eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

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Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

REGIONAL NEWS

 The Americas 

COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN

In June, the Caribbean Examinations Council introduced a new grading scale for the Secondary Education Certificate examination that it administers in 16 participating countries.

The New Caribbean
Grading Scale

GRADE I
Candidate shows a comprehensive grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

GRADE II
Candidate shows a good grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

GRADE III
Candidate shows a fairly good grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

GRADE IV
Candidate shows a moderate grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

GRADE V
Candidate shows a limited grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

GRADE VI
Candidate shows a very limited grasp of the key concepts, knowledge, skill and competencies required by the syllabus.

The new six-point grading scheme replaced the old scale, which consisted of five overall grades and four supplementary profile grades for performance in examination subjects.

The council has determined that the three highest grades in the new scale (I, II and III) should be regarded as equivalent to the two highest grades (I and II) in the old scale.

The council has advised tertiary institutions and ministries of education in participating countries that grades I through III should be considered as satisfying the entry requirement for four-year programs at universities.

They should also satisfy the entry requirements for post-secondary non-degree programs at community colleges, teachers colleges and any tertiary institution offering programs that require the Secondary Education Certificate for admission.

The new grading scale ensures a sharper distinction between the quality of performance at each grade.

- Caribbean Examinations Council
1998

UNITED STATES

A company best known for its test-preparation courses announced in September that it was starting the nations first online law degree program.

Kaplan Educational Centers says the program will allow students to earn a juris doctor degree without leaving home.

But spokesmen for both the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Association of American Law Schools said they doubted that any online curriculum could offer students the equivalent of a traditional law program.

The program, to be known as the Concord University School of Law, is the latest venture by Kaplan Educational Centers, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company, which has 1,200 locations in the United States and abroad.

The four-year law program opened for business on Oct. 6. Annual tuition is $4,200.

Students read lectures on the Internet and have access to a comprehensive, online library with links to all of the resources they need, according to a spokesman for the new program.

Under current ABA guidelines, an online law program would not be eligible for accreditation.

Students will follow a curriculum that school officials say is similar to that of many schools accredited by the ABA, although Concord has no immediate plans to seek such accreditation.

Under current ABA guidelines, an online law program would not be eligible for accreditation.

But those guidelines have been challenged by critics who believe they are inflexible, and the U.S. Department of Education has ordered the association to reconsider how applicable all of its requirements are to todays law schools.

Students who graduate from ABA-accredited law schools may take the bar exam in any state, while those who graduate from unaccredited schools are much more limited in their choices.

There is certainly an opportunity for distance learning in the educational process, but it would be very difficult to offer an entire law program on line, said J. Hurt, deputy consultant on legal education for the ABA.

Jack Goetz, dean of the online law school, countered that his law program was not trying to duplicate what traditional law schools do, but that it would allow students who would otherwise be shut out of a legal career to pursue one.

The Concord University School of Law Web site is located at: http://www.concord.kaplan.edu.

- Chronicle of Higher Education
Sept. 25, 1998

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© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
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USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
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E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

E.htm100644 0 0 25615 6655362366 10105 0ustar rootroot eWENR, November/December 1998

eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

REGIONAL NEWS

 Europe 

ICELAND

Two major laws concerning higher education were passed by the Icelandic Parliament in December 1997.

The first law sets the general framework for the operation of higher education institutions in the country.

Their independence is being increased and they are also being made more accountable.

This includes greater independence in financial affairs, but a financial contract is to be drawn up between each institution and the minister of education, science and culture.

The minister also negotiates with the institution as to whether and to what extent they are to engage in research.

Lines of administrative authority are clarified in the law and the influence of outside parties is being increased as two external members are to take a seat on the governing committee of higher education institutions.

According to the legislation, the minister of education, science and culture is now allowed to set rules on quality evaluation and certification of degrees.

The law will be fully implemented over the next two years.

The second law allows for the merging of four colleges: the College for Pre-School Teachers, the College of Physical Education and the College of Social Pedagogy with the existing University College of Education. The aim of the law is to strengthen teacher training in Iceland.

The new University College of Education has been fully operational with a new curriculum since the autumn of 1998.

- Le Magazine
No. 9, 1998

ITALY

Italy is introducing short degrees for school-leavers who have all the qualifications for university entry but prefer to get into the workplace quickly.

University Minister Luigi Berlinguer announced that the new super diplomas will be the result of one or two years of non-university study, plus hands-on internships in participating companies.

The project is a further step in Professor Berlinguers campaign to modernize Italian higher education, and make it respond better to the needs of the job market.

This type of training is demanded by social realities, by the companies and by the European Community, said Berlinguer. The training courses will also be worth credits that the students will be able to use should they subsequently want to go on to a university.

Universities already offer short degrees of two to three years in technical fields, but they have not proved very popular among students, who see them as second rate.

There are also three-month vocational training programs for young people who have not finished school.

Italy is introducing short degrees for school-leavers who have all the qualifications for university entry but prefer to get into the workplace quickly.

Super-diploma courses will also be open to people with school-leaving certificates who are already working and wish to improve their qualifications.

Short degrees, introduced four years ago, provoked protests from left-wing student organizations.

