"In 2002, the Embassy of Sweden (EoS) and the School of Law (SoL) entered into an agreement which resulted into the School of Law Book Project (SoLBP). The objectives of the Project included; improving the teaching environment by ensuring that basic materials for each course were available, revampin
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g research among the staff, contributing to staff retention and recruitment, and, improving the management and administrative capacity of the SoL. The Project that commenced in December of 2002 was intended to run for a year but was extended twice ending in March of 2006 [...] It was concluded that the Project did achieve its goal of strengthening the teaching and learning environment in the SoL at the University of Zambia (UNZA). Having increased the levels of research activities among the lecturers chosen as authors of the books published under the Project, the resultant books were of great use to the lecturers, tutors and students in the SoL as they were; readily available, affordable to the students, up-to-date and most importantly made reference to Zambian Statutes and Case Law. This was the opposite of the imported books that were hard to come by, expensive and made no reference to Zambian Statutes and Case Law. The UNZA benefitted from the SoLBP in that it re-established itself as not only a training institution but also as a research institution capable of producing its own textbooks. The UNZA rose above other training institutions offering legal training as the other institutions incorporated the books into their curricular. These institutions include: the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE), the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), the Zambia Open University (ZOU) and the Cavendish University of Zambia (CUZ). The books have also found reference relevance among practising lawyers and Judges of the High Court of Zambia. However, the evaluation found that the project funds had been mismanaged, allegedly by the project staff and there was a court case brought against them by the SoL. This was attributed to the weak monitoring systems by the SoL in the third year of project implementation as the first two years have proved to have had these systems in place as indicated by proper funds management." (Executive summary)
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"Aims to explore the nature and the reasons behind the self-publishing of academic textbooks in the higher education environment of South Africa. Through the collection of secondary data the authors describe the academic publishing landscape in relation to current trends in higher education in South
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Africa and explain what constitutes self-publishing as an alternative publishing model. Primary data obtained through surveys proves many of the myths associated with self-publishing false and establishes that academic authors have valid and just reasons for opting to self-publish. Some final conclusive findings are offered by the authors that could assist the commercial academic publishing sector in acting accordingly on this increasing trend in the higher education environment." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2547)
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"This World Bank study discusses secondary textbook and school library availability in Africa, its cost and financing, and its distribution and publishing. The study’s objective was to analyze the issues and provide some options and strategies for improvement. Reforms are urgently required in the
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secondary school systems of most African countries in order to: (i) reduce the number of textbooks and reference books required by secondary education curricula; (ii) reduce the unit costs of textbooks; (iii) increase the target book life thus increasing cost amortization and reducing annual textbook fees/budgets; (iv) increase the financing allocated to textbook provision from either government or parents, and (v) ensure that curricula change does not make expensive materials redundant too early or too often. The authors of the study believe that if a reliable market exists local publishing can develop to service it, even in direct competition with multinationals; and that the market does not necessarily have to be large, but that the critical factor is predictability. If publishers are confident that funding will be available, from whatever source, year after year, then local publishing will emerge to serve that market. This, it is argued, is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in Botswana where a tiny but reliable and reasonably predictable secondary school sector has five competing approved textbooks in some secondary subjects." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2556)
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"This manual is designed to provide you with practical guidance in the work and business of writing and editing textbooks, whether you are currently working in the field, or you are studying toward it. More specifically, the manual will: provide an overview of the editing process and a basic underst
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anding of the roles involved; provide guidance on the business practices involved in editing and publishing. The manual was written to accompany the course Publishing Educational Materials: Techiques and Tools for Editors and Writers, produced by the World Bank in 2008. In most cases information from the course is not repeated in the manual." (Introduction, page 5)
