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Ten papers and four abstracts of papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Access to Higher Education and Training in the South Pacific: The Role of Telecommunications and Distance Education" (Som Naidu); "Distance Education in Japan" (Takashi Sakamoto); "The University for Distance Education in Colombia: An Alternative Form of Education" (Linda Gladys Behaine de Cendales); "Development of Distance Education in Sri Lanka" (Dayantha Wijeyesekera); "Distance Education in India: Application of Modern Technology" (K.K. Sud); "The Teaching of Life Sciences at Everyman's University" (Ruth Arav); "Distance Teaching as an Integral Part of the In-Service Education of Mathematics, Physical Science and Biology Teachers" (Jan Nel, Dave Finnemore, Steve Rhodes); "UNISA's Documentation Section" (B.J. van der Walt); "Interactive Multi-media Learning: A Business Case Study in Distance Learning" (abstract only, R.C. Johnson); "Distance Learning: The South African Air Force Experience" (Neville Parkins); "Text Design in Distance Education: Print and Facilitating Adult Education" (abstract only, John Aitchison): "Distance Education in Developing Countries: The Indian Scene" (abstract only, B.S. Jain); "Distance Education and the Educator's Regime of Literacy" (abstract only, John Aitchison); and "Review of the Goals, Methods, Accountability and Future Planning of the Department of Library and Information Science of the University of South Africa" (Anna Louw). (LB)

Papers presented at a session on management of library associations at the 1986 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Medical Library Association: Organizational Change 1898 to Present--Illustrations from Continuing Education" (Raymond A. Palmer and M. Kent Mayfield, United States); (2) "The Why and How of CONSAL (Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians) as a Regional Library Association" (Hedwig Anuar, Singapore); (3) "Professional Associations Publishing--Information Transfer or Profit?" (Maija Berndtson, Finland); (4) "Why Another Association?--A Case for AMLA (African Medical Library Association)" (Solomon O. Oyesola, Nigeria); and (5) "Management of Corporate Libraries" (Tetsuo Senoo, Japan). (KM)

Papers on regional activities in Africa, Asia and Oceania, and Latin America which were presented at the 1986 IFLA general conference include: (1) "Appropriate Technology for Libraries in Developing Countries" (Peter N. Chateh, Cameroon); (2) "The Impact of Information Technology on Libraries in Thailand--Present and Future Scene" (Nonglak Minaikit, Thailand); (3) "Library Automation and Online Information Services in Malaysia--A Futuristic Outlook" (Juliana Salim, Malaysia); (4) "The Present and Future of Optical Disc Technology for Library Application" (Senri Miyaoka); (5) "The Asian Federation of Library Associations--The Promise It Holds for Regional Consolidation and Interaction with IFLA" (J. S. Soosai, Malaysia); (6) "IFLA's Core Programme on the Advancement of Librarianship in the Third World--Orientation, Mechanism, and Priorities" (D. E. K. Wijasuriya, Malaysia); (7) "Japan's Libraries and Asian Studies--with JOLG (Japan Orientalist Librarians Group) Activities (Kazushige Kaneko, Japan); (8) "Automation in Libraries--African Point of View" (J. S. Musisi, Kenya); (9) "Australia--Its Role in and Contribution to Asian Library Development" (Jennifer L. Adams, Australia); and (10) "New Information Technologies for Latin American Library and Documentation Services--Are There Benefits to Be Expected?" (Julio Cubillo, Chile). (KM)

The two papers in this document were presented at a pre-session held before the IFLA general conference in 1986. In "Problems of Document Delivery in the Science and Technology Information Environment--An African View," Lucilda Hunter (Sierra Leone) discusses typical difficulties encountered in the process of information retrieval in sub-Saharan Africa and other Third World regions, including inadequate periodical collections, lack of photocopying facilities, difficulties of communication both within and between countries, unreliable postal services, lack of interlibrary lending machinery, and unreliable electricity, all due to severe financial constraints. A combination of regional cooperative arrangements and increased resource sharing with libraries from developed countries is proposed as a solution to these inadequacies. In "The Importance of Secondary Bibliographic Services in the Information Transfer Chain--Utilization of Bibliographic Databases," Makiko Miwa (Japan) examines the emergence, distribution process, number, and kinds of bibliographic databases, and discusses the status and skills of database searchers. It is concluded that information professionals should exert skills in creating information products and bibliographic databases as commodities in order to facilitate bibliographic information utilization, improve the quality of databases, promote the information transfer chain, and enhance the recognition of the library profession. (KM)

The Ljubljana seminar, whose background and working papers are presented in this volume, was an outcome of the United Nations' consideration of the problems of ethnic and linguistic minorities. The twenty-five papers cover topics such as the study of multinational societies; the protection of minorities and minority rights in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, the Soviet Union, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, Israel, Britain, and the Caribbean; cultural diversity; and immigrant problems. Chapters 1-3 are background papers, commissioned by the United Nations Secretariat in preparation for the seminar. Chapters 4-23 are working papers, contributed by the participants and presented in regional groups, starting with Central Europe and going on to include Asia, Africa, and North America. (Author/CLK)

