The papers for this special issue were selected from a pool of nearly 700 presentations which were made at the 10th Congress of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 12 to 17 July 1998. The congress was hosted by the Southern African Comparative and History of Education Society (SACHES) and held on the campuses of the University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town. The papers were selected by the convenors of the conference's standing commissions, which provided a significant focus for the conference proceedings. These commissions were on the following themes: Teachers and teacher education Curriculum - Higher education - Lifelong learning - Language, literacy and basic education - Gender and education Policy - Theory and theory shifts Basic education in Africa Peace and Justice Dependency European Education Policy Research in Africa Culture, Indigenous Knowledge and Learning The papers presented, as the discussion below makes clear, ranged widely in subject matter and theoretical perspective and addressed issues of concern both to individual countries and to regions of the world. While some of the papers use comparison as an approach, it remains a matter of concern that the comparative perspective is so little in evidence. It is hoped that the com parative research approach will be more in evidence in the future.

How Choice Changes the Education System: A Michigan Case Study; D.N. Plank, G. Sykes. Girls'' Education in Zambia: Everyone''s Responsibility - A Policy Framework for Participatory Process; C. Mitchell, et al. Gender Equity in Success at School; M.B. Sutherland. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender in Education: The Case of Eastern and Southern Africa; C. Mannathoko. The Spectre of Theory in Curriculum for Educational Researchers: A Mexican Example; R.N. Buenfil Burgos. Curriculum and Society: Rethinking the Link; A. de Alba. No Matter How Long the Night, the Day is Sure to Come: Culture and Educational Transformation in Post-Colonial Namibia and Post-Apartheid South Africa; F. Nekhwevha. Beyond the Entrepreneurial University: The Potential Role of South Africa''s Historically Disadvantaged Institutions in Reconstruction and Development; G. Subotzky. Les systemes educatifs à la reunion et l''Ãle Maurice: Quelle efficacite sociale? