C E R C u l a r - Faculty of Education - The University of Hong Kong

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
C E R C u l a r
From the
Director
Comparative Education Research Centre
Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong
CERC celebrates its tenth year of operation
this year, and in this, our anniversary
issue of CERCular, we are pleased to
share some of our achievements at CERC since
its launch in 1994. I am proud to be holding the
reins at CERC on this occasion, and it is with great
pleasure that I invite you to look through the pages of
this issue and celebrate with us the contributions that CERC
has made to the field of comparative education. A complete
record of these achievements would probably fill a book,
rather than a 24-page newsletter, so we have selected some
highlights of the past 10 years.
You will find brief reflections on their tenure as directors
of the centre from each of the three previous directors:
Lee Wing On, Mark Bray, and Bob Adamson.
You will also find descriptions of most books that CERC
has published since 1997. This amounts to over 30 volumes
in approximately seven years, a rate approaching five books
a year, which makes CERC one of the most prolific publishers
in the field. Further, our co-publishing agreement with
Kluwer/Springer, who publish hardcover versions of titles
in the CERC Studies in Comparative Education series, underscores
CERC’s position as a leading publisher of quality
books in comparative education.
This issue also contains short reports of CERC research
projects, training programmes, and research
consultancies, along with reports of visits to CERC by distinguished
academics, reports of the achievements of some
alumni of the MEd programme in Comparative Education at
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 From the Director
2-15 10th Anniversary: Highlights
from CERC’s first decade
16-17 WCCES News
18-19 CERC’s International Research
Consultancies and Collaboration
20-21 CERC News
22-23 Publications by CERC members
24 New CERC Books
1
CERC
Newsletter
the University of Hong Kong, and other indicators of CERC’s
collaborations across and contributions to the field.
Apart from these pages celebrating CERC’s achievements
over the past 10 years, you will find some of our more
regular features. These include news of some of the comparative
education societies across the globe that are members
of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies
(WCCES). CERC is especially proud to launch this issue
of CERCular at the 12th Congress of the WCCES in Havana.
We extend a special invitation to delegates to the Havana
Congress to celebrate with us our tenth anniversary by taking
a copy of this issue back to their home institutions and by
discussing with us ways in which we might collaborate further
in our contributions to the field.
This issue of CERCular also reports on some ways in
which CERC members have recently been able to contribute
to educational development in Asia and more widely. CERC
members have conducted research that is contributing to reducing
the financial burden of education on poor families in
China’s Gansu Province and in Cambodia. They have contributed
to the process of higher education reform in Vietnam,
to educational planning in central and eastern Europe, and, in
collaboration with the East-West Center in Hawaii, to the development
of programmes for educational leaders in the Asia-
Pacific region.
All of this and more you will find in this our tenth anniversary
issue of CERCular. Enjoy it as you celebrate with us
10 years of service to the field.
Mark Mason
New Books Published by CERC
Please see back page for details.
June 2004; 323pp.
ISBN 962 8093 34 7
HK$200 / US$32
10 th Anniversary
Issue
September 2004; 121pp.
ISBN 962 8093 36 3
HK$100 / US$16

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
CERC’s 10th Anniversary
This year is CERC’s tenth anniversary. CERC was established in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong
in 1994, and has since then recorded substantial achievements in the field of comparative education.
CERC’s Establishment and Operation
The Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at the
University of Hong Kong was established in 1994, but its
origins go back to 1989. John Biggs, Head of the Department
of Education and Chairman of the Hong Kong Centre for the
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement (IEA) at that time, proposed establishing a
Centre for Regional and Comparative Studies in Education.
However the proposal did not initially gather much momentum.
By 1994, the University climate was more favourable
to the establishment of centres, albeit on a limited funding
basis. New centres were to be virtual in nature, requiring no
additional resources but serving as magnets to concentrate
research expertise and generate more interest for sponsorship
and funding. In March 1995 the name ‘Comparative Education
Research Centre’ was formally adopted, and has been in use
since.
CERC’s operation depends on voluntary support from
its Management Committee and its members. The Management
Committee consists of an ex-officio member, three
elected members, and up to three co-opted members. Coopted
members can be either full or associate members. Staff
and students within the University are full members.
Associate members come from outside the University, and
their membership is by invitation from the Management
Committee. They influence the administration of CERC and
the networks developed by CERC. The founding members
of the Management Committee were all staff from the Departments
of Curriculum Studies and Education. Since then,
students have also joined the Committee.
Committee members have come from Australia, China,
Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Africa and the UK. They have
brought extensive international experience and perspectives from
their home countries. In addition to comparative education, the
committee members have specialised in educational administration,
planning and policy analysis, cultural studies, philosophy
of education, research methodology, curriculum studies,
language studies, and developmental psychology. The geographic
areas covered by these interests include Greater China,
the rest of Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
The committee has led efforts to develop links with
other comparative education centres. Several members of
the first committee participated in various IEA studies, including
the Third International Mathematics and Science
Study (TIMSS) and the Civic Education Study. CERC’s committee
members have also conducted research for international
organisations including UNESCO, UNICEF, the Asian
Development Bank, and the World Bank.
CERC’s directors have been: Lee Wing On (1994-96),
Mark Bray (1996-2001), Bob Adamson (2002), and Mark
Mason since 2002. Below are some reflections from each of
CERC’s directors.
2
Reflections from CERC’s
four Directors
Lee Wing On
(1994-96)
Mark Bray
(1996-2001)
CERC deserves heartiest
congratulations on its
achievements leading
up to this 10t h anniv ersary
celebration. I was honoured to
be CERC’s inaugural director
and thus to contribute to its birth
and development.
The primary reason for establishing
CERC was the strong
critical mass in comparativ e
education in the Faculty of Education
at the University of Hong
Kong. CERC has often had five
colleagues, and sometimes even ten, attending the
major international comparative education conferences
around the world, thus raising the profile of the centre,
the faculty and the university. We all held, and continue
to hold, high aspirations for CERC: we want it to be a
leading comparative education centre in Asia, and
globally, and we want CERC to interpret educational
experiences in Asia for the world; we want to develop
Asian perspectives in comparative education; we want
CERC to be a leading centre of international comparative
education research publishing.
The centre was established and continues to operate
with little financial support from the University. I
quickly learned the skills of self-financing, and was
pleased that I was able to hand over responsibility for
CERC to the next director with a healthy balance sheet.
I congratulate CERC’s subsequent directors and staff on
their success in helping CERC to really fly, and more
importantly, in bringing the quality of Hong Kong scholarship
to the rest of the world. �
For most of the period bet
ween Oct ober 1996,
when I took ov er the
Directorship from Lee Wing On,
and January 2002, when I
handed over to Bob Adamson,
CERC was located on the
seventh floor of the Knowles
Building. Our premises were
small, but we grew steadily in
reputation and voice.
Looking back at the
minutes of the CERC Executive
Committee, I see much activity. I particularly want to
highlight six dimensions:
� CERC Publications. In 1997 CERC launched what
became its flagship series, CERC St udies in

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
Comparative Education; and during the period were
published an impressive number of books, as recounted
elsewhere inthis issue of CERCular.
� Visit ors. CERC welcomed many visitors. Some, such
as Max Eckstein, Gu Mingyuan, Nina Borev skaya
and Toru Umakoshi, came for short periods. Others,
such as Dav id Ev ans, Gretchen Rossman and
Patricia Potts, spent extended sabbaticals with us.
� Seminars. CERC ran a v ery activ e seminar programme,
for most of the period coordinated by Bob
Adamson. Speakers included CERC academic staff,
research students, and visitors.
� Postdoct oral Fellows. Zhang Weiyuan was with us
from 1996 to 1998, and Gui Qin from 1997 to 1999.
Both made major contributions to daily life; and they
particularly helped CERC to strengthen its links with
mainland China.
Bob Adamson
(2002)
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
My tenure as Director of
CERC lasted little more
than six months, although
my association with CERC
goes back to 1995. I took over in
January 2002 from Mark Bray when
he became Head of the merged
departments of Education and
Curriculum Studies, and thereafter
Dean of the Faculty of Education.
In July of 2002, I moved to
Queensland University of Technology,
leaving CERC in the very ca-
pable hands of Mark Mason.
During my short tenure, a few innovations occurred.