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"This is an excellent resource for all those keen to acquire editorial skills. It is part of a series of distance learning tools currently being developed by the World Bank’s API in collaboration with the African Publishers Network and partner universities. Each self-learning programme will consis
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t of a CD with examples, exercises, videos, modules for face-to-face training, together with an accompanying manual for self study. This pilot on editorial skills was launched in the summer of 2007 and was trialled in five African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Attractively designed and very user-friendly, the CD consists of a Course Guide: Getting Started; Module 1: Planning and Organizing Textbooks; Module 2: Language Editing; and Module 3: Copy Editing and Design, plus a manual in pdf format Editing Educational Materials: A Manual for Editors in Africa. The manual is designed to provide learners with practical guidance in the work and business of editing, whether they are currently a textbook editor, or are considering working in the field. It provides an overview of the editing processes and a basic understanding of the different roles involved, and offers guidance on the business practices involved in editing and publishing. It is divided into five major sections: (i) Book production in brief: An overview of the publication process; (ii) Organization: Time management, file management, project management; (iii) Development of a publisher's list: Identifying potential publications, working with authors in development; (iv) Communication with authors and others: Letters and contracts; and (v) Manuscript preparation: Quality control in the manuscript preparation process. A series of helpful appendices are included: sample letters – between publishers and prospective authors, publishers and ministry of education officials, correspondence with series editors, etc. – sample contracts, and a model letter of agreement." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2453)
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"An examination of the methodology used in the evaluation of textbook submissions by publishers for the Kenya Textbook Project, and the various components of evaluation criteria as they relate to content and conformity to the curriculum, writing and editorial quality, design and presentation, illust
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rations, suitability of the language for the intended reader, whether and how they encourage active learning, whether they promote positive social and cultural values and/or diversity, their gender responsiveness in both text and illustrations, and other significant issues. The author concludes that "the Kenyan project was judged to be a success not only because it gave teachers a choice of quality textbooks and effectively liberalised the book trade, which had previously been dominated by a state centralist publishing system. It was also judged successful because the evaluation and selection of the textbooks was based on a fair and objective system which gave no publisher or textbook a significant advantage over any other. The Kenyan project was in that respect, and in others also, a model for other publishing industries to follow." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 608)
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This volume gathers contributions presented during the 8th IARTEM conference on learning and educational media, held in Caen (France) in October 2005. The conference reader contains a wide range of contributions from industrialised, transitional and developing countries.
"This useful guide is targeted primarily at libraries that need to support communities by selecting appropriate materials, and adult literacy facilitators and community workers who are seeking suitable reading materials to maintain learners’ interest in keeping up their reading habits. The guide i
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s based on the experiences of a civil society organization, the Easy Reading for Adults (ERA) initiative, which was active in South Africa during the 1990’s, but also draws on experience elsewhere in Africa, as well as in Asia and Canada. ‘Easy reading’ is interpreted to mean “any reading matter in any language that makes concessions to a lack of reading skills or to difficulties with mastering the language of the text.” The author sets out the key processes and approaches involved in successfully selecting, developing and disseminating easy reading material for adults, and raises a number of pertinent questions on issues that need to be considered, to ensure that materials required for adults wanting to improve their reading skills are relevant to their needs. The book also contains sections on the production process, dissemination and distribution aspects, monitoring and evaluation of projects, and there is a select bibliography." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2227)
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"For a long period, Sida has been the main donor for textbook production and distribution in Tanzania. After several years of stagnation in the sector (despite generous support), the shortage of textbooks in schools had become alarming, and the Government of Tanzania (GoT) and Sida agreed upon a new
