78 BOOK REVIEWS

countries which can hardly afford to provide mass education, but as it becomes clear that if children who are blind. deaf or physically or mentally handicapped are educated they can become far more productive adults. various countries are seeking to supply their needs. Baine’s book summarizes the literature in the field, focusing particularly on the Indian and Caribbean experience. but including sources in Africa and in the Pacific. Thus. his bibliography would be very useful to education departments which are entering this field.

The book appears to be aimed at students training to be primary teachers. Each chapter has clearly specified goals and long, detailed lists on how to carry out the tasks being discussed. The ten chapters focus on characteristic defects of the curricula used in developing countries, problems which arise when Western tests and practices are adopted which do not suit the local culture or environment and specific teaching techniques: ecological inventories. teach- ing chains, individual and group instruction, integrating the handicapped into regular classrooms. the special needs of students with limited hearing or sight and methods of testing. Some of this material seems perfectly obvious, hitting at straw men and practices which fell out of favour long ago. For example, strong emphasis is put on work experience. on the Chinese model, though China and other countries which tried it have found that time spent on work often deprives young pupils of a sound educational foundation. Much of Baine’s discussion appears to bc for teaching the mentally retarded activities of daily living rather than the three Rs, teaching children to do things they vvould normally learn at home. He states (p. 152). ‘The evidence strongly indicates that a student’s intelligence (IQ) is educationally irrelevant.‘; no source is given, and hc suggests that children with an IQ of 55 are able to compete with ‘normal’ children in the acquisition of ‘skills’. Suggestions are often unrealistic. assuming resources in time and personnel which are extremely unlikely to be available. Each ‘task’ must be exhaustively examined. programmed and tested, for each individual child. Jargon is sometimes intrusive: ‘ecological validity’, ‘terminal behavioural (instructional) objective, ‘ideal criterion rcfcrenced tests’. etc. Overall, this is a book to skim for useful ideas rather than to rely on as a teaching aid.

Socialisation of School Children and their Education for Democratic Values and Human Rights: Hugh Starkey (ed.). Council of EuropeiSwets & Zeitlinger. Amsterdam. IYYI. 22.3~~. 54.50 Guilders hb.

This collection of research reports is the product of a Colloquy held in IYSY at Ericeira, Portugal to mark the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. It forms part of a continuing programme of educational meetings of the Council of Europe for research workers and teachcrx. The purpose of this particular series of meetings is to compare research findings and cxpericncc in current issues in education in Europe: to identify areas of research so far neglected and to discuss possibilities for future joint research projects.

The book contains commissioned papers on education for democratic values and human rights from five

European countries, together with short reports from other participants from Europe and the U.S.A. One of the strengths of this volume, and its particular contribution to the debate on these issues. lies in the diversity of approaches presented by the participants, each bringing differing individual and national perspectives.

For example. in both Sweden and Finland programmes emphasise the importance of the concepts of international co-operation and solidarity in human rights education. Sweden focusing on social and economic rights and the necessity for a global perspective. Finland has built up a programme with the support of UNESCO; the contribution highlights some of the difficulties experienced in implementing this programme in schools, stresses the importance of teacher education and emphasises the urgent need for more research in this field. By contrast, the paper from France emphasises the need to address issues relating to the structures and organisation of the school, whilst the Holy See reports on one aspect of human rights education, education for peace.

A weakness in this type of conference report, which attempts to bring together diverse perspectives and practice. often lies in the difficulty in identifying common themes for future development. However, the contributions from the U.S.A. and from the editor go a long way to giving this volume coherence and a sense of direction. The former includes a very accessible discussion of the rationale for human rights education, recognising alternative conceptions of human rights in western. eastern bloc and developing countries. The paper identifies human rights principles as an integral part of educational responses to pluralist societies and an interdependent world. Hugh Starkey’s summary highlights a number of ideas developed at the conference. suggests opportunities for research and achieves the difficult task of drawing together areas of common interest into an agenda for curriculum development.

The book concludes with Recommendation No. R (8.5) of the Committee of Ministers to Member States, a binding agreement on teaching and learning about human rights in schools. Although the U.K. is a signatory. it has never been well publicised in Britain. It remains a useful document for teachers wishing to develop initiatives in their own schools but has not been included by local education authorities in policies to promote justice and equality. One aim of this book is to provide Ministries of Education with research to assist policy formation, but how seriously will member states. particularly Britain, take this?

Education, Production and Inequality. The East African Natural Experiment: John B. Knight and Richard H. Sabot. Oxford University Press for the World Bank, Oxford. 1990, 445~~.

This is a welcome and important book. In the context of an interesting economic study of secondary education policies in Kenya and Tanzania it provides readers with an unusual and valuable critique of social cost benefit analysis as all too frequently applied to education. It therefore gives u\ two benefits for the price of one: an in-depth comparison of two very different approaches to educational planning