First, the idea of a central theme for CERCular was
introduced. There were two motives: to give the newsletter
a stronger sense of coherence; and to pin down
Mark Mason
(since 2002)
In taking over the Directorship
of CERC from Bob Adamson just
after the summer of 2002, I felt as
though I had been charged with
responsibility for the reins of a horse –
a thoroughbred of the highest pedigree
– that was not content to reflect
on past glories, but continued
to run at lightning speed and with
a sense of energy, purpose and
commitment surely unparalleled in
the field. It has thus been an exhilarating,
if at times exhausting, and
adrenaline-filled ride.
I cannot do justice in this space
to all that has gone on at CERC over the past two years.
Highlights must of course include the continuing publication
of very strong books in the field, and our agreement
with Kluwer/Springer to co-publish titles in the CERC Studies
in Comparative Education series; our coming through
the Faculty’s review of the centre with flying colours; the
distinguished visitors to CERC and the seminars they have
presented; the scholars in the field I have met and from
3
� Project s. Various projects were undertaken under
the CERC umbrella. They included consultancies in
Cambodia and Macau, and study tours for v isitors
from mainland China, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
� Links with Comparative Education Societ ies. CERC
has always had a strong link with the Comparative
Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK), and
hosted its annual conference in 2000. CERC also
received prominence in the conferences and newsletters
of the US-based Comparative & International
Education Society (CIES); and in 2000 it became
the Secretariat of the World Council of Comparative
Education Societies (WCCES).
All these initiatives reflected strong internal team-work and
vigorous external networking. CERC moved from strength to
strength, and consolidated much of the excellent reputation
which it has today. It is a great pleasure to continue to work
with the dynamic CERC team under the leadership of Mark
Mason. �
potential contributors, who (I reckoned) would be more likely
to submit an article in timely fashion if given a specific topic
and deadline. Another innov ation was a foray into commercial
(rather than academic) publishing, with a guide to
international schools in Hong Kong, compiled by Classmate
Asia. This project proved financially successful, as well as serving
a need in the community. Finally, a new series of monographs
was initiated, as a venue for M.Ed students and
other scholars to publish their research. On balance, though,
I take the liberty of paraphrasing President Ronald Reagan
to sum up my achievements as CERC Director as “Not much.
Not much at all.”
However, I came to appreciate the quality of comparative
education in Hong Kong and the role that CERC
was playing in this flourishing field. I was particularly indebted
to Emily Mang for her sterling work in the CERC office and to
Mark Bray for his constant encouragement and faith. I wish
CERC all the best for the future. �
whom I have learned; and the opportunities I have had to
contribute to educational development in the region and
more widely.
I could not have taken on this responsibility without
the support of the dedicated colleagues at CERC, and my
sincere thanks go to the members of the CERC Management
Committee and of the Editorial Board, to our Senior
Research Assistant, Emily Mang, and to our Faculty’s Chair
Professor in Comparativ e Education, Mark Bray. Without
them, I could not have succeeded in this endeavour.
I have been excited by the opportunities that CERC
has offered me, not only in widening my own educational
horizons and enriching my academic and professional
experience, but also in enabling me to contribute to educational
development in various regions of the globe, even if
sometimes in the smallest of ways. For all the demands that
come with responsibility for this pedigreed thoroughbred, it
has not been without its rewards, for which I am especially
grateful. CERC will go from strength to strength, of that I
hav e no doubt, and when it is my time to hand over the
reins, I hope they will be of a horse that is yet fitter for its
purpose of service to the field of comparative education. �

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
CERC’s Publications from the First 10 Years
The publication of works on comparative studies in education is regarded as an important role of the Centre. CERC’s publications
include the CERC Studies in Comparative Education series, the CERC Monograph series, CERCular, and
various other publications. In 2003, CERC reached agreement with the renowned and respected international academic publisher,
Kluwer Academic Publishers, to co-publish books in the series CERC Studies in Comparative Education.
No.1
2001; 228pp.
ISBN 962 8093 84 3
HK$200 / US$32
Education and Political Transition: Themes and Experiences in East Asia (Second edition)
Edited by Mark Bray & W.O. Lee
This book is the second edition of a volume published in 1997. It throws new light on the links
between education and political transition in a dynamic part of the world. Themes addressed by
the book include globalisation, internationalisation and localisation; democratisation and
nationalisation; colonial and postcolonial transitions; and liberal versus democratic approaches.
Individual chapters focus on mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Singapore
and Taiwan.
Reviewing the first edition, Philip Altbach commented in the Asia Pacific Journal of Education
(Vol.18, No.2) that “these are very worthwhile essays that add significantly to our knowledge
of … the region”. Readers will find the second edition an even stronger contribution to the field.
Education and Political Transition: Implications of Hong Kong’s Change of Sovereignty
Edited by Mark Bray & W.O. Lee
This book presents a collection of articles on the implications for education of Hong Kong’s change
of sovereignty in 1997. The articles were all written at the actual time of the change of sovereignty,
by authors who had detailed knowledge not only of Hong Kong but also of other parts of the
world. Among the themes addressed were educational administration, language, higher
education, adult education, and the role of churches. The articles present important conceptual
insights in a comparative framework. The book is a companion to the first in the series CERC Studies
in Comparative Education (see above).
No.3
1998; 312pp.
ISBN 962 8093 88 6
HK$180 / US$30
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
CERC Studies in Comparative Education
Comparative Higher Education: Knowledge, the University, and Development
Philip Altbach
This book addresses a domain which is increasingly international. The issues that affect universities in
any single country are important globally. Comparat ive Higher Education explores links between
universities, noting the roles of foreign students, the impact of Western higher education ideas, and
patterns of inequality among academic systems. Comparative Higher Education discusses the roles
of professors and students in a comparative framework. The book concludes with a discussion of
higher education development in the newly industrializing countries.
Comparat ive Higher Education reflects over three decades of research, and places key
elements in the globalisation of higher education in a conceptual framework. Worldwide examples
are used to illustrate analyses of international exchanges, trends in university development, and the
complex relationships among academic systems in industrialised and less developed countries.
Young People and Careers: School Careers Guidance in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Edinburgh
Zhang Weiyuan
This is the first comparative work of its kind. The study involves 1,662 students in selected secondary
schools, and 54 guidance teachers, careers officers and careers masters/mistresses in Shanghai,
Edinburgh and Hong Kong. These three cities are instructive for their contrasts as much as for their
similarities. One shows the legacy of socialism, while the other two have longstanding capitalist
traditions. Two of the three are Chinese societies, while the third is European. Points of analysis
include criteria for choosing a career, occupational preferences, people who influence students’
choice of careers, variables that influence students’ higher education and job expectations, and
the changing process of students’ occupational aims during their secondary school years. The book
also examines students’ careers guidance needs and the main careers guidance methods. It
proposes a new theoretical basis for schools to set up careers guidance programmes.
4
No.2
1997; 169pp.
ISBN 962 8093 90 8
( Out of pri nt )
No.4
1998; 160pp.
ISBN 962 8093 89 4
HK$180 / US$30

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
No.5
1998; 356pp.
ISBN 962 8093 87 8
HK$250 / US$38
Doing Comparative Education: Three Decades of Collaboration
Harold J. Noah & Max A. Eckstein
The writings of Harold J. Noah and Max A. Eckstein are well known in the field of comparative
education. For over three decades, they have worked and published collaboratively. Both separately
and together, they have made major contributions to the field.
This book brings together selections from their work, showing how their thinking, and that in the
field as a whole, has evolved over the decades. The book makes available extracts from seminal
works which had gone out of print, and places them between the covers of a single v olume. The
book commences with a Foreword by Philip Foster, who is another distinguished figure in the field and
who analyses the work of Noah and Eckstein in its historical context. Foster notes that Noah and
Eckstein write with “clarity, felicity, and economy”. This collection has become a major reference work
for new generations of scholars in the field of comparative education.
International Studies of Educational Achievement: Methodological Issues
T. Nev ille Postlethwaite
This book presents in easily accessible form some of the insights which T. Neville Postlethwaite has
gained during the course of his career. It introduces some of the problems faced by researchers who
conduct comparative studies, and suggests ways in which those problems may be dealt with. The
topics addressed in the book include large-scale survey design, item construction and analysis,
response attrition, and missing data. Professor Postlethwaite does readers a great service by coaxing
issues out of the shadows and forcing them onto centre-stage so that they can be scrutinised more
fully.
No.7
2004; 323pp.
ISBN 962 8093 34 7
HK$200 / US$32
5
1999; 86pp.
ISBN 962 8093 86 X
HK$100 / US$20
Education and Society in Hong Kong and Macao: Comparative Perspectives on Continuity
and Change (Second edition)
Edited by Mark Bray & Ramsey Koo
Hong Kong and Macao have much in common. The dominant populations in both territories are
Cantonese-speaking Chinese; both are small in area; both are urban societies; both have been
colonies of European powers; and both have undergone political transition to reunification with
China. Yet in education, for reasons that are analysed in this book, they are very different.