Rural Africa includes some 80% of the African population; its people are poverty stricken, illiterate, ill-sheltered, and ill-nourished. These circumstances make rural development absolutely vital. However, past rural development policies have failed to take into consideration the structure and division of labor in the farm family, the traditional philosophy of the African decision making process, and the metaphysical world of the African peasant. Other obstacles to efficient rural development include conflict of interest and competition among the many agencies which labor to initiate rural development programs, as each institution operates on the assumption that its activities are sufficient to effect total change in the living conditions of the African farm family. Moreover, the technicians who act as change agents are highly susceptible to commands from their bureaucratic superiors and are, therefore, less responsive to the needs of the African rural family. The Comilla District Integrated Rural Development Programme (Bangladesh) offers an alternative model for rural development, as it incorporates a manager and a model farmer who act as internal, rather than external, change agents, attending external classes and then disseminating information at weekly village meetings. An integrated approach to rural development demands acceptance by governmental agencies of involvement of all social strata in planning and implementation. (JC)

Important issues in African education involve the effects of the colonial education system on African subjects and their countries' political and socio-economic development. Of interest are some countries' efforts to correct dysfunctions resulting from the colonial system. Following independence, the state of education in many African countries in 1960 may be summarized as follows: (1) there was a fairly widespread primary education system with enrollment at about 41% of school age population; (2) adult illiteracy ranged from 50% to 99%; (3) educational expenditure has grown considerably; and (4) there was uncertainty as to the relevance of the educational system to the challenges of the newly independent countries. After independence, there were many efforts to expand educational opportunities. Between 1950-1960, enrollment in about forty primary sector countries increased 3-26%. Problems such as high formal education costs, high unemployment for school leavers, alienation of some educated persons from their culture/communities, and a multiplicity of languages, and lack of educational opportunities have led to a search for functional and less expensive education. Political and social action by many groups in addition to ministries of education will be required to resolve the complex problems of African educational systems. (CSS)

This volume contains the proceedings of the symposium on African language, culture and society held at Ohio State University. Six of the papers deal with the related issues of language reform and language planning, including such aspects as the choice of national and official languages. They include both general proposals for theoretical models as well as specific proposals for particular linguistic situations. Topics covered in the 12 papers in the second part of the volume include co-variation in social and linguistic patterns, an overview of creole speech communities and the typologies proposed for their description, the encoding of cultural perspectives in linguistic patterns and the importance of understanding these patterns for education, and the role of language in literature, with particular attention to the writings of African authors writing in European languages. The conference program and addresses of contributors are appended. (Author/CLK)

The study summarizes discussions and conclusions of the Regional Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Development Projects in East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya, April 1979), whose purpose was to share lessons learned from field experiences in managing information for rural development. An initial section summarizes information in papers submitted and conclusions reached by participants. The introduction notes previous World Bank workshops on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and identifies areas of concern: management's need for and use of information from M&E systems; issues relating to collecting, processing, analysis, and presentation of information; and organization of M&E units. The section on management's need for information contains subsections on information consumers, information managers want, information needs, impact of availability of information on decision-making, and alternative methods of M&E. Another section covers experiences with information systems, under headings of data collection, data processing and analysis, and presentation of M&E results. A final section, on organization of M&E units, discusses location, strategies for institution-building, formation and structure of M&E units, staffing and training, human and motivational factors, and costs of M&E. Appendices present the text of the opening address; lists of participants, papers submitted, and 35 selected references; and a summary of basic concepts on M&E. (MH)

Eighteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Effective Second Language Reading in a Cross-Cultural Society" (Irma Zaslansky); "A BA Degree in Social Sciences at the Israel Open University" (Ruth Beyth-Marom); "Establishing a Theological Education by Extension Programme in Southern Africa: An Evaluation of the First Ten Years" (Kate Hughes); "Aural and Oral" (Peter Haffter); "Music Education Through UNISA--Past, Present and Future" (Douglas Reid); "Visual Media and Art History" (Rayda Becker); "Tutoring for the Open University" (S.G. Kossick); "Practical English: A Strategy for the Future" (Barrie Goedhals); "Special Language Communication" (P.H. Swanepoel); "Teaching Afrikaans to UNISA Students" (Anna-Mart Schwerdtfeger); "How Did Distance Education in Music Become a Success at UNISA?" (Bernard S. van der Linde); "Distance Teaching within the Department of African Languages" (J.W. Snyman); "Participant or Student: The School of Business Leadership Experience" (J.W. Grobbelaar); "Economics in the Distance-Teaching Situation: Problems and Approaches" (Philip Mohr); "Post Graduate Studies in Law through Distance Teaching: The UNISA Approach" (Pierre E.J. Brooks); "Distance Education in Astronomy--A Challenge" (W.F. Wargau); "Chemistry, Its Practical Component and Distance Education" (G. McGillivray); and "Practical Theology and Distance Tuition" (Jacques P.J. Theron). (LB)

