Last
September 1998, a regional meeting on The
Role of Universities in Rural Development
was organized by the Chinese National Commission
for UNESCO, the UNESCO Beijing Office and the
UNESCO-affiliated International Research and Training
Center for Rural Education . The meeting, held
in Beijing, People’s Republic of China,
provided a venue for the exchange and sharing
of successful and innovative ideas, experiences
and methodologies in rural development.
Some
of the country reports, issues and concerns discussed
in the regional meeting are presented in two issues
of the INNOTECH Journal. Part I (Vol. XXII, No.
1), contains reports on the roles universities
have played in rural development in various Asian
countries.
Part
II is contained in this issue of the INNOTECH
Journal. It discusses various issues and concerns
pertaining to the role of universities in rural
development. With new developments in science
and technology, universities have increasingly
been looked upon as the purveyors of information
and expertise in the area of rural development.
They are expected to provide services and advice
to local communities through their research, training
and extension services and functions. Articles
included in this issue are as follows:
University
Roles in Rural Development: Information Technology
and Networking Strategies by Dr. Pracob Cooparat
discusses the role of information technology in
reducing high cost of university education in
Asia. He presents several misconceptions about
IT and emphasizes the importance of correcting
such misconceptions to enable universities and
other types of institutions of higher learning
to fully use available technology to enhance teaching
and learning. Dr. Pracob also cites a number of
strategies for rural development which call for
the creation of necessary infrastructure under
the leadership of university heads and faculties.
Included
in this issue is an article I wrote on the Contributions
of Universities to Rural Development which
gives some examples, drawn from developed and
developing countries, on how universities have
performed their functions so as to contribute
to rural development. It also provides examples
of rural development projects of other agencies
from which universities may draw ideas. Examples
with strong technology components have been emphasized
to show that technology has great potential for
enabling universities to maximize their contributions.
Factors that made such contributions possible
were also cited.
New
Approaches for Universities in Rural Development
by Terd Charoenwatana discusses various issues
in rural resource management which transcend boundaries
of the region’s nation states and which
vary from country to country. He argues that in
order to solve critical and complicated issues
of rural resource management, new conceptual frameworks
and research methodologies are required. Such
methods would require a systems perspective, incorporating
social, cultural and economic factors into the
analysis of rural ecosystems and employment of
an interdisciplinary team approach.
Apart
from the above theme, also included in this issue
are articles on Alleviating Poverty through
Literacy and Continuing Education by Gutierrez
Mangansakan, The Holding Power of Elementary
Education System in the Philippines by Eligio
Barsaga, and an article by SEAMEO INNOTECH director,
Dr. Erlinda C. Pefianco titled Basic and Graduate
Education in the Learning Society of the Future.
Priscilla
G. Cabanatan
Guest
Editor
Program Director for ICT
SEAMEO INNOTECH |