The patterns of similarities and differences in the two territories make a fascinating basis for
comparative study. The overarching theme of the book, continuity and change, is particularly pertinent
following the transition of the two societies to the postcolonial era.
This thoroughly revised and expanded second edition builds on the widely acclaimed first
edition. The work has been recognised as a significant contribution to the broad field of comparative
education as well as to study of the specific societies which are its main focus.
Education and the Politics of Language: Hegemony and Pragmatism in Cambodia 1979-1989
Thomas Clayton
Language policies and practices are controversial in many parts of the world, and are an important
focus for comparative study in the field of education. This book makes a major contribution to
conceptual debates and understanding.
The book is grounded in the broad international literature on this topic, and presents deep
insights from the case of Cambodia during the decade from 1979. During this period, key elements
of Cambodia’s governance were controlled by the authorities in neighbouring Vietnam. The type
of linguistic and cultural dominance brought by this control was substantially different from that in
most other parts of the world. As noted by Mark Ginsburg in the Foreword, Clayton’s analysis of
hegemony and pragmatism will attract a broad audience in the fields of language policy studies
and comparative education, as well as among scholars concerned specifically with Cambodia.
No.9
2001; 260pp.
ISBN 962 8093 70 3
HK$200 / US$32
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
No.6
No.8
2000; 243pp.
ISBN 962 8093 83 5
HK$200 / US$32
Education in China and Abroad: Perspectives from a Lifetime in Comparative Education
Gu Mingyuan
Gu Mingyuan is one of China’s most distinguished specialists in the field of comparative education. He
is a long-serving President of the China Comparative Education Society, and in 2000 he was elected
President of the Chinese Education Society. Yet because most of his works have been published only
in Chinese, they have been little-known internationally.
This book presents a collection of Professor Gu’s writings over a 20-year period from the early
1980s. Each chapter is a valuable piece in its own right; and, taken together, the chapters show the
development both of Professor Gu’s thinking and of the field as a whole during a period of dramatic
changes. The book commences with an Introduction to Professor Gu’s life and work by Ruth Hayhoe.
She is a Past-President of the Comparative & International Education Society, and has made seminal
contributions to the study of education in China from a comparative perspective.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
No.10
2001; 312pp.
ISBN 962 8093 71 1
HK$200 / US$32
Values Education for Dynamic Societies: Individualism or Collectivism
Edited by William K. Cummings, Maria Teresa Tatto & John Hawkins
Social changes have made values education an important topic for academics, policy makers and
practitioners in all parts of the world. This book examines values education in a diverse set of societies.
Some, including China, the United States and Russia, are very large countries. At the opposite end of
the scale, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan are much smaller societies but are no less complex.
Other chapters focus on Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand.
All these societies have very different cultures and heritages. Through its comparative analysis,
the book significantly enhances conceptual understanding of this complex domain. An intriguing
finding is the emerging support in Asia for individualistic values and, by way of contrast, the new
interest in collective values in the West.
Knowledge Across Cultures: A Contribution to Dialogue Among Civilizations
Edited by Ruth Hayhoe & Julia Pan
At the start of the new millennium, the United Nations designated 2001 the ‘Year of Dialogue among
Civilizations’. This dialogue emerged after the collapse of the Sov iet Union in 1991, and changed
much of the field of comparative education. The dialogue draws attention to deep-rooted cultural
differences around the world which shape approaches to education.
This book gives voice to outstanding scholars from three major Eastern civilizations – Chinese,
Arabic and Indian – who have entered into dialogue with equally distinguished scholars from the
West. One of the authors, Abdus Salam, was the first scientist from Pakistan to win the Nobel Prize in
Physics. The themes of the book include challenges to knowledge in the late modern era; Eastern
contributions to scientific knowledge; knowledge transfer across regions and civilizations; indigenous
knowledge and modern education; and past and present influences from China. The book contributes
to an ongoing dialogue among civilizations, and seeks to enhance mutual understanding in
the increasingly globalized society of the 21st Century.
This book on the socialization of the child in diverse cultures focuses on parent-child relationships,
enculturation, and child development under changing educational conditions. Twelve articles
originally published by the author and his colleagues between 1960 and 1996 show the evolution not
only in LeVine’s thinking but in the field as a whole. These articles are supplemented by new commentaries
written for this volume. LeVine examines intersections among patterns of childhood experience,
cultural values and institutional change in developing societies during the 20 th century. Individual
chapters include a focus on Kenya, Nigeria and Mexico; parenting, the child’s acquisition of culture,
and the impact of mass schooling on maternal care; and critiques of psychoanalysis, environmentalism
and the psychology of individual differences.
In the introduction, LeVine frames his research on the comparative of study of socialization as
an “anthropology of educational processes” that integrates knowledge the educational aspects of
childhood in human societies under varied historical conditions. This far-reaching book has been
widely welcomed by scholars of comparative education and of child development.
6
No.11
2001; 391pp.
ISBN 962 8093 73 8
HK$250 / US$38
No.12 Childhood Socialization: Comparative Studies of Parenting, Learning and Educational Change
Robert A. LeVine
2003; 299pp.
ISBN 962 8093 61 4
HK$200 / US$32
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Centralization and Decentralization: Educational Reforms and Changing Governance in
Chinese Societies
Edited by Mok Ka-Ho
Globalization has brought dramatic changes to the character and functions of education in most
countries around the world. However, the impact of globalization on schools and universities is not
uniform. One public-policy strategy that has been widely adopted is decentralization; but there is no
consensus on whether centralization or decentralization is more effective to improve organization
and management in education.
This book is contextualized in the literature on globalization, and examines how policies of
decentralization have affected the running of education in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore,
Macau and Mainland China. It analyzes the strategies that the governments of the selected societies
have adopted in reforming the structure of their education systems, mobilizing different forces to
create more educational opportunities, and devising new measures to assure quality in the education
sector.
No.13
2003; 230pp.
ISBN 962 8093 58 4
HK$200 / US$32

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
No.14 Citizenship Education in Asia and the Pacific: Concepts and Issues
Edited by W.O. Lee, Dav id L. Grossman, Kerry J. Kennedy & Gregory P. Fairbrother
2004; 313pp.
ISBN 962 8093 59 2
HK$200 / US$32
This book is a landmark in citizenship and citizenship education discourse. It combines conceptual
debates with case studies on the question whether the notion of Asian citizenship can be established,
and if yes, what its research agenda would be. The book contains polemic discussion, empirical data
analysis, consultancy reflections, and descriptions of citizenship education in Asian and Pacific countries.
Its themes include citizenship paradigms, democratization, patriotism, social tolerance, globalization
and the information society, and colonialism. The volume explores various perspectives on citizenship,
including Confucian, Islamic, humanist, global, indigenous, cultural, political, and comparative. The
book covers a wide range of countries and regions, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan and Vanuatu.
No.15 Non-Formal Education: Flexible Schooling or Participatory Education?
Alan Rogers
2004; 306pp.
ISBN 962 8093 30 4
HK$200 / US$32
This is the first full study of non-formal education on an international scale since the 1980s. The book
describes the emergence of the concept in the context of development and educational reform.
It traces the debate about non-formal education from its origins in 1968 to the mid 1980s, and looks
at the issues that this debate raised. It then describes a number of programmes in different parts of
the world which call themselves ‘non-formal’, pointing out the wide range of different views about
what is and what is not non-formal. Rogers asks whether we should drop the term altogether or try to
reconceptualise it in terms of flexible schooling or participatory education.
This is an important new book by a well established author. It deals with complex issues, but is
written in a clear style. It contains an important new analysis of the development paradigms in
which the controversies surrounding non-formal education grew up, and which shaped its purpose
and impacts. The author’s call for a reformulation of the concept will find echoes not only in devel-
oping societies, but also in Western circles, where the language of non-formal education is being used increasingly within
the context of lifelong learning. The book grew out of the teaching of non-formal education in which Professor Rogers has
been engaged for the last 20 years. It is intended for teachers and students in comparative education courses in higher
education institutions, and for researchers and others with an interest in the field.
No.1
2003; 117pp.
ISBN 962 8093 57 6
HK$100 / US$16
CERC Monograph Series
No.2 Reducing the Burden on the Poor:
Household Costs of Basic Education
in Gansu, China
No.3
2004; 67pp.
