Introduction

Abstract

The recurrent theme of this book is the role which education plays in social and economic development. The book itself is intended, however, as a contribution to the sociology of education although I hope it reaches a much wider audience. I would like it to be read by students and teachers, politicians and planners, laymen and specialists alike. I hope it provokes argument, disagreement and further research. Aware that there are no specific recommendations for educational policy in this book I hope, nonetheless, that those who read it might be prompted to think about policy and that my account of educational systems in different kinds of societies might lead to fresh evaluations of more familiar contexts. This, after all, is the hope of all comparative studies of education.