‘The purpose of this work‘, says the author, ‘has not been to question the utility of educational planning but rather to question the way it is usually done and to emphasize the importance of many societal factors usually ignored by the planners.’ Starting from a firm belief in the need for educational planning, he challenges assumptions and easy generalizations on which practice has often been based. Writing as a sociologist, Mr. Anderson sets out the limits within which he thinks educational planning can be effective, and the limits also to the use of the school system as an instrument of economic and social change. His treatment of these contentious themes will be of particular interest to those who already have some acquaintance with planning in developing countries, but, read in conjunction with other booklets in this series, it should also be of value to the layman who wants to know more about the interplay of theory and practice in this new and rapidly growing field. In this very brief discussion of some of the sociological limitations on educational planning, conclusions based on more complete analyses are set down briefly and with few supporting illustrations. Seven topics have been singled out for emphasis: Ambiguities in the conceptualization of educational planning; The multifunctionality of formal education; Effective training for occupational goals; Socio-political constraints on educational planning; Issues of equity and quality; Schools as instruments for value reorientation; The social context of education determines its effect.