ISBN 962 8093 32 0
HK$50 / US$10
Mark Bray, Ding Xiaohao
& Huang Ping
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Education in the Market Place: Hong Kong’s International Schools and their Mode of Operation
By Yoko Yamato
Worldwide, international schools have been a neglected focus for research. This is partly because in
most countries they serve minority groups and are separate from the mainstream. In Hong Kong,
however, international schools form a sizeable sector of growing importance. Most of Hong Kong’s
international schools serve local residents as well as foreign nationals.
This book presents the first detailed academic study of the sector. It highlights the significance
of market forces, and shows how the international schools have responded to changing circumstances.
Although Hong Kong is small in area, it hosts a wide diversity of types of international schools. The
study thus makes instructive comparisons of systems within the small territory. In the process, the book
makes important methodological contributions to the field of comparative education.
This book includes t he findings of a
research consultancy recent ly undertaken
by CERC, Please refer to
page 12 for further information about
the research and the book. The book
is also available in Chinese.
7
2004; 121pp.
ISBN 962 8093 36 3
HK$100 / US$16
Building Alliances: Schools, Parents
and Communities in Hong
Kong and Singapore
Maria Manzon
This book has just been published.
Please refer to the back cover of this
issue of CERCular for details.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
Series: Education in Developing Asia
This set of five volumes was first co-published with the Asian
Development Bank in 2002. In March 2004, the selfcontained
series was reprinted. Price: HK$100/US$12 each;
or HK$400/US$50 for the set of five.
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Volume 1
Education and National
Development: Priorities,
Policies, and Planning
Don Adams
ISBN 971-561-529-5
81pp.
Volume 2
Management and
Efficiency in Education:
Goals and Strategies
David Chapman
ISBN 971-561-530-9
60pp.
Volume 3
The Costs and Financing of
Education: Trends and
Policy Implications
Mark Bray
ISBN 971-561-531-7
77pp.
Volume 4
Equity and Access to
Education: Themes,
Tensions, and Policies
W.O. Lee
ISBN 971-561-532-5
101pp.
Volume 5
The Quality of Education:
Dimensions and Strategies
David Chapman &
Don Adams
ISBN 971-561-533-3
72pp.
8
Financing of Education in Indonesia
Edited by Mark Bray & R Murray Thomas
[Co-published with Asian Development Bank]
1998; 135pp.
ISBN 971 561 172 9
HK$140 / US$20
Guide to International Schools in Hong Kong
Yoko Yamato & Sally Course
[Co-published with ClassmateAsia]
2002; 84pp.
ISBN 962 8093 62 2
HK$72 / US$12
This book results from a collaborative
research project on the costs
and financing of education in
Indonesia. It focuses on all levels of
education, and presents important
data not only on public expenditures
but also on household, community
and other non-government
expenditures. The analysis of private
costs and financing includes a focus
on Islamic madrasahs and other
religious institutions.
China’s Universities 1895-1995:
A Century of Cultural Conflict
Ruth Hayhoe
Given the 1996 Choice Outstanding
Academic Book of the Year
award, this v olume has received
critical acclaim. As one reviewer
noted:
1999; 322pp.
ISBN 962 8093 81 9
HK$200 / US$32
Ruth Hayhoe is a treasure: ev eryone
interested in modern China,
comparative education, or the sociology
of knowledge needs to follow
her publications [Charles W.
Hayford, East /West Educat ion].
The book contains an admirable
blend of detail and broad interpretation
based on comparative interpretations
of many kinds. It is ex-
emplary in its scholarly presentation, and will long stand
as a cornerstone work in the field.
Looking for information about international
schools and kindergartens
in Hong Kong? This compact, newformat
school guide provides newcomers
and local families with the
first comprehensive picture of Hong
Kong’s booming international education
scene and uncovers the
reasons for its remarkable growth.
The book includes:
� international school life in Hong
Kong
� comparison with international
education in other locations and
the local school system
� international pre-school sector
� special needs
� admission and fees
� directory of international schools and kindergartens
for Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
CERC’s Involvement in Projects, Training and Consultancies
In addition to its publications, CERC facilitates and participates in many research projects, training workshops and
consulting assignments. Over the last 10 years, the Centre has been involved in numerous activities in the field
locally and internationally. These activities include the inaugural international symposium in May 1995. CERC has
also hosted various study tours, such as two study tours for administrators and teachers from Gansu Province in China
in 2001. An example of consultancy work was the review of higher education in Macau, which was contracted by the
Macau government and carried out by Mark Bray and his team between July 2000 and March 2001.
CERC’s Inaugural International Symposium
In May 1995, CERC held its inaugural international symposium as its first
major academic activity. It was a celebration of the establishment of CERC,
and the theme was “Educat ion and Socio-political Transit ions in Asia”.
The theme was important not only to Asia in general, but particularly to Hong
Kong, as Hong Kong itself is undergoing major socio-political transitions.
The symposium not only facilitated academic exchange among
scholars, but also strengthened comparativ e studies in education in Asia.
Over 100 participants from Asia, Europe, and North America attended the
symposium.
CERC Hosts a Study Programme for a Delegation from Bhutan
10
A panel of speakers at the symposium.
The first official contact between the University of Hong Kong‘s
Faculty of Education and Bhutan was in January 1992, when a
team of six primary school teachers was sent t o Hong Kong,
sponsored by UNICEF. The occasion was directed by Mark Bray,
who at that time was Head of the Department of Education. The
second v isit to HKU signified the strengthening of linkages between
the Univ ersity and the Bhutanese Ministry of Health and Education.
As one of CERC’s aims is to facilitate consultancies and training in
The delegates with Lee Wing On and Mark Bray.
education, CERC was inv ited to host this second v isit of the
delegates from Bhutan.
A delegation of four, including three inspectors of schools and a chief inspector, arriv ed in November 1995. CERC
organized a study programme with the aim of introducing them to the Hong Kong education system, the school
inspection system, and various aspects of educational prov ision in Hong Kong. Both CERC and the delegation felt that
the v isit was worthwhile in building linkages and strengthening relationships between Bhutan’s and Hong Kong’s
education sectors.
Workshop on Centralization versus Decentralization: Educational Reform in East and West
In October 1999, CERC hosted a
workshop on the theme ‘Centralization
v ersus Decentralization:
Educational Reform in East and
West’.
The workshop resulted from
collaboration between CERC and
the University of California. CERC’s
partnership was sub-sidised by the
University of Hong Kong’s Areas of
Distinction seed funds, and the
Univ ersity of California’s participation
was funded by its Pacific Rim Program.
The team from California was led by Mark Hanson, a
well-known figure in the field of comparativ e education
who is professor of educational
administration in the Riv erside
campus of the U niv ersity of
C a li f o rn i a . T h r o ug h M a r k
Hanson’s efforts, a group of distinguished
overseas speakers presented
papers. In addition to
himself, they included Flora Ida
Ort iz ( U SA), Carlos Ornelas
( M e xi c o), H ir u mi t s u M ut a
( Japan), and John Hawkins
(USA). CERC sponsored several
local speakers, and also the participation of Nina Borevskaya
from Russia. After revision, the papers from the workshop
were published in a special issue of the Journal of Educational
Administrat ion.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Methodology Workshop for Young PRC Scholars
In January 2000, CERC organised a two-day workshop for a dozen young scholars from the Chinese mainland. The workshop was
financed by the University of Hong Kong’s Area of Distinction seed funds, and was directed by Gui Qin. The workshop comprised
two days of lectures and follow-up discussion given by Mark Bray, Neville Postlethwaite, Gui Qin and Zhang Weiyuan, and was
conducted in Putonghua and English.
The participants came from different regions of China, and the selection committee also paid attention to gender balance.
All participants were in their 30s, and thus had commenced their careers but were still in an early stage with strong potential. The
majority had never before travelled out of mainland China. The
evaluation feedback was very positive. The participants were also
sponsored to attend the annual conference of the Comparative
Education Society of Hong Kong, which was hosted by CERC the
day following the conclusion of the workshop.
Gansu Basic Education Project
In 2001, CERC hosted two visits by educators
from Gansu Province. The first was a 10-day visit by 21
administrators and educators. The second was a 7-day
visit by 15 educators.Their programmes were managed
by Bob Adamson with the assistance of various
colleagues, and particularly Sun Miantao, Judy Zhu and
Emily Mang. The visits were part of the Gansu Basic Education
Project, which is funded by the UK Department for
International Development and managed by Cambridge
Education Consultants. The project aims to raise enrolment
rates, especially of ethnic minorities, in four counties
of the province. Particular focus is being placed on
the education of girls, women teachers, student
Back row: The young scholars
Front row: (From left ) Gui Qin, Mark Bray,
Neville Postlethwaite & Bob Adamson
Review of Higher Education in Macau
Mark Bray led a team comprising himself, Roy Butler, Philip
Hui (HKIEd), Ora Kwo and Emily Mang in a review of
higher education in Macau. The work was conducted between July
2000 and March 2001, and led to a 132-page report entitled Higher
Education in Macau: Strategic Development in the New Era, which
was officially launched in Macau on 7 December 2001. The report
was published as a book with updated statistics and information,
and with a slightly revised title, (see below).
