Improving training quality in developing countries : toward greater instructional efficiency

Vocational training presents most developing countries with a perplexing challenge : how to do more with less. Low levels of program quality are a cause for concern. This concern is not limited to formal programs, but cuts across all training sectors. The evidence suggests that in many developing countries program quality has seriously eroded at a time when there are even greater demands on skill training systems. Educational policy makers are faced with the need to improve quality with fewer resources. This paper examines the chief conditions affecting program quality. The major focus is at the instructional level, but attention is also given to the organizational practices which affect quality. Chapter 1 presents an introduction which identifies the classroom as the most important unit of a training system; Chapter 2 reviews instructional factors which impact on student achievement; Chapter 3 examines basic curriculum issues; Chapter 4 looks at instructional and classroom management practices; Chapter 5 discusses school level practices which influence learning. A number of issues surrounding administrators, teachers and students will also be briefly discussed. Chapter 6 presents a summary of the findings.

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