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Studies and reports examining the problems associated with adult literacy and efforts to address those problems were reviewed to identify lessons for adult literacy programs in Canada and elsewhere. Low literacy levels were linked to above-average rates of personal and/or learning difficulties, low self-esteem, associated social problems, and below-normal incomes. Literacy problems also appeared to cost business/industry in terms of lost productivity, health and safety problems, training, and retraining. The main lessons identified were as follows: (1) although adult literacy programs benefit individuals and society, low levels of public interest and political support have prevented full realization of their benefits; (2) experience suggests how to design and deliver good adult literacy programs, but the conditions allowing that to happen do not always exist; (3) adult literacy programs aimed at specific target groups appear to have better results; (4) adults in need of upgrading face barriers that make entering or remaining in literacy programs difficult; (5) adult literacy learners should have a say in policies and programs addressing their needs; (6) learning technologies appear to provide significant advantages when used in adult literacy programs; and (7) more systematic evaluation of adult literacy policies, programs, and practices is needed to increase accountability and improve the field's knowledge base. (Contains 33 references.) (MN)

This bilingual (English and French) report examines the debate surrounding a Task Force analysis of higher education institutions in Canada. The Task Force reported on a variety of topics regarding Canada's colleges and universities from teaching and learning through curricular design to student retention and institutional performance. In addition, the Task Force identified a number of roles for the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) to play to ensure that the key thrusts of the Commission's report are addressed and that the appropriate changes are effected in university practices and in government policies. Discussed are the relationships between teaching and research; the long-term health of universities; the accountability and autonomy of higher education institutions; and means to enhance teaching and learning, such as teacher training, assessing teaching performance, and the use of information technologies. In addition, the report examines curriculum development; providing a supportive reward system; issues surrounding student access, retention, and mobility; and performance measures. Appendices include the composition of the AUCC Task Force on the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Canadian University Education. (GLR)

The linguistic situation in Nigeria might be represented as a pyramid with a base composed of 400-500 native languages of which about 100 have been alphabetized. Of these, 51 with more than 100,000 speakers each, are considered regional languages; ten, with more than 1 million speakers each, are considered inter-regional languages; and three having more than 10 million speakers each are national languages. Besides these, there are three languages with special sociolinguistic functions: Pidgin, the contact language; English, the official administrative and educational language; and Arabic, the language used for religious purposes by a large segment of the population. This situation is the context for the discussion of the following: (1) education in general; (2) Nigerian languages and education; (3) the position of English, Pidgin, Arabic, and French with regard to education; and (4) the standardization of Nigerian languages and education. It is concluded that a uniform and centralized policy could not be applied to the entire country, but that each state, and even each ethnic group, would have to find a workable formula adapted to local, regional, and national needs. A solution might be to use the native language of the children involved for elementary education. This would be followed by education in either a second Nigerian language or in English, depending on the part of the country. (AMH)

These minutes summarize the New Brunswick Forum for Action on Leadership in Career Development, which was the third in a series of provincial forums being conducted throughout Canada to stimulate dialogue among a spectrum of labor market partners and develop an action plan to support career development in Canada's provinces. The following items are included: summaries of opening and closing comments and forum objectives; list of key questions for forum deliberations; and background information on the five forum issues (leadership and standards; coherence in the delivery system; outcomes, evaluation, and accountability; training for practitioners; and professional and technical support). Also included are summaries of the following working group presentations: "Leadership and Standards" (Keith Helmuth, presenter); Working Group 2A "Coherence in the Delivery System" (Humphrey Sheehan, presenter); Working Group 2B "Coherence in the Delivery System" (Claire LePage, presenter); and "Outcomes, Evaluation and Accountability" (Joan Green, presenter). Appendixes constituting approximately 90% of the document contain the following: forum agenda; overhead transparency masters; handouts; descriptions of initiatives underway or planned in New Brunswick in relation to the forum issues; flipchart notes from the forum working groups; and lists of participants and mailing addresses of all forum participants and invitees. The French version is included. (MN)

Part of Round Table IV, this document consists of two articles presented at an international congress in Mexico. Each deals with planning and management of education in small countries. The purpose of the congress was to review the evolution of educational planning and management since a previous conference held in 1968. The participants hoped to identify new approaches and trends in this field. A major change noted was an increase in the number of small states. The emergence of these small states has required new perspectives in development thinking. The papers examine the nature of this ecology, and analyze its implications for educational planning and management. The first paper begins with some matters of definition and scope, before turning to the economic, political, and social context within which educational planning and management must take place. The third section of the first paper analyses constraints and strategies with specific reference to higher education. For this paper, population has been adopted as the main indicator of size. The arbitrary cut off point is 1.5 million people. Table 1 lists 77 states with populations below 1.5 million in the mid 1980s. The context for educational planning is discussed through the economies of small states, economic constraints on small states, land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship, domestic market, and external markets. The economic analysis suggests that many education systems need a strong international focus. The first article includes a 60-item bibliography. The bibliography for the second article contains 33 items. (DK)