2002; 124pp.
ISBN 962 8093 60 6
HK$150 / US$24
Higher Education in Macau:
Growth and Strategic Development
Mark Bray with Roy Butler, Philip Hui,
Ora Kwo & Emily Mang
Higher education in Macau has expanded dramatically
in recent years. Before 1981, Macau had
no higher education institutions; but two decades
lat er it had 12. This book chronicles this growth,
and analyses the wider environment within which
the institutions operate. Discussion includes a focus
on the implications of Macau’s small size; linkages
with Hong Kong, mainland China and other
parts of the world; the changing balances between
public and private provision; and the significance
of political transition.
evaluation and school life through children’s eyes. (continued on the next page)
11

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
(continued from previous page)
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Gansu Basic Education Project
In 2003, Mark Bray led a team to review the components of the project which seek to reduce the financial burden of schooling
on poor households. The other team members were Huang Ping from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Ding Xiaohao
from Peking University. The review showed the very positive impact of scholarships for poor children, and also focused on the freelunch
programme and revolving textbook fund. The project also led to a pair of books in English and Chinese (see below).
Reducing the Burden on the Poor: Household Costs of Basic Education in Gansu, China
By Mark Bray, Ding Xiaohao & Huang Ping
No.2
2004; 67pp.
ISBN 962 8093 32 0
HK$50 / US$10
The Gansu Basic Education Project (GBEP) was launched in 1999 with the goal of
helping one of the poorest parts of China to achieve universal basic education. The
project aims particularly to assist minority children and girls, and has had a significant
impact.
The reasons why children do not enrol in school, or drop out at an early stage,
are many and complex. This study focuses on the costs of schooling to households.
These costs can be a heavy burden, and may be a major obstacle to universalisation
of basic education. The GBEP has aimed to reduce the costs to poor households in
various ways. This study examines the arrangements for financing education at
county and school levels. Among other project components, it focuses on the effectiveness
of a targeted scholarship scheme for poor children, a reformed system of
education budgeting, and a free-lunch programme.
Some of CERC’s Visitors:
Philip Altbach
Boston College, USA
Carole L. Hahn
Emory University in Atlanta,
USA
Angela Little
Institute of Education
University of London
Kengo Mochida
Kyushu University
David Post
University of Pittsburgh, USA
12
Chinese edition
2004; 67pp.
ISBN 962 8093 33 9
HK$50 / US$10
Lynn Davies
University of Birmingham
Anne Hickling-Hudson
Queensland University of
Technology, Australia
Keith Lewin
University of Sussex, UK
Victor Ordonez
East-West Center, Hawaii
Patricia Potts
Canterbury Christ Church
University College, UK

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
CERC’s Associate Members:
CERC has 16 distinguished Associate Members in different parts of the world. They are:
CERC’s Post-doctoral
Fellows:
Zhang Weiyuan
(1996-98)
Gui Qin
(1997-99)
� Philip G. ALTBACH (Boston College, USA)
� Robert F. ARNOVE (Indiana University, USA)
� Beatrice AVALOS (Santiago, Chile)
� Nina BOREVSKAYA (Institute of Far East Studies, Moscow, Russia)
� Michael CROSSLEY (University of Bristol, United Kingdom)
� Max A. ECKSTEIN (Columbia University, USA)
� GU Mingyuan (Beijing Normal University, Beijing)
� GUI Qin (Capital Normal University, Beijing)
� Ruth HAYHOE (University of Toronto, Canada)
� LEE Wing On (Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong)
� MOK Ka Ho (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
� T. Neville POSTLETHWAITE (University of Hamburg)
� SHEN Hong (Huazhong University of Science & Technology)
� Gita STEINER-KHAMSI (Teachers College, Columbia University, USA)
� Jason TAN (National Institute of Education, Singapore)
� Yoko YAMATO (Shanghai, China)
13
CERC’s Alumni:
Dr. Ako TOMOKO, Associate Professor, Department of Chinese, Faculty of
Foreign Languages, Himeji Dokkyo University, Japan
Dr. Karen Hoi Yan CHEUNG, Associate Professor, Macau Polytechnic Institute,
Macau
Dr. Percy Kwok, Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research, Chinese
University of Hong Kong
Prof. M.V. MUKUNDAN, Research Institute of Educational Economics and
Administration, Shenyang Normal University, China
Dr. Edward Vickers, Institute of Education, University of London
Dr. Ako TOMOKO
Dr. Karen CHEUNG
Dr. Percy KWOK
Prof. M.V. MUKUNDAN

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
Highlights from CERC’s Seminar Series
These are some of the seminars that have been presented by visitors to CERC over the past ten years:
8 April 2002
Comparative Frameworks for
Examining Identity and Conflict
Lynn Davies
Professor of International Education,
Director for the Centre for International
Education and Research,
University of Birmingham
In this seminar Lynn Davies explores some of the work she has
been doing in the Centre for International Education and Research
to look at the relationship between education and conflict
and violence in different countries. This obviously relates
to the role of education in perpetuating conflict as well as the
potential for alleviating it. A key underpinning to this which
she is proposing is that of identity: how we learn various
identities (religious, community, gender, ethnicity etc) and how
they may become ‘essentialised’ or stereotyped. The school
could be crucial in how they construct themselves and therefore
how they construct ‘others’, and whether they see identities as
fixed or fluid. Her thesis is that countries and systems which
present religious and other identities as fixed and unchallengeable
are ironically those most likely to generate individuals and
groups which instigate challenging behaviour to others.
12 December 2002
Multicultural Education
and the Postcolonial Turn
Anne Hickling-Hudson
Professor, Faculty of Education
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
President, World Council of Comparative Education
Societies (WCCES)
The assumptions of the educational system inherited from the
era of European colonialism, and modified during the era of
decolonisation, are currently facing postcolonial challenges. In
this paper, I consider how multicultural education and
postcolonial rethinking might lead educators and students to
change traditional school contexts and curricula. The issues that
I discuss focus on Australia, but also apply more broadly to
countries with culturally diverse populations.
My paper starts by briefly outlining the demographics of
cultural diversity in Australia and by considering critically where
school cultures can be placed along a continuum. At one end of
the continuum is the model of what I refer to as the culturally
problematic school. Schools can absorb changes in their cultural
policies, which move them further along the continuum towards
academic and educational practices involved in what I call
the interculturally proactive school. The paper suggests that postcolonial
perspectives would have significant implications for challenging
traditional cultural policy in schools and colleges, and
for contributing to changing them.
14
4 December 2002
International Issues in Education
and Social Mobility for Under-
Privileged Groups
Robert Arnove
Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership &
Policy Studies, Indiana University, USA
Recent Past President,
Comparative & International Education Society (CIES),
2000-2001
Children of lower socioeconomic groups tend to perform
worse in school than upper socioeconomic groups, and they
tend to stay in school for a shorter time. In addition, these
children tend to be under-represented in higher education.
This presentation examines the universality of these
observations. It also discusses exceptions to these general
tendencies and promising interventions that enable children
of lower socioeconomic groups to overcome barriers
to progress in school.
10 June 2003
Comparative Education:
Ancestors and Heroes
Peter Ninnes
School of Education, University of New England
President of the Australia and New Zealand Comparative and
International Education Society (ANZCIES)
In this seminar we will explore how the field of comparative
education produces and re-produces itself. In particular we will
look at the stories that comparative educators of the 20 th century
told about the precursors, founders, and ‘great persons’ of the
field. The research draws on the work of Michel Foucault on the
discursive constitution of academic fields and disciplines. The
argument is that academic fields arise through a range of discursive
and non-discursive practices, but it is particularly through
discourse that the boundaries of the field are policed. That is, the
scope and direction of the field is constrained by the ways in
which comparative educators speak, write and think about the
field. Analysing the discursive struggles in the field provides important
insights into processes of change in academic fields and
the tensions and power relations entwined in processes of knowledge
construction and validation in academic fields such as comparative
education. By understanding how we currently speak,
write and think about academic fields, we can begin to imagine
new ways of conceptualising the field and hence ensure that the
field remains dynamic and open to contemporary developments
in social theorising.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
07/11/96 Max Eckstein The History of Comparativ e
Education: Reflections of a Methodologist
28/11/96 Anthony Welch Strategies for International-
ising Higher Education - An Institutional Re
sponse
10th Anniversary: Highlights from CERC’s first decade
3 September 2003 11 December 2003
Education Systems and Educational
Spaces in a Shift of Paradigm
Wolfgang Mitter
Director, German Institute for International
Educational Research
If by “education system” we understand institutional units,
provided with “educational sovereignty” consisting of common
legal provisions, organisational structures, curricular goals and
value foundations as its constitutive components, the current
period signals their decline. This shift of paradigm is included
in the decline of the modern nation state, as the latter has
characterised the political map of Europe for three hundred
years and gradually expanded to the other continents. Therefore
education systems in their “state-bound” constitution must be
identified as a category of “organised space” within a given
historical period – and not as a perpetual phenomenon.
The understanding of the current “education systems”
points the way to the concept of “educational spaces” in periods
preceding the modern nation state and helping to identify the
current stages of transition, indicated by the emergence of
regional “educational spaces” in their different structures and
ranges according to historical and territorial dimensions.
Furthermore, the expansion of private sectors and, finally, the
invasion of the globalising markets into the “knowledge society”
come into the picture when this shift of paradigm is discussed.
18/06/97 David Post The Social Consequences of Colo-
nial Education in Hong Kong
02/01/98 Philip Altbach World Trends in the Interna-
tionalization of higher Education
05/10/98 Wolfgang Mitter New Perspectiv es of Com-
parative Education in the Light of the Tension
between Globalisation and Cultural Pluralism
03/11/98 Patricial Potts Human Rights and Inclusiv e
Education in China: A western Perspective on
Comparative Understanding
10/12/98 Gu Mingyuan Reflections on my life in Compa-
rative Education
14/12/98 Ference Marton Conceptions of Formal and
Informal Learning held by First Year Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander University Students
25/01/99 Patricia Broadfoot Stones from Other Hills
May Serve to Polish the Jade of This one: Learn-
ing from Comparing
08/02/99 Ivor Goodson Crisis of Educational Change
01/11/99 Nina Borevskaya Educational Legacies and
Modern Reforms: A Comparison of Experiences
in China and Russia
15
Is the World Keeping Its
Promises? Monitoring progress
towards the UN Millennium
Development Goals in education
in the Asia-Pacific Region
Victor Ordonez
Senior Education Fellow, East-West Center
During the historic Millennium Summit of 2000, the governments
of the world, many represented by their heads
of state, expressed their resolve to shape a better world for
the coming century. They committed themselves to a landmark
document resolving to reduce poverty, illiteracy,
disease, environmental degration, and the like. What was
remarkable about the document were the specific and timebound
targets that were set to achieve these goals.
This presentation reviews these goals and the
progress made towards them, particularly the education
goals, and particularly in the Asia and Pacific region. It draws
upon data and reports that have attempted to measure this
progress, and draws out of the data a few lessons that can
be learned from experience in various country settings as
they made good progress in some cases, and poor progress
in others.
24/01/00 Neville Postlethwaite The History, Evolution and
Impacts of the IEA
17/04/00 Peter Fensham Didaktik vs Curriculum: Aspects
of Two Traditions in Education and their Impli-
cations for Teacher Education and Curriculum
05/12/00 Michael Crossley Continuity, Challenges and
Change in Comparativ e and International
Education
01/11/01 Angela Little Development Studies and Compa-
rative Education: Context, Content, Compari-
son and Contributions
12/11/01 Robert Arnove Comparative Education: The
Dialectic of the Global and the Local
10/12/01 Rosemary Preston Global Influences on Re-
search in International & Comparative Educa-
tion
18/02/02 Carole Hahn Comparative Perspectives on Civ-
ic Education
29/04/02 Robert LeVine The Anthropology of Educa-
tional Processes
24/10/02 Carol Coombe Managing the Impact of HIV/
AIDS on the Provision of Education: Lessons from
South Afirca and China
02/04/02 Johan Muller What knowledge is most needed
for the twenty-first contury?
04/02/04 Joseph Zajda Globalisation, Policy and Compa-
rative Education: Changing Paradigms

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
CCES 2004
Conferences Organised by Constituent Societies
16
WCCES News
The World Council of Comparative Education Societies was founded in 1970 as
an international organisation of comparative education societies to advance
their field of expertise. CERC hosts the website for the WCCES, and many members
play an active role in the organisation.
Annual Conference of China Comparative Education
Society
20-22 November 2004
Zhuhai Campus of Beijing Normal University, China
Theme: China's Educational Reform under Global
Perspectives
Website: www.bnuep.com/gjjy/gjjy_tongzhi.htm
[in Chinese]
ANZCIES 2004
CESHK 2005
Annual Conference of the Comparative Education Society
of Hong Kong
29 January 2005
Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Theme: Approaches and Strategies in Comparative
Education
Deadline for proposals: 29 November 2004
Enquiry: cerc@hkusub.hku.hk
Website: www.hku.hk/cerc/ceshk
SEEC 2005
WCCES News
32nd Annual Conference of the Australian and New
Zealand Comparative and International Education Society
3-5 December 2004
Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Theme: Global Pedagogies: equity, access and
democracy in education
Enquiry: l.mckay@patrick.edu.acu.au or
j.elligate@patrick.acu.edu.au
Website: www.anzcies.org/ANZCIESConf2004.html
Sociedad Española de Educación Comparada
1-3 March 2005
Grenada, Spain
Theme: Convergences in Higher Education in the
European and Latin-American Spaces
Deadline for papers: 8 January 2005
Enquiry: concompa@ugr.es
Website: www.ugr.es/~hum308/congreso/
CIES 2005
49th Annual Conference of the Comparative &
International Education Society
22-26 March 2005
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Theme: Beyond Dichotomies
Enquiry: cies2005@suse.stanford.edu
Website: www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/projects/cies/
BCES 2005
Bulgarian Comparative Education Society Conference
18-22 April 2005
Sofia, Bulgaria
Theme: Comparative Education in Teacher Training
Deadline for proposals: 1 December 2004
Enquiry: npopov@fnpp.uni-sofia.bg
Website: http://edcollege.ucf.edu/cett/
CESA 2005
5th Conferene of the Comparative Education Society of
Asia
30-31 May 2005
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Theme: Education for World Peace
Deadline for abstract submission: 31 January 2005
Enquiry: cesa2005@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my
BAICE-Oxford 2005
The 8th UKFIET “Oxford” International Conference on
Education and Development
13-15 September 2005
Oxford, UK
Theme: Learning and Livelihood
Deadline for abstract submission: 1 March 2005
Enquiry: UKFIET-oxcon@bham.ac.uk
Website: www.cfbt.com/oxfordconference

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
WCCES
As a result of the WCCES meeting in London in July
2002, the Council created a Special Projects Committee.
The Committee helps to promote the field of Comparative
and International Education, particularly among those who
are poorly represented in current activities of the Council.
Among the projects contemplated are exchange programs
where scholars spend a semester or two studying and/or
teaching Comparative and International Education at universities
in countries other than their own, special consulting
where scholars and educators assist countries with urgent
education needs such as expanding on-line education
capacity, adult literacy, basic education, the education of
street children, and refugees.
The Special Projects Committee will work closely with
the other Standing Committees, especially those for Finance
Histories
WCCES News
Special Projects Committee established established
of the WCCES and its Constituent Societies
The WCCES is preparing a history of the Council itself and of its constituent societies. This will be a major work,
showing ways in which the field differs in different parts of the world and how it has evolved over time. The project is
being led by Vandra Masemann (past President and Secretary General, based in Toronto), Mark Bray (Secretary General,
based in CERC, Hong Kong) and Maria Manzon (also based in CERC). A set of panels was organised for the 12th World
Congress of the WCCES in Cuba, and the project is generating considerable interest and excitement.
Concerning the history of the WCCES itself, in September 2004 Mark Bray had the pleasure of an interview with the
first WCCES Secretary General (1972-78), Mme Anne Hamori, in Geneva. The interview was set up by Charles Magnin of
the University of Geneva, and lasted for two and a half hours. Mme Hamori was at that time 95 years old and in remarkable
health. She also appeared to have a sharp memory, and recounted dimensions of the early history of the WCCES which
were of great interest. Charles Magnin arranged for the interview to be video-recorded, and a copy will be deposited in the
WCCES archives.
