MORE THAN BUSINESS-AS-USUAL - REFLECTIONS ON THE NEW MODALITIES OF EDUCATION AID

Educational development has stagnated during the 1980s in many developing countries. External aid has not been able to affect this course of events. It has been quantitatively insignificant and constrained by operational practices of donors. Furthermore, the intellectual basis for action has been weak and program design and implementation have been hampered by shortages of professional staff. Yet, aid will be critical in realizing progress towards the Jomtien goals, especially in low-income countries. To be effective development assistance strategies will need to support sectoral programs, developed and implemented by national staff. Sharing lessons from experience and strengthening institutional capacities are fundamental to this process. This will require rigorous documentation of the outcomes of programs and the systematic training of the next generation of education planners and researchers.