They see short degrees as an attempt to re-create a class structure in higher education and perceive the degrees to be a shift from the ideal of a full university education.

But the scheme announced by Berlinguer, who is a member of the Post-Communist Democratic Party of the Left, is so closely linked to the needs of the job market that it is unlikely to arouse opposition.

A university ministry spokesman said the courses will be organized by the regions in conjunction with local companies.

Teachers will not only be drawn from schools, universities and technical colleges but also from industry and the professions.

The first courses will begin this academic year.

The project should be fully operational by 1999-2000.

- Times Higher Education Supplement
Sept. 11, 1998

POLAND

This fall, Poland is opening nine higher-education institutions of a new type.

Offering three-year bachelors degrees, the institutions will train students for jobs as laboratory technicians, legal assistants, medical assistants and schoolteachers, among other occupations.

Called simply professional schools, the institutions will offer training that is more practical and less academic than that provided by universities.

The schools will be a cross between United States-style community colleges and four-year institutions.

Polish officials say the schools will most closely resemble the German Fachhochschule.

The professional schools are designed to help Poland increase the number of young people receiving some form of postsecondary education by offering an alternative to the basic five-year university programs that lead to a masters degree.

The new schools are being located in towns that do not already host a higher-education institution.

About 20 percent of Polands college-age population is enrolled in full-time higher-education programs.

To help Poland become a modern European country, we need at least 30 percent enrolled, said Jerzy Woznicki, rector of Warsaw University of Technology.

It remains to be seen how successful the professional schools will be in attracting students.

In recent years, Polish universities have introduced bachelors-degree programs in some subjects, but they have not attracted many young people.

The traditional masters degree still has great prestige, and students feel that with only a bachelors degree, they will have no chance of finding work, said Woznicki.

The Conference of University Rectors originally was against the establishment of the new schools.

We felt we could provide the shorter programs better and more inexpensively, said Aleksander Koj, rector of Jagiellonian University in Kracw.

But he said the universities have now accepted the job of supervising the schools.

- Chronicle of Higher Education
Sept. 11, 1998

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© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
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November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

MASTHEAD

Publisher: Mariam Assefa
Editor: Robert Sedgwick
Circulation: Nisha Abdullah

The electronic version of World Education News & Reviews (ISSN 0897-6724) is published bimonthly by World Education Services.

The views expressed in articles and information submissions published in WENR are those of the authors and contributors and not necessarily those of WES.

Copyright 1998 World Education Services. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

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© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

NIS.htm100644 0 0 24510 6655362420 10332 0ustar rootroot eWENR, November/December 1998

eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

REGIONAL NEWS

 Newly Independent States 

RUSSIA

The emergence of private schools in Russia is a phenomenon concentrated in the urban and financial centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

It coincides with the general deterioration of the public educational system, which has been hit by budgetary cuts and is adapting poorly to the social transformations that have taken place since the dissolution of the USSR.

With the Yeltsin reforms, the privatizations, the emergence of financial markets and the development of large exporting firms, the major route to good paying employment for a young Russian is through finance, business and foreign languages.

In the fields, private institutions expensive as they may be have the reputation of providing a better education, and Russians who have the money prefer private sector education.

Questioned about the future prospects of her adolescent son, the director of a publishing house in St. Petersburg notes that, There is hardly a choice. Look in the newspapers. The only valid job offers are in accounting and management. [The liberal arts] and sciences do not lead to work.

According to the weekly financial magazine Diengui, there are about 500 private schools in Russia today.

The first appeared at the end of the 1980s, during Perestroika.

The majority (256) are in Moscow, and 80 of them offer an education that goes to the end of high school.

In addition to the regular curriculum, private schools offer supplementary courses intended to increase student chances of admission to higher education.

The major route to good paying employment for a young Russian is through finance, business and foreign languages.

The schools often recruit university professors to teach these courses, attracting them with more enticing salaries than can be found in the public sector.

According to the weekly newspaper Profil, One finds a considerable number of children of businessmen and high-ranking politicians enrolled at the private Institute of International Business and Law in Moscow.

Here [students] are prepared to become future specialists in the areas of international business: managers, lawyers and economists, says the newspaper.

The idea of such a lycee arose when teachers of the institute expressed their desperation at the lack of knowledge among students leaving the public education system.

The newspaper asks: What good is an economist who doesnt know about geography?

The school teaches typewriting in English, computer skills, business writing and etiquette.

On campus, discipline is normally imposed through fines.

The rules are strict, states Profil. For tardiness to class, or an unexcused absence, or if the student is caught smoking a cigarette, the fine is $5. And if it happens again, its two or three times more expensive.

- Le Monde de lEducation
Sept. 1998

UKRAINE

Training local governmental officials may not seem like mold-breaking, revolutionary activity, but the Ukrainian Academy of Public Administration is leading the way in changing Ukraine education.

The academy, established by presidential decree in 1995, symbolizes the break with Moscow and the current governments belief that a decentralized system of local planning responds better to local needs.

Under the 1996 Education Reform Act, some responsibilities for education were devolved to local authorities. And it will be local government officers who administer the reform.

The Dnipropetrovsk branch of the academy has struck a cooperative deal with the University of North London (UNL), one of the few universities in Britain with a Ukrainian center.

A masters degree program in public administration is being set up with financial assistance from the United Kingdoms Know-How Fund.

Yuri Sharov, deputy director of the Dnipropetrovsk branch, said, Local government officers who have worked a minimum of one year for state structures and local government organizations are referred to us from their place of work. They must have degrees.

The program aims to train public servants who will be able to develop and implement policies in different spheres of public activity.

It is designed to help them analyze and solve problems in their own particular area.

Our course is very intensive, according to Western standards, said Sharov. They include about six hours of contact teaching a day. In addition to the MA course work, students also follow an intensive foreign-language course, which they do in the evening.

UNL also helps Ukrainian officials with materials and visiting lecturers. The program combines theory with practice.

There are lectures on economics, law and management strategy, and courses in public speaking and information technology.

Teaching methods are more student-centered and communicative than is traditional in Eastern Europe, with lots of role playing, business games and student participation in the lectures.

We know this course is successful, said Sharov. We keep track of students when they leave us, and most are promoted within a year. It is a fast-track to success.

Sergey Seriogin, program director, added: We dream that one day one of our graduates will become the president of the Ukraine. Maybe its our only chance of getting a decent pension.

- Times Higher Education Supplement
Aug. 21, 1998

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© 1998 World Education Services
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USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
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November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

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Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

RESEARCH

New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

by Margaret Dobrow-King
Senior Area Specialist
World Education Services

On Dec. 12, 1995, the Bulgarian National Assembly passed the Higher Education Act.

This legislation outlined the new structure of higher education and set guidelines for the new academic titles and degrees to be awarded.

It also made clear how the previously awarded degrees would fit into the new structure by specifying their correspondence to the new degrees and by granting individuals holding older degrees the right to use the new titles. The following is a brief description of the old and new structures.

Higher education is offered at three types of institutions. The poluvisshe, or semi-higher, institutes offer programs designed to train students for professional and skilled positions. The higher institutes offer very specialized programs, usually in the fields of agriculture, medicine, economics and the arts. Universities offer a wide variety of programs in their different faculties, but students always specialize from the first year of study.

Bulgarian Higher Education Degrees
BEFORE 1995 1995 & LATER
Diploma Za Zavrsheno
Poluvisshe Pbrazovanie
(Diploma of Completed Semi-Higher Education)
Spetsialist (Specialist)
No corresponding award Bakalavr (Bachelor)
Diploma Za Zavrsheno
Visshe Obrazovanie/DZVO
(Diploma of Completed Higher Education)
Magistr (Master)
Kandidat na Naukite
(Candidate of Science)
Doktor
(Doctor of Science)
Doktor na Naukite
(Doctor of Science)
No corresponding award

Upon completion of secondary school, students take the written and oral National Matriculation Examination, which features questions developed by the Ministry of Education.

Those who do not take the exam receive a Certificate of Completion of Secondary School and are not eligible for entry into higher education.

Those who pass the exam receive the Diploma Za Zavrsheno Sredno Obrazovanie (DZSO), also known as the Diploma of Completed Secondary Education.

The DZSO is required for entrance into all higher and semi-higher institutions. In addition, students must take competitive entrance exams.

All students are ranked based on a combination of entrance exam performance and secondary school grades.

The universities select only the highest-ranking students for the limited spaces available. Only 13-14 percent of DZSO holders are accepted into a university.

Structure of Higher Education Before 1995

Diploma Za Zavrsheno Poluvisshe Obrazovanie (Diploma of Completed Semi-Higher Education): This diploma was awarded upon completion of a two- to three-and-one-half-year program offered at poluvisshe (semi-higher) institutes. Following completion, students could proceed (with advanced standing) to higher-institute or university programs leading to the Diploma Za Zavrsheno Visshe Obrazovanie (Diploma of Completed Higher Education). In practice, however, very few did.

Diploma Za Zavrsheno Visshe Obrazovanie/DZVO (Diploma of Completed Higher Education): This diploma, abbreviated as DZVO, was awarded upon completion of a four- to five-year program offered at universities or higher institutes. In most programs, a thesis was required for degree completion. In all programs, students were also required to pass a state exam to qualify for a diploma. This exam consisted of topics in political economy, Marxism-Leninism and the area of specialization.

Kandidat na Naukite (Candidate of Science): Students who held a DZVO and passed competitive entrance exams in their area of specialization were eligible to be admitted to a Kandidat na Naukite program. The program consisted of the aspirantura (period of research and qualifying exams) and the defense of a thesis. Full-time students usually completed the program in three years.

Doktor na Naukite (Doctor of Science): This degree was awarded to Candidates of Science after subsequent research, publication and a new contribution to the body of knowledge (recognized in Bulgaria and abroad).

Structure of Higher Education, 1995 and Later

Spetsialist (Specialist): The Higher Education Act of 1995 officially recognizes all Diploma Za Zavrsheno Poluvisshe Obrazovanie issued to this point as spetsialist degrees.

Bakalavr (Bachelor): This is a new degree established by the Higher Education Act of 1995. The DZSO is required for admission. The title is awarded after four years of study at a higher institute or university.