This second interim report on declining enrollment in Ontario identifies the major implications of the several factors associated with declining enrollments and makes recommendations for immediate action to contribute to the stability of the system while preparing and initiating long-term policies. The first part of the report deals with demography and public finance with discussions intended to concentrate attention on the relationships between policies for taxation, grants and spending, and the many possible ways to respond to the problems. The second part of the report deals with seven aspects of the business of running the schools: structure, finance, programs, administration, teacher education, personnel, and facilities. Recommendations made on these subjects have as their main intent the encouragement of more discussion and better articulation of some specific emerging problems, and more immediate reaction on the part of the provincial government and school boards to bring about some short-run amelioration of conditions. (Author/MLF)

In this final report concerning declining enrollments in Ontario, the problems are defined almost entirely in economic and financial terms, and the solutions expressed in those terms. The first section of the report briefly reviews the essential background, the economic and financial constraints, and finally the demographic facts. The arguments and conclusions are supported by reference to recent studies. Section 2, on the effects and implications of declining school enrollments, begins with the school programs, and moves to the supporting services such as education of teachers, and supervisory and other school officers. The machinery of operation, as represented in administration of the system, the selection, appointment and working conditions of all categories of staff follow. Then come school facilities, and the important problems of provincial and local school finance, operating and capital funds, and sources of revenue. The report is completed in section 3, with three appendices that list the recommendations, pull together the data on costs, and present concluding remarks. (Author/MLF)

This report assembles in a systematic fashion the currently available data on the conditions of Ontario's declining school enrollments and makes a preliminary statement of what is already known about its future dimensions. Chapters begin with a brief review of the past and present, largely in statistical terms, and end with projections of the ten-year period ending in 1986. The economic, social, and political conditions likely to prevail in Ontario during the next 20 years are discussed, as are the direct impact of fertility and the indirect impact of migration on school enrollments. Enrollment data are given, some by age and grade, and for different types of schools. Information is provided concerning the administration of the school systems, teacher supply and demand, and teacher training programs in the province. Other topics covered are school buildings and school sites, education costs, and other issues in the financing of education. All of these issues are discussed in light of how declining enrollments may affect them. Listed at the end of each chapter are the major questions and issues that have arisen. Illustrative charts and tables are both in the body of the report and in the appendices. The report ends with an epilogue that outlines plans for the future course of investigation. (MLF)

The document, written in French, presents an overview of educational programs in Senegal where ten to 17-year-old students are taught practical skills. The monograph is intended for UNESCO staff members and educational advisors as they collaborate with governments in developing nations to improve educational programs. The document is presented in six chapters. Chapter I discusses general, basic and technical training programs for youth in rural sections of Senegal. Chapter II focuses on characteristics and attitudes of students, teachers, administrators, and on school/community interaction. Chapter III discusses objectives, practical education curriculum, and educational planning. Also presented are case studies of the national educational center at M'Bour and various villages which have experimented with agricultural education. Chapter IV concentrates on expansion of the educational system from 1975 to 1976 and presents a case study of educational development in the village of Koubanao. Chapter V views urban educational programs and outlines the Senegalese government's plans for an urban educational center at Bargny. The final chapter offers recommendations for educational improvement, including that the government should set more specific objectives and should cooperate with international funding agencies such as the World Bank to open additional centers. (DB)

To train 19 participants from nine Arab governments in educational and human resources planning, an intensive four-week course was offered covering the use of population census data, assessment of economies' demands for education and training, and techniques of evaluation and of manpower forecasting. This report describes the organizing and financing of the course, the results of its evaluation, and its use of lectures, discussions, exercises, and student projects. In the projects, five groups of course participants each prepared a national program for an Arab nation. Outlines of the five national projects are presented. The report also provides copies of seven selected course lectures and exercises--six in English and one in French--on data collection and extrapolation, educational inequality, labor market theories, labor recruitment, personal work histories, and modern and traditional economies. Three appendices give lists of course participants, faculty, and materials as well as the course's daily schedule for the full four weeks. (RW)

A review of the situation of modern language teaching in western Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United Kingdom) looks at the demography and multilingualism of the region, the organization of school systems in those countries, and the status of school-based modern language instruction at each educational level. The concept and the realities of international cooperative planning for language instruction are discussed, and the international roles of English, French, and Esperanto are explored. Issues such as the role of language in international understanding and the concepts of language utility and difficulty are also addressed. Finally, the responsibilities of the individual governments with regard to languages and access to language instruction are examined, as well as the tasks faced by the European Community as a whole. (MSE)