Seventeen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Establishing a Formal Student Support System--Time Is of the Essence" (Karen Hinrichs); "A Student Services Unit in a Distance Education Institution" (Hendrik Gous); "Distance Education and the Community: New Partnerships and Interactions" (Vivien Willers); "Admission, Registration and Examination Procedures in Respect of Postgraduate Degrees and Diplomas" (George Cox); "The UNISA Department of Production--A Functional Link in the Didactic Triangle" (H.P.J. van Niekerk): "UNISA's Scheduling Section" (B.J. van der Walt); "The Role of the Fulltime Equivalent Student in a Distance Teaching University" (P.C. Minnaar); "The Need for a Professional and Effective Supportive Administration in Distance Teaching" (Petrus J. Vermeulen); "The Utilization of Computers at UNISA" (O.V. Kilpert); "The Disabled Distance Education Student: Problems and Possibilities" (Phoebe van der Walt); "Career Guidance for Distance Students" (W.A. van Schoor); "The Promise and Problems of Learning at a Distance" (Desmond H. Crawford-Nutt); "Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Personal Tutor Scheme in Practical English" (Margaret H. van Zyl); "The Value of Discussion Groups to UNISA Students" (J. Lambert); "Student Support in Distance Learning" (Elsabe Swanepoel); "Essential Andragogic Support for the Absent Student in Distance Teaching" (Adriaan J. Smit); and "Adapting the Organizational Structure of Distance Education Departments to Meet the Demands of Rapid Growth" (Gordon Erens). (LB)

Thirteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented on media and technology. They include: "Making the Abstract Concrete: A Slide/Sound Programme to Illustrate Abstract Concepts on the Concrete Level" (Grace Reeler); "The Microcomputer and Distance Education" (Johanna S. Rossouw); "A Multimedia Approach to Creating Learning Experiences in Distance Education" (Louis J. van Niekerk); "The Training of Teachers by Means of Teletuition: The Audio Cassette and Teaching Practice" (Lawrie McFarlane); "Microteaching and Distance Education--The Self Teaching Experience" (Paul J.N. Steyn); "Written Language as Didactic Medium: From Principle to Technology" (Hannes van Deventer); "Computer-Aided Instruction in Quantitative Management--Part 1" (Ilze Olivier et al.); "Computer-Aided Instruction in Quantitative Management--Part 2" (Erica Ferreira, Gordon Erens); "The Application of Computer Technology in Offering Equal Education Opportunities to Students from First- and Third-World Environments" (J. Dewald Lubbe); "The Law Student and the Law Library" (Jean Burdzik); "The Effect of Advances in Information Technology on the Teaching of Practical Aspects in Computer Science at UNISA" (C.H. Bornman et al.); "Die Gebruik van Inligtingstegnologie in Afstandsonderrig" (N.F. du Plooy et al.); and "Computer-Aided Education as Student Centred Education: Practical Applications for Today and the Future" (P.J. van Dyk). (LB)

Papers from a workshop on the role and development of national languages include: "What Is a National Language Good for?" (Florian Coulmas); "To the Language Born: Thoughts on the Problem of National and International Languages" (Jacob Mey); "Swahili as a National Language in East Africa" (Marilyn Merritt, Mohamed Abdulaziz); "Implementing Morocco's Arabization Policy: Two Problems of Classification" (Beverley Seckinger); "Modern Hebrew as a National Language" (Robert L. Cooper); "The Emergence of the National Language in Ethiopia: An Historical Perspective" (Mulugeta Seyoum); "Malay in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore: Three Faces of a National Language" (Peter Lowenberg); and "What National Languages Are Good for" (Ralph Fasold). (MSE)

Papers include: "Another Dimension of Readiness To Learn in the Second Language"; "Medium of Instruction in Black Education in Southern Africa"'; "Language Across the Curriculum"; "Die milieu binne die skool" ("The Environment Inside the School"); "Language in Black Education: The Environment Outside the School"; "The New Joint Core Syllabuses for English Opportunities, Problems, Solutions"; "Eksemplariese werksdokument: 'Sillabus vir Afrikaans Tweede Taal Hoer Graad Standerd agt tot tien' van die Departement Onderwys en Opleiding" ("Examples of Work Documents: 'Syllabus for Afrikaans Second Language Higher Grade Standard Eight to Ten' of the Department of Education in Training"); "The Revised 1987 Syllabus for Bantu Languages"; "English Language Teaching Methodology";"Metodologie en die onderrig van Afrikaans" ("Methodology in the Teaching of Afrikaans"); "The Methodology of African Languages"; "The Role of Language in Black Education, Teacher Education and Training: Colleges of Training"; "An Experimental and Trainee-Centered Approach to Language-Teacher Training: A Proposal"; and "In-Service Training." Thirty pages of commentary conclude the document. (MSE)