Magistr (Master): This new degree, created by the Higher Education Act of 1995, can be earned in two ways. Students who have the DZSO complete a five- or six-year unified program. Those who have already earned the bakalavr can receive the magistr after one to two years of additional study. Students must (usually) complete a thesis and (always) pass a state exam to be awarded the degree. The Higher Education Act of 1995 recognizes all pre-1995 DZVO as magistr degrees, regardless of the type of program or length of study.

Doktor (Doctor): This new degree is awarded after three years of research, exams and the submission and defense of a dissertation. It replaces the old Kandidat na Naukite (Candidate of Science).

The Higher Education Act of 1995 grants all Kandidat na Naukite holders the right to use the title doktor.

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November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

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WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

WORLD EDUCATION SERVICES

World Education Services is a private, not-for-profit organization founded and incorporated in 1974.

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WES Information Advisory Board
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Cynthia Fish, Baruch College, NY
Mary Anne Grant, ISEP
Gail Hochhauser, NAFSA, Assoc. of Int. Educators
Michael Holcomb, Rutgers the State University of NJ
John Hopkins, University of Tampere, Finland
K.C. Kalra, Assoc. of Indian Universities
Alan Margolis, ret., Queens College, NY
Axel Markert, University of Tbingen, Germany
Glenn Shive, Governors State University, IL
Margarita Sianou, WES
Jerry Wilcox, Cornell University, NY
Hans de Wit, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Masaru Yamada, Center for Int. Cultural Studies & Education, Japan

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November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

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WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

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DIRECTORY

Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

All institutional name changes indicated in the entries below took effect in 1995. For more information, contact the institutions directly or the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2A Kniaz Dondukov Boulevard, 1000 Sofia, phone: 011-359-2-84-81, fax: 011-359-2-871-289.

Agricultural University Plovdiv
(formerly the Higher Institute of Agriculture)
D. Mendeleev 12 4000 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-2-34-98
Fax: 011-359-32-23-31-57
Web: http://www.au-plovdiv.bg
E-mail: info@au-plovdiv.bg

Akademija za Muzikalno i Tancovo Izkustvo [Academy of Music and Dance Arts]
(formerly called the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Music)
2 Todor Samodumov Str. 4025 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-228-311
Fax: 011-359-32-231-668

Amerikanski Universitet v Bulgaria [American University in Bulgaria]
2700 Blagoevgrad
Phone: 011-359-73-20968
Fax: 011-359-73-20603
Web: http://www.aubg.bg
E-mail: admissions@fin.aubg.bg

Burgaski Svododan Universitet [Bourgas Free University]
101 Alexandrovska Str. 8000 Bourgas
Phone: 011-359-56-22152
Fax: 011-359-56-29567

Darzavna Muzikalna Akademija Prof. Panco Vladigerov [State Academy of Music Prof. Panco Vladigerov]
(formerly called the Bulgarian State Conservatory)
11 Evlogi Georgiev Boulevard 1505 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-442-197
Fax: 011-359-2-463-677

European College of Business and Technology
19 Hristo Botev Str. Veliko Tarnovo
Phone: 011-359-62-24028
Fax: 011-359-62-23958

Himiko-tehnologicen i Metalurgicen Universitet [University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Chemical Technology)
8 St. Kliment Ohridski Str. 1756 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-682-105
Fax: 011-359-2-685-488
Web: http://www.uctm.acad.bg
E-mail: velev@adm1.uctm.acad.bg

Ikonomiceski Universitet, Varna [Varna University of Economics]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Economics, Varna)
77 Kniaz Boris I Boulevard 9002 Varna
Phone: 011-359-52-225-351
Fax: 011-359-52-325-680
Web: http://ue.mt-mt.bg

Lesotehniceski Universitet [University of Forestry]
(formerly called the Higher Technical Institute of Forestry)
10 St. Kliment Ohridski Boulevard 1756 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-623-068
Fax: 011-359-2-622-830

Medicinski Universitet Sofia [Medical University of Sofia]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Medicine, Sofia)
15 St. Georgi Sofiiski Boulevard 1431 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-590-052
Fax: 011-359-2-594-094
Web: http://www.medun.acad.bg
E-mail: root@Sun.medun.acad.bg

Medicinski Universitet Varna [Medical University of Varna]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Medicine, Varna)
55 Marin Drinov Str. 9010 Varna
Phone: 011-359-52-225-622
Fax: 011-359-52-222-584

Minno-geolozki Universitet Sveti Ivan Rilski [University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Mining and Geology)
Hristo Botev Studentski Grad 1100 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-687-224
Fax: 011-359-2-624-940
Web: http://www.mgu.bg
E-mail: webmaster@mgu.bg

Nacionalna Akademija za Teatralno i Filmoud Izkustvo Kristo Sarafov [National Academy for Theater and Film Arts Krustyu Sarafov]
(formerly called the Krustyu Sarafov Higher Institute of Drama)
108-A Rakovski Str. 1000 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-873-424
Fax: 011-359-2-897-389

Nacionalna Hudozestvena Akademija [National Academy of Arts]
(formerly called the Nikolai Pavlovich Higher Institute of Fine Art)
1 Sipka Str. 1000 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-881-701
Fax: 011-359-2-873-328

Nacionalna Sportna Akademija [National Sports Academy]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Physical Culture)
1 Gourgoulyat Str. 1000 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-879-620
Fax: 011-359-2-883-064

Nov Bugarski Universitet [New Bulgarian University]
21 Montevideo Str. P.O. Box 669 1635 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-547-187
Fax: 011-359-2-540-802
Web: http://www.nbu.acad.bg

Plovdivski Universitet Paissii Hilendarski [Plovdiv University Paissii Hilendarski]
24 Tsar Assen Str. 4000 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-225-385
Fax: 011-359-32-235-049
Web: http://www.uni-plovdiv.bg
E-mail: info@uni-plovdiv.bg

Rusenski Universitet Angel Kancev [University A. Kancev Rousse]
(formerly called the Angel Kunchev Higher Technical School)
8 Studentska Str. 7017 Rousse
Phone: 011-359-82-447-268
Fax: 011-359-82-455-145
Web: http://www.ru.acad.bg

Slavjanski Universitet [Slavic University]
169 Evlogi Georgiev Boulevard 1000 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-439-972

Sofiiski Universitet Sveti Kliment Ohridsky [St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia]
Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. 15 1504 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-873-996
Fax: 011-359-2-463-589
Web: http://www.uni-sofia.bg
E-mail: rossy@uni-sofia.bg

Stopanska Akademija Dimitur A. Tsenov [Academy of Economics Dimitur A. Tsenov]
(formerly called the Dimitur A. Tsenov Higher Institute of Finance and Economics)
2 Emanuil Chakarov Str. 5250 Svishtov
Phone: 011-359-631-22-721
Fax: 011-359-631-23-472
Web: http://www.uni-svishtov.bg

Sumenski Universitet Konstantin Preslavski [Konstantin Preslavski University, Shoumen]
(formerly called the Konstantin Preslavski Higher Pedagogical Institute)
53 Aprilsko Vustanie Str. 9712 Shoumen
Phone: 011-359-54-63148
Fax: 011-359-54-63171
Web: http://www.uni-shoumen.acad.bg
E-mail: rector@main.uni-shoumen.acad.bg

Tehniceski Universitet Gabrovo [Technical University of Gabrovo]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering)
4 Hadji Dimitur Str. 5300 Gabrovo
Phone: 011-359-66-23104
Fax: 011-359-66-24856
Web: http://www.tugab.bg

Tehniceski Universitet Sofija [Technical University of Sofia]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering)
Hristo Botev Studentski Grad 1797 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-623-073
Fax: 011-359-2-685-343
Web: http://www.vmei.acad.bg

Tehniceski Universitet Varna [Technical University of Varna]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering)
1 Studentska Str. Vassil Levski district 9010 Varna
Phone: 011-359-52-302-431
Fax: 011-359-52-302-771
Web: http://www.tu-varna.acad.bg

Trakijski Universitet [Thracian University]
(founded following a merger of the former Higher Higher Institute of Zoo-technics and Veterinary Medicine and the Higher Medical Institute in Stara Zagora)
Studentski Grad 6000 Stara Zagora
Phone: 011-359-42-22-002
Fax: 011-359-42-34-102
Web: http://www.uzvm.bg
E-mail: post@uzvm.uzvm.bg

Universitet A. Zlatarov [Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov University]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Chemical Technology, Bourgas)
1 Prof. Yakimov Str. 8010 Bourgas
Phone: 011-359-56-660-119
Fax: 011-359-56-686-141

Universitet po Arkitectura, Stroitelstvo i Geodesia [University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy]
(formerly called the Higher Institute of Architecture and Building)
1 Hristo Smirnenski Boulevard 1421 Sofia
Phone: 011-359-2-661-967
Fax: 011-359-2-656-863
Web: http://www.uacg.acad.bg
E-mail: aceadm@uacg.acad.bg

Universitet za Nacionalno i Svetovno Stopanstvo [University of National and World Economy]
(formerly called the Karl Marx Higher Institute of Economics)
Studentski Grad Hristo Botev 1756 Sofia Bulgaria
Phone: 011-359-2-685-413
Fax: 011-359-2-689-042
Web: http://www.unwe.acad.bg

Varnenski Svoboden Universitet [Varna Free University]
P.O. Box 9 9000 Varna
Phone: 011-359-52-856-641
Fax: 011-359-52-856-088

Veliko Tarnovski Universitet Kiril i Metodii [Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo]
2 Teodosi Tarnovski Str. 5000 Veliko Tarnovo
Phone: 011-359-62-20189
Fax: 011-359-62-28023
Web: http://www.vtu.acad.bg

Viss Pedagogiceski Institut Neofit Rilski [South-West University Neofit Rilski]
(formerly called the Neofit Rilski Higher Pedagogical Institute)
66 Alexi Velichkov Str. 2700 Blagoevgrad
Phone: 011-359-73-26563
Fax: 011-359-73-29325
Web: http://www.swu.bg

Viss Selskostopanski Institut [Higher Institute of Agriculture]
12 Mendeleev Str. 4000 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-224-100
Fax: 011-359-32-233-157
Web: http://www.au-plovdiv.bg

Viss Institut po Hranitelna i Vkusova Promislenost [Higher Institute of Food and Flavor Industries]
26 Marcia Boulevard 4000 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-440-005
Fax: 011-359-32-440-102
Web: http://www.plov.omega.bg/vihvp
E-mail: vihvp@hiffi-plovdiv.acad.bg

Viss Medicinski Institut Pleven [Higher Institute of Medicine of Pleven]
1 St. Kliment Ohridski Str. 5800 Pleven
Phone: 011-359-64-29-105
Fax: 011-359-64-29-153
E-mail: vmilibrpl@mbox.digsys.bg

Viss Medicinski Institut Plovdiv [Higher Institute of Medicine of Plovdiv]
15A Vassil Aprilov Boulevard 4002 Plovdiv
Phone: 011-359-32-443-839
Fax: 011-359-32-442-194

 RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 


© 1998 World Education Services
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NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

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eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

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World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

HOW-TO

How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

by Richard Kearney

In 1999, Ontario will offer a new four-year high school curriculum to students entering grade 9.

The new program will lead to abolition of the current university-preparatory curriculum that many students now complete by enrolling in elementary and secondary schools for 13 years.

Because this reform represents the second major change in Ontarios high school system since 1984, U.S. admission officers should consider reviewing current policies for admission and advanced placement/standing or transfer credit based on the credentials they expect to receive from Ontario applicants.

The following review is intended to assist in that process.

Until 1984, students seeking admission to undergraduate programs in Ontario completed a two-stage secondary school cycle.

The first stage (grades 9-12) led to a Secondary School Graduation Diploma, while the second stage consisted of one year of university-preparatory study in six subjects (Grade 13) and led to an Honour Graduation Diploma.

Students graduating with a grade 12 diploma could continue their education at non-university colleges, but only grade 13 graduates could enter universities.

The 1984 reform abolished the fixed structure of the university-preparatory year and replaced the two diplomas with one new Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The first OSSDs were awarded in 1986.

Under the reform, grade 13 courses were thoroughly reviewed and gradually reintroduced into secondary schools under a new name, Ontario Academic Courses (OACs).

The provincial Ministry of Education intended the OACs to be taken during a carefully planned four-year high school cycle, because OACs could count toward the requirements for an OSSD.

Universities continued to demand six subjects for admission, but a 13th year was no longer mandatory.

To ensure high academic standards, the ministry exercised greater control over the content of OACs than had been the case under the previous system.

The new program will lead to abolition of the current university-preparatory curriculum.

For students, this new, flexible structure meant university studies could begin after grade 12.

In practice, however, many students remained in high school for a 13th (and even 14th) year to accumulate the six minimum OACs required for university admission or to improve grades in OAC subjects already completed.

This was, in effect, the downside of flexibility. Of the 30 credits of study required for an OSSD (one credit is equal to at least 110 hours of instruction in a subject), almost half consisted of electives.

Poorly planned programs could leave students without adequate prerequisite study to undertake OAC subjects.

The new reform attempts to strike a better balance between flexibility and uniformity in secondary education.

Although 30 credits will still be required for an OSSD, 18 credits will be compulsory, with a greater emphasis on mathematics, language, and science.

The ministry has promised an increase in academic standards in all grades, so no student will need to remain in school beyond grade 12.

Beginning in grade 9, courses will be streamed as academic or applied in focus, though both types will share a common core.

Students, parents and teachers will be encouraged to review the general direction of individual programs as early as grade 7 by means of a formal annual education plan, but students will continue to have the option of changing direction.

OACs will be discontinued. Instead, courses will fall into one of the following four categories (called series by the ministry):

Series 1: General or interdisciplinary courses not connected to postsecondary plans

Series 2: Courses designed for direct entry to work, apprenticeship programs or non-degree college programs

Series 3: Courses designed for admission to a university or more demanding college programs

Series 4: Transfer courses designed to enable students to move between series 2 and series 3 in their general plan of study

The ministry claims the new university-preparatory courses will be more challenging than the OACs.

Depending on when a student graduates, then, admission officers will receive transcripts identifying university-preparatory study in different ways (as grade 13, OACs, or series 3 courses) and should consider them comparable to each other in the general context of current admission policies.

 RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 


© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

index.html100644 0 0 27232 6655361110 11163 0ustar rootroot eWENR, November/December 1998

eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

REGIONAL NEWS

 Africa 

COTE DIVOIRE

The government has drawn up three literacy programs that give priority to women and children.

Dubbed One Literate Woman, Three Children Educated, the first part of the five-year program is expected to help 25,000 women learn to read and write. It will also send 75,000 children to school in the most disadvantaged regions of the country, between 1998 and 2001.

Some 10,000 children, mostly girls in the informal agricultural sector in rural areas, are also expected to benefit under the second phase of the program, scheduled to begin in 1999, according to Education Minister Pierre Kipre.

Kipre also indicated the third phase of the program would help educate at least 10,000 women every year in the country, mostly in the rural areas. The literacy rate in Cote dIvoire, which has a population of 15.8 million, is currently estimated at 43 percent.

The minister said the governments ambition is to increase the literacy rate to 84 percent by the year 2000. He added that 70 percent of women, who constitute more than 51 percent of the population, would be able to read and write by then.

