ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part presents data that illuminate the relationship between a nation’s level of wealth and its education system. It shows that overburdened, inefficient systems that strain to expand enrollments only lower educational quality. The part identifies a strategy, achieving widespread acceptance that is aimed at improving both educational efficiency and the link between a nation’s education system and its employment needs. It argues that political decisions determine the evolution of a country’s educational system, and that these decisions grow out of that country’s social institutions. The part looks at similarities and differences in education needs of developing and industrialized countries. Many developing countries have made great progress in decolonizing their educational systems, but meeting a second overarching need in the improvement of educational quality-making education more relevant for employment opportunities-has been more difficult.
