This reissue, first published in 1986, offers a comprehensive treatment of educational development in four countries in West and East Africa: Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The author focuses on the role of education in promoting or hindering national development; the way the educational system varies in response to societal and dialectical forces; the place of education in major theories of change and development; and the contribution made by education to economic, social and political development. Clearly and concisely written, the book will be of interest to teachers, administrators, educational planners and scholars in comparative education and the history of education.