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start. The New Textbook Policy (of 1991) abolished the state monopoly in textbook production, and a new curriculum for primary school was ready to be launched. Accordingly, there was a need for new textbooks in all subjects. In addition, the former single-textbook system was to be replaced by a multitextbook system, with free choice of textbooks in school (in accordance with the New Textbook Policy). The Pilot Project for Publishing (PPP), 1993-2000, was started as an instrument for implementing the new policy and helping to strengthen the textbook sub-sector. The main aim was to smooth the transition from monopoly to market system in the textbook sector. Thus, the task of the PPP was to transfer responsibility for textbook publishing and distribution step-by-step to local commercial publishers and booksellers. The overall objective of the project was to find new ways to improve the quality of education. The private actors that were introduced into and involved in the project were intended to achieve supply of cheap and good quality textbooks. The purpose of this evaluation is to show whether and, if so, how the quality, availability and cost of school textbooks have been improved by the PPP." (Executive summary, page vii)
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"The growth of educational publishing in Kenya depends heavily on the disposable income of its customers. This article looks at the incomes of both actual and potential customers, and how they prioritize their spending. The findings are based on extensive research carried out by the author between 1
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997 and 2000 (see also entry 624 above), revised and updated in 2003. In selecting the areas to conduct the research, socio-economic factors, geographical conditions and level of development were considered. It was found that most textbook purchasers think that textbooks are very expensive in comparison with their income levels. The study also demonstrated that the rate at which textbook prices increase is higher than the increase in income levels, and, as a result, there will always be a shortage of textbooks in schools, and in the homes of consumers as they will always choose their own priorities: "Textbooks will always be the last of the priorities of most Kenyans, as they will search for the essential commodities of life first. Although the government is planning to purchase textbooks for primary schools, the problem will still persist as the books bought for use in schools will be only the recommended textbooks, while parents will still be buying supplementary textbooks." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 625)
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"This thesis examines the mission, strategies and activities of the African Publishers Network in its quest to empower indigenous publishers. The author probes the nature of publishing development in African countries, utilizing selected cases of anglophone countries as illustrations. Her analysis o
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f the primary and secondary textbook market, as a microcosm of the larger publishing context, demonstrates the numerous obstacles still confronting indigenous publishing houses in their endeavour to provide quality, affordable, and relevant book for African readers. Based on a qualitative research method, the author used in-depth interview data collected at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair 2002 to inform her work. She believes that the collective nature of the organization enhances its ability to effect positive change and that, in its mission to promote publishing development, APNET operates as an agent of decolonization by decreasing Africa's dependence on the North for its book needs." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1309)
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"Au cours de la dernière décennie, les dépenses consacrées à la fourniture de manuels et d'équipements pédagogiques pour l'éducation de base, dans l'ensemble de l'Afrique francophone, se sont élevées à plus de 500 milliards de francs CFA. Pourtant, même un investissement aussi massif n'a
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pas permis d'atteindre l'objectif « Un livre un enfant en l'an 2000 », et il n'y a pas eu de développement significatif d'une industrie indigène du livre. Cette étude tente d'identifier les principales opportunités et causes des pratiques de corruption qui existent tout au long de la chaîne de financement, de production et d'édition des manuels scolaires, ainsi que de la distribution des livres scolaires et autres matériels éducatifs en Afrique francophone. En outre, elle s'efforce de définir les conditions qui favoriseraient une plus grande transparence et de bonnes pratiques dans la fourniture de manuels, et - en utilisant des projets en Tunisie, en Côte d'Ivoire et en République démocratique du Congo comme études de cas - fait un certain nombre de propositions sur la façon dont cela pourrait être réalisé." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 387)
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"Rapport commandé en 2003 par l'Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie, aujourd'hui intégrée à l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Il examine la situation et les perspectives de la fourniture de livres éducatifs à la lumière de la récente libéralisation de cette partie
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du secteur du livre par le gouvernement ivoirien ; son intention de fournir progressivement jusqu'à deux millions d'élèves avec des livres gratuits dans le cadre de ses objectifs d'« éducation pour tous », et de développer une stratégie cohérente pour la production et la distribution de ces matériels didactiques. L'auteur examine les principaux acteurs impliqués dans ce plan ambitieux, analysant la faisabilité de la proposition et son mode de financement, son impact probable sur les industries du livre, ainsi que les problèmes et contraintes éventuels liés à sa mise en œuvre." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 493)
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