The 12th World Congress was held in Havana, Cuba, in October 2004. The
congress, held every three years, was hosted by the Secció n de Educació n
Comparada of the Asociació n de Pedagogos de Cuba (APC).
The Congress theme, “Education and Social Justice”, focused on education
as a human right that allows equal opportunities in education, health
services, employment, social security, and participation in political and social
decisions.
17
& Fund Raising and Admissions & New Societies.
The committee is chaired by Robert Arnove (USA),
with Karen Biraimah (USA) serving as co-chair. Other committee
members include Marcela Mollis (Argentina), Lee
Wing On (Hong Kong), Shin’ichi Suzuki (Japan), Roberto
Borromeo (Philippines), N’Dri Therèse Assié Lumumba
(Côte d’Ivoire/USA), Sheldon Shaeffer (UNESCO, Bangkok),
Alcantara Santuario (Mexico), Wang Chan-chun (Beijing),
Katarina Tomasevski (Denmark and Switzerland), Anthony
Welch (Australia), and Irving Epstein (USA).
Colleagues are invited to contact Robert Arnove
(arnove@indiana.edu) or Karen Biraimah (biraimah@mail.
ucf.edu) or any of the other members with any ideas as to
how best to further the activities of the committee.
XII th World Congress of Comparative Education Societies
Annual Conference of the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong
Theme: Approaches and Strategies in Comparative Education
29 January 2005
Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Keynote Speaker
Professor Lee Wing On
Head, Department of Educational Policy and Administration, Hong Kong Institute of Education
Former President of CESHK
Deadline for proposals: 29 November 2004 Enquiry: cerc@hkusub.hku.hk Website: www.hku.hk/cerc/ceshk

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
CERC’s International Research Consultancies and Collaboration
The Private Costs of Public Schooling:
Revisiting Patterns in Cambodia
In 1997/98, Mark Bray conducted research in Cambodia
under the umbrella of UNESCO, UNICEF and the Cambodian
Ministry of Education, Youth & Sport. His work exposed
the very high proportion of primary school costs
met by households. Even in the public school system, households
were meeting an estimated 59.0% of the total costs.
The government and politicians
provided 22.9%, and non-governmental
organisations and external
agencies provided 18.0%.
The study, which was published
in 1999 by UNESCO’s International
Institute for Educational
Planning, 1 made direct inputs to
policy reform in Cambodia. It
also attracted considerable international
attention, partly be-
cause it showed a very striking
pattern and partly because very
few countries had data of this
type.
In 2004, Mark was invited to revisit Cambodia for a
follow-up study. He was excited by this, because the task
was to collect the same types of information from exactly
the same sample of primary schools, and to extend the
analysis to lower secondary schools. This time the work
was funded by the World Bank, and undertaken in
conjunction with Seng Bunly, an experienced consultant in
Cambodia with excellent knowledge of the social sector.
In all settings, collection of data on household costs
is difficult. One problem is that householders may not have
clear conceptions of their costs, and cannot easily express
them on an annual basis that allows for seasonal variations.
Further, even when householders do know their costs, they
are not always willing to declare them openly and honestly.
To address these challenges, the project employed
enumerators to cross-check data from different sources and
Mark Mason was invited by the East-West Center
in Hawaii, along with four other visiting scholars
from the Asia-Pacific region, to participate in a workshop as
part of their “International Forum for Education 2020”. The
role of the visiting scholars was, along with colleagues from
the East-West Center, to contribute,
by considering the intellectual context
of education in today’s world,
to the design and development of
the East-West Center’s proposed
leadership programme for educational leaders from the Asia-
Pacific region. Mark’s role in this regard included the presentation
of a paper on complexity theory and educational
Mark Bray (cent re), and Seng Bunly
(right ), in a project workshop, Takeo
Province, May 2004
CERC collaborates with the East-West Center’s
International Forum for Education 2020
18
to secure reliable estimates. The team then conducted workshops
which brought together government officials, teachers,
parents and community members. These workshops helped to
verify data, examined the implications of the findings, and disseminated
awareness of the study. Initial indications are that
the policy reforms implemented as a consequence of Mark’s
earlier study are enjoying success:
it appears from preliminary analysis
of the data that a significantly
lower proportion of primary school
costs are now being shouldered by
households.
In addition to the comparisons
across time and across levels of
education, the Cambodian work
permitted comparisons across
countries. One obvious comparison
for Mark Bray was with the study
he had undertaken the previous year
in China’s Gansu Province. 2 In both
places, governments and donor
agencies are working hard to reduce household costs, especially
for poor households. Policy-makers and practitioners face
many continuing challenges, but Mark Bray’s work charts the
way for further reforms and further progress.
Notes:
1 Bray, Mark (1999): The Private Costs of Public Schooling:
Household and Community Financing of Primary Education in
Cambodia. Paris: UNESCO Institute for Educational Planning in
association with UNICEF.
2 Bray, Mark, Ding Xiaohao & Huang Ping (2004): Reducing the
Burden on the Poor: Household Costs of Basic Education in
Gansu, China. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research
Centre, The University of Hong Kong in association with
the Gansu Basic Education Project.
change. In addition to this role, he is co-editing a book
whose chapters will consider different aspects of the theme,
“changing education in an increasingly interdependent
world”. Mark’s invitation to contribute in these ways followed
CERC’s hosting in December 2003, on behalf of the
Faculty of Education, an earlier
workshop along similar lines for
the East-West Center. CERC is
pleased to be able to continue its
collaboration with an institute as
prestigious as the East-West Center and looks forward to
both the publication of the book and the launch of the leadership
programme.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
The Vietnam National Council on
Education invited the CERC Director,
Mark Mason, to contribute to their
International Forum on Vietnam Education:
Higher Education Reform. He
presented a paper, Strategies and Solutions
for Quality Higher Education:
(1) Enhancing Learning Effectively,
and (2) Initiating and Sustaining Educational
Change, which was well received
and stimulated considerable discussion
at the forum. The forum was
attended by the Deputy Prime Minister,
the Minister of Education and Training,
the Director General of the Vietnam National
Council on Education, and other
senior members of government, who
participated actively throughout. The
CERC’s International Research Consultancies and Collaboration
In 1999, UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational
Planning (IIEP) published a book by Mark Bray
entitled The Shadow Education System: Private Tutoring
and its Implications for Planners. The metaphor of a shadow
was used to describe private tutoring for several reasons:
� private supplementary tutoring only exists because
the mainstream education exists;
� as the size and shape of the mainstream system
change, so do the size and shape of supplementary
tutoring; and
� in almost all societies, much
more public attention focuses
on the mainstream than on its
shadow.
The book noted that large
numbers of children receive supplementary
tutoring, and that it has a
particularly long history in East Asia.
In Hong Kong, one survey found that
45% of primary, 26% of lower secondary,
and 41% of upper secondary
students received tutoring. A study
in Seoul, Korea, found that 82% of
primary and 66% of secondary school
students were receiving tutoring. And
in Japan, 70% of students have
attended juku or received other forms
of tutoring by the time they complete
middle school. Tutoring in these
societies consumes huge amounts of
money, and has major implications both for mainstream
schooling and for social stratification.
In 2004, Mark Bray was invited to join a project which
builds on his work and takes it to a different part of the
world. The project is funded by the Open Society Institute
(Soros Foundation), and focuses on Eastern and Central
Europe. Within this region is great diversity, which permits
Shadow Education in
Eastern and
Central Europe
Mark Bray and Git a Steiner-Khamsi
in Tbilisi, Georgia
19
some fascinating comparisons. In addition, the region as a
whole can be compared with East Asia and other parts of
the world to show the impact of cultural, economic and
political influences.
In July 2004, Mark travelled to Tbilisi, Georgia, for a
workshop on this project. Georgia, which borders on
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, is one of the republics of
the former Soviet Union and has experienced major stresses
in its education system. Teachers are very poorly paid, and
have to undertake tutoring and
other activities simply to survive.
This situation is very different from
that in Hong Kong, for example.
The project is being undertaken
by teams in Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania,
Latvia and Poland. During the
workshop, participants from each
country focused on draft questionnaires
and discussed methodological
issues. They are now proceeding
to data collection, keeping in
touch with each other and with Mark
Bray through the Internet.
“This is a really exciting project”
Mark commented. “It takes
the concepts set out in the 1999
book as the starting point, and
moves them to a completely different
part of the world.” The
project, he added, “has great potential to make both conceptual
and practical inputs”.
