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CHAPTER EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN THEl970's

Educational reform trends in the developed countries were reviewed above, but many of the countries, which became independent after World War have made great efforts in promoting economic and social development so as to acquire independence and prosperity. The United Nations, UNESCO and other infer-national organizations have extended economic and technological assistance to these countries, and multilateral or bilateral projects of cooperation have also been carried out. These attempts were made with the understanding that closing the gap between the developed countries and the developing countries is a fundamental requirement for the peace and prosperity of the world.

But achievements in the twenty-five years since the end of the war have not necessarily been satisfactory and the gap seems even to have increased. There are many reasons for this, but it is obvious that one of the main problems is that the development of the human resources, which are indispensable for socio-economic development, has been slow in the developing countries and it will take a long time to see the results of efforts in this area.

As a first step in overcoming these difficulties in educational development UNESCO initiated an Asian regional plan called the Karachi Plan in 1960, an African regional plan called the Addis Ababa Plan in 1961 and a South American regional plan called the Santiago Plan in 1962. In 1965 a World Conference of Ministers of Education was held in Iran under the sponsorship of UNESCO and practical measures for the eradication of illiteracy were discussed.

As a follow-up to the Asian region's Karachi Plan, the First and Second Conferences of Ministers of Education were held in 1962 and 1965, respectively, under the sponsorship of UNESCO. There, the popularization and development or elementary and secondary education was discussed. Furthermore in 1968 an International Conference on Educational Planning was held in Paris to review educational planning as an integrated aspect of socio-economic planning.

Today it is well recognized that educational development is the foundation of all economic and social development, and many developing countries are attempting to create national educational plans from international viewpoints.