The first part of the five-year program is expected to help 25,000 women learn to read and write.

The new program comes at a time when Cote dIvoires education system, which used to be one of the best in the West African subregion in the 1970s, is still feeling the effects of economic reforms adopted in 1990.

During the 1970s, annual economic growth rates of 7 to 12 percent enabled the government to heavily subsidize education. The government even experimented with televised lessons one of the few African nations to do so.

An economic downturn in the 1980s, however, led to adjustment measures in all social sectors, including education. Although public primary schools do not charge fees, parents now pay for educational materials.

The schools have also failed to keep up with the annual 3 percent population growth rate, leaving many children without places in local schools.

According to UNESCO, the school-age population increased from 1.3 million to 2.08 million between 1980 and 1992. But the percentage of children enrolled in schools shrank from 79 percent to 69 percent.

- Panafrican News Agency
Sept. 10, 1998

MALAWI

Malawi commemorated its National Education Day in July amid complaints about deteriorating education standards in primary and secondary schools.

Parents who attended the official ceremonies presented politicians and officials with grievances about rapidly deteriorating education standards over the past few years.

Parents blamed the decline on the governments lack of commitment and seriousness.

President Bakili Muluzi, an advocate of free primary school education, has always said education is one of the most important assets in the development of the nation.

Of late, however, the Malawi education system has been rocked by countless problems.

Poor examination results have been attributed to a lack of school materials and a shortage of teachers.

Government corruption as well as corruption within the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) and among teachers have also been blamed.

The MANEB disqualified about 6,000 pupils who took the 1997 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations for cheating.

More than three quarters of the 28,328 school-sponsored candidates failed the MSCE examinations last year.

Peter Mitunda, chair of the southern branch of the Association for the Teaching of English in Malawi, noted that very few students who complete secondary school are able to express themselves in proper English.

He lamented a lack of incentives and support for teachers as a major factor contributing to deteriorating standards.

English teachers cannot help improve the situation if they are not given enough incentives and support, and if they do not have reliable teaching materials, Mitunda said.

The government, however, blames the proliferation of private schools as contributing to the lowering of educational standards.

Brown Mpinganjira, minister of education and sports, warned that his ministry would be strict in issuing licences for new private schools when the next school session begins in January 1999.

- All Africa News Agency (Nairobi)
Aug. 31, 1998

MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique hopes to make between 800,000 and 1 million adults literate in local languages and Portuguese by the year 2000, according to the Ministry of Education.

The literacy push is part of a bilingual education project that began in 1990.

A study from the ministrys National Directorate of Basic Education states that the Institute for Educational Development has produced and tested materials to be used for community education in four Mozambican languages: Tsonga, Emakua, Sena and Ndau.

When Mozambique became independent in 1975, the country had an illiteracy rate of 93 percent.
These programs of literacy in mother tongues, with Portuguese as a second language, are now under expansion in the south, center and north of the country, the study says.

The program also envisages intensive training of 25,000 nonprofessional monitors and instructors.

Other components of the program include literacy and training for 11- to 14-year-old children who have no access to normal schooling, as well as the creation of libraries, rural newspapers and cultural centers.

When Mozambique became independent in 1975, the country had an illiteracy rate of 93 percent, an inadequate school network, very few teachers and no experience in adult education.

The first mass literacy campaign was launched in July 1978 and resulted in the reduction of the illiteracy rate among Mozambicans above 15 years of age to 72.8 percent within two years.

In 1981, there were 450,000 adults in literacy classes.

Education, however, was a priority target for the apartheid-backed Renamo rebels during the war of destabilization. By 1989 the number of people attending literacy classes had collapsed to 46,225.

The assault on education was uppermost in rural primary schools. Between 1983 and 1991, Renamo rebels destroyed 3,110 primary schools and 58 percent of the entire school network, which affected 1.2 million pupils and 19,700 teachers.

- Panafrican News Agency
Sept. 7, 1998

 RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 


© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

subscriptions.htm100644 0 0 11225 6655363234 12613 0ustar rootroot eWENR, November/December 1998

eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

For information on new subscriptions or renewals, contact Nisha Abdullah at WES. Cost is $50 per year in the U.S., or $60 per year for subscribers outside of the U.S. eWENR is published six times per year.

To pay for a subscription with your Visa, MasterCard or American Express charge card, call Nisha at 212.966.6311 or 800.937.3895.

Or you can mail a check to:

eWENR
PO Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0745 USA

 RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 


© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

welcome.html100644 0 0 27232 6655426633 11523 0ustar rootroot eWENR, November/December 1998

eWENR Nameplate

November/December 1998
Volume 11, Issue 6

CONTENTS

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa (cover page)
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Newly Independent States
The Americas

HOW-TO
How to Deal With High School Credentials From Ontario

RESEARCH
New Structure of Bulgarian Higher Education

DIRECTORY
Bulgarian Institutions of Higher Education

eWENR & WES INFO

Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff.

Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR.

World Education Services: Learn more about the organization that brings you eWENR.

Comments: eWENR's editor welcomes your comments. If you have story ideas, suggestions or feedback regarding eWENR, e-mail us with the details.

WENR Archives: You can read WENR back issues from Summer 1995 through Fall 1996.