An added pleasure for Mark during the Tbilisi workshop
was to collaborate with Gita Steiner-Khamsi, who is
one of CERC’s small number of Associate Members. Gita is
based in Teachers College, Columbia (New York), and is
also an adviser to the Open Society Institute on its education
projects.
Higher Education Reform in Vietnam
invited “international experts” were also
requested to consult as a group with
these senior members of government in
the evening after the first day of the
conference. A key question with which
Vietnam is grappling is how to open up
the space in which its universities operate
following years of highly centralised
and autocratic decision-making in the
tertiary domain. Mark Mason was interviewed
by Vietnam’s national television
and radio about how Hong Kong
protects, or at least endeavours to
protect, the academic and political independence
of its universities. It was, in
sum, a valuable opportunity to raise the
profile of HKU, the Faculty, and CERC.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
Seminars
CERC News
CERC maintains a vigorous programme
of seminars. The following is the list
for October 2004:
6 October Maria Manzon, “Building Alliances: Schools,
Parents and Communities in Hong Kong and
Singapore”
13 October Eduardo Andere, “School policy and good educational
practice: Best performing countries in
PISA 2000/02”
15 October Jouni Välijärvi, “PISA results from Finland and
HongKong: Comparisons, similarities
and differences”
Postdoctoral
Fellow
CERC
Management
Committee
(2003-05)
Eduardo Andere
In August 2004, CERC welcomed Dr
Jiang Kai as its new Post-Doctoral
Fellow. Jiang Kai’s research focuses primarily
on the methodology of comparative
education, and he obtained his PhD from
Peking University in June 2004. The title of his doctoral
dissertation is Change in contemporary North American
higher education from the perspective of the labour
market. Before taking his PhD, he received his Bachelors
degree from Beijing Normal University in 1995 and
his Masters degree from the Institute of Higher Education
at Peking University in 1998.
Prior to Jiang Kai’s arrival at CERC, he gained extensive
research and publishing experience in the academic
field in mainland China. He was a faculty member
of the Graduate School of Education at Peking University,
and Managing Editor of the Peking University Education
Review, a new but influential journal in China. From
1998 to 2001 he was an editor in the Education Division at
the People’s Education Press, and a part-time assistant
researcher at the National Curriculum and Teaching Ma-
Director: Mark MASON
Members: Mark BRAY Frederick LEUNG
LI Mei Ida MOK
Nirmala RAO Anthony SWEETING
Secretary: Emily MANG
Website: www.hku.hk/cerc/index.htm
E-mail: cerc@hkusub.hku.hk
Fax: (852) 2517 4737
Phone: (852) 2857 8541
20
Visitors
CERC’s visitors since the last issue
include the following:
23 June Peter Ninnes,the Univers ity of New
England, President of ANZCIES
27 August Vilma Seeberg, Kent State University
7 October Anne Hickling-Hudson, Queens land
University of Technology, President of
WCCES
10-16 Eduardo Andere of Ins tituto Tecnoló-
October gico Autónomo de México
Peter Ninnes
terials Research Institute.
Jiang Kai has written nearly 20 journal articles and several
book chapters in comparative higher education, theory of
education, and methodology in educational research. He is
keen to enhance collaboration between the educational research
community in mainland China and its overseas
counterparts. He has translated and published various classic
articles and book chapters, as well as an influential report coproduced
by the World Bank and UNESCO.
Jiang Kai looks forward to establishing his post-doctoral
research career at the
University of Hong,
and to enjoying the
different social systems,
languages and
values in this international
city where
east meets west.

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
Book
Launches C
CERC News
ER C was ple ase d to
launch the second edition
of CERC Studies in Comparative
Education No.7, entitled Education
and Society in Hong Kong and
Macao: Comparative Perspectives on
Continuity and Change on June 17, 2004.
The two editors, Mark Bray and Ramsey Koo,
briefly introduced the book and the authors who were
able to be present. The chapter authors then took a
few minutes each to highlight key points from their
respective chapters. This second edition of the book
contains substantial revisions and elaborations, as
well as a Foreword by Robert Arnove. The launch
was a celebration of the efforts put in by the editors
and chapter authors, and of course an opportunity to
gather socially and reflect on the success of the
project.
Building Alliances:
Schools, Parents and Communities in
Hong Kong and Singapore
Comparative
Education
Society in
Europe
(CESE)
Education and Society in Hong Kong and Macao:
Comparative Perspectives on Continuity and Change
Contributors (From left): Jennifer LO, Andrew YUNG, TANG Kwok
Chun, John TAN, Ramsey KOO, Mark BRAY, Ora KWO, Nirmala RAO,
Aliana LEONG and William MA, each holding the new book.
On 6 October 2004, CERC launched Maria Manzon’s book,
Building Alliances. This book is the third in our CERC
Monograph Series, and a valuable addition. Maria presented a
conceptually sophisticated and well structured seminar that
described the key themes, issues and findings reported in the
book. CERC congratulates Maria on this outstanding achievement
that follows research undertaken for her MEd dissertation,
and looks forward to continued collaboration with her.
Please see the back cover of this issue of CERCular for further
details.
Comparative Education Society
in Europe (CESE) Conference
Mark Mason and Mark Bray flew the CERC flag in Copenhagen in June 2004
at the annual conference of the Comparative Education Society in
Europe. The theme of the conference was “Multiple Identities, Education and Citizenship”, and
keynote speakers included Tom Popkewitz, Jürgen Schriewer, Yasemin Soysal, Jagdish Gundara,
and John Mallea, who gave the Lauwerys Lecture. Sub-themes and working groups considered
the internationalisation of universities, teacher education, curriculum, citizenship, and migration,
among many others. Mark Mason presented a paper, Ethics and Comparative Education
Research: beyond the postmodern impasse, which was well received and stimulated interesting
discussion. CERC’s book display featured prominently at the conference, and helped to provide
a focal point for discussions with colleagues, old and new, about CERC activities.
21

CERCular
Vol.10, No.2, 2004
New CERC Books
CERC Monograph Series
No.3
Building Alliances
Schools, Parents and
Communities in
Hong Kong and Singapore
Maria Manzon
September 2004; 121pp.
ISBN 962 8093 36 3
HK$100 / US$16
Governments worldwide are increasingly adv ocating
parental and community partnerships in
education. This monograph explores the ev olution
of parental and community partnerships in
Hong Kong and Singapore, and the local and global
forces that have shaped those partnerships.
It focuses on the work of two government adv isory
bodies established to spearhead partnership
advocacy: the Committee on Home-School Cooperation
(CHSC) in Hong Kong, and Community
and Parents in Support of Schools (COMPASS) in
Singapore. Key policy actors and local academics
in the two states were interviewed to gain insiders’
perspectives on the ‘micro-politics’ of educational
partnership.
Comparativ e educators, ministries of education,
and educational policy makers will gain
from this book a penetrating insight into parentschool-community
partnership in a pair of Asian
contexts, and may find some good practices and
lessons.
Maria Manzon initially studied in the Philippines
and in Italy, and then graduated from the MEd
programme in Comparativ e Education at the University
of Hong Kong. She has had almost 10 years
of working experience in Hong Kong and Southeast
Asia, in the fields of finance and education.
Order CERC Publications from: Comparative Education
Research Centre, Faculty of Education, The University
of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
E-mail: cerc@hkusub.hku.hk; Website: www.hku.hk/cerc.
Fax: (852) 2517-4737.
24
CERC Studies in Comparative
Education No.7
Education and Society in
Hong Kong and Macao
Comparative Perspectives on
Continuity and Change
Second edition
Edited by
Mark Bray & Ramsey Koo
June 2004; 323pp.
ISBN 962 8093 34 7
HK$200 / US$32
Hong Kong and Macao have much in common. The
dominant populat ions in both territories are
Cantonese-speaking Chinese; both are small in area;
both are urban societies; both hav e been colonies of
European powers; and both have undergone political
transition to reunification with China. Yet in education,
for reasons that are analysed in this book, they are very
different.
The patterns of similarities and differences in the
two territories make a fascinating basis for comparative
study. The overarching theme of the book, on continuity
and change, is particularly pertinent following
the transition of the two societies to the postcolonial
era.
This thoroughly-rev ised and expanded second
edition builds on the widely-acclaimed first edition. The
work has been recognised as a significant contribution
to the broad field of comparative education as
well as to study of the specific societies which are its
main focus.
Mark Bray is Chair Professor of Comparative Education
at the University of Hong Kong. Ramsey Koo is a Senior
Lecturer at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Both
hav e long experience of research on education in
Hong Kong and Macao; and both are active in professional
societies concerned with comparative education.
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