developed countries have impacts on how they carry out their research on women educational managers in Third World countries. One solution in researching women administrators is to collect profiles of successful women educators and learn from the composites of their traits and backgrounds.

The article reports on vocational education and training policies in Japan which have contributed to the economic progress of the country after World War II. The obsession of the Japanese with education is manifested in its competitive educational system. About 93% of the students complete secondary school education. Japan also a high degree of centralised control of the educational system. The government is involved in the setup of a framework of industrial training and development, based on the national economic goals.

The article examines the compatibility between vocational education curricula and general education curricula for post-compulsory education in Western developed countries. The types that are at somewhat compatible are employment-based vocational education and academic general education because these concepts mean an in-depth immersion into very separate areas of knowledge and skill. Meanwhile, the issue on whether curriculum content should be employment-based, is an issue where political opinion tends to be divided. However, the last two decades have indicated that these trends may change.

The article argues that a successful regional policy for education can only be accomplished when the issue of language has been satisfactorily resolved, and illustrates this by the case of Belgium, which has the two dominant languages of French and Dutch. The case study traces the historical background of the difficulties with regards to choosing the language of instruction for a developed country. It shows that the importance of language as a determinant of education, and thus of national sentiment, has been usually ignored or not given primary consideration.

The article presents a comparative analysis of compulsory education laws. It was during the 19th century that universal compulsory education was introduced and implemented by all developed Western nations. After the Second World War, the developing countries and the new nations enacted compulsory education while those countries with established political systems extended the age range of compulsory school attendance. These developments in compulsory education are indicative of a nation's level of culture and development.

The article discusses the mechanics and criteria by which the transfer of educational innovations from industrialized to developing countries may be made theoretically more effective. A four-stage model of the transfer process, consisting of selection, planning, implementation and utilization is presented. The risk of failure and transfer and milieu factors are considered. The three criteria suggested for the selection stage are relevance, feasibility and priority. A distinction is made between relevance to objectives and relevance to actual needs.

The article discusses key issues concerning the French experience on the difficulties and complexities of educational planning in industrial societies. Key issues discussed include the motives of the state in engaging in educational planning, the social and economic background of educational planning and education policy in France, the key features of French educational policy, the peculiar difficulties and determinants of educational planning in France and the issues' implications for comparative education.