WENR Index: Features an index of all WENR articles through Fall 1996.

REGIONAL NEWS

 Africa 

COTE DIVOIRE

The government has drawn up three literacy programs that give priority to women and children.

Dubbed One Literate Woman, Three Children Educated, the first part of the five-year program is expected to help 25,000 women learn to read and write. It will also send 75,000 children to school in the most disadvantaged regions of the country, between 1998 and 2001.

Some 10,000 children, mostly girls in the informal agricultural sector in rural areas, are also expected to benefit under the second phase of the program, scheduled to begin in 1999, according to Education Minister Pierre Kipre.

Kipre also indicated the third phase of the program would help educate at least 10,000 women every year in the country, mostly in the rural areas. The literacy rate in Cote dIvoire, which has a population of 15.8 million, is currently estimated at 43 percent.

The minister said the governments ambition is to increase the literacy rate to 84 percent by the year 2000. He added that 70 percent of women, who constitute more than 51 percent of the population, would be able to read and write by then.

The first part of the five-year program is expected to help 25,000 women learn to read and write.

The new program comes at a time when Cote dIvoires education system, which used to be one of the best in the West African subregion in the 1970s, is still feeling the effects of economic reforms adopted in 1990.

During the 1970s, annual economic growth rates of 7 to 12 percent enabled the government to heavily subsidize education. The government even experimented with televised lessons one of the few African nations to do so.

An economic downturn in the 1980s, however, led to adjustment measures in all social sectors, including education. Although public primary schools do not charge fees, parents now pay for educational materials.

The schools have also failed to keep up with the annual 3 percent population growth rate, leaving many children without places in local schools.

According to UNESCO, the school-age population increased from 1.3 million to 2.08 million between 1980 and 1992. But the percentage of children enrolled in schools shrank from 79 percent to 69 percent.

- Panafrican News Agency
Sept. 10, 1998

MALAWI

Malawi commemorated its National Education Day in July amid complaints about deteriorating education standards in primary and secondary schools.

Parents who attended the official ceremonies presented politicians and officials with grievances about rapidly deteriorating education standards over the past few years.

Parents blamed the decline on the governments lack of commitment and seriousness.

President Bakili Muluzi, an advocate of free primary school education, has always said education is one of the most important assets in the development of the nation.

Of late, however, the Malawi education system has been rocked by countless problems.

Poor examination results have been attributed to a lack of school materials and a shortage of teachers.

Government corruption as well as corruption within the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) and among teachers have also been blamed.

The MANEB disqualified about 6,000 pupils who took the 1997 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations for cheating.

More than three quarters of the 28,328 school-sponsored candidates failed the MSCE examinations last year.

Peter Mitunda, chair of the southern branch of the Association for the Teaching of English in Malawi, noted that very few students who complete secondary school are able to express themselves in proper English.

He lamented a lack of incentives and support for teachers as a major factor contributing to deteriorating standards.

English teachers cannot help improve the situation if they are not given enough incentives and support, and if they do not have reliable teaching materials, Mitunda said.

The government, however, blames the proliferation of private schools as contributing to the lowering of educational standards.

Brown Mpinganjira, minister of education and sports, warned that his ministry would be strict in issuing licences for new private schools when the next school session begins in January 1999.

- All Africa News Agency (Nairobi)
Aug. 31, 1998

MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique hopes to make between 800,000 and 1 million adults literate in local languages and Portuguese by the year 2000, according to the Ministry of Education.

The literacy push is part of a bilingual education project that began in 1990.

A study from the ministrys National Directorate of Basic Education states that the Institute for Educational Development has produced and tested materials to be used for community education in four Mozambican languages: Tsonga, Emakua, Sena and Ndau.

When Mozambique became independent in 1975, the country had an illiteracy rate of 93 percent.
These programs of literacy in mother tongues, with Portuguese as a second language, are now under expansion in the south, center and north of the country, the study says.

The program also envisages intensive training of 25,000 nonprofessional monitors and instructors.

Other components of the program include literacy and training for 11- to 14-year-old children who have no access to normal schooling, as well as the creation of libraries, rural newspapers and cultural centers.

When Mozambique became independent in 1975, the country had an illiteracy rate of 93 percent, an inadequate school network, very few teachers and no experience in adult education.

The first mass literacy campaign was launched in July 1978 and resulted in the reduction of the illiteracy rate among Mozambicans above 15 years of age to 72.8 percent within two years.

In 1981, there were 450,000 adults in literacy classes.

Education, however, was a priority target for the apartheid-backed Renamo rebels during the war of destabilization. By 1989 the number of people attending literacy classes had collapsed to 46,225.

The assault on education was uppermost in rural primary schools. Between 1983 and 1991, Renamo rebels destroyed 3,110 primary schools and 58 percent of the entire school network, which affected 1.2 million pupils and 19,700 teachers.

- Panafrican News Agency
Sept. 7, 1998

 RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 


© 1998 World Education Services
P.O. Box 745, Old Chelsea Station
NY, NY 10113-0745
USA

Phone: 212.966.6311
Fax: 212.966-6395
Website: HTTP://WWW.WES.ORG
E-mail: WENR@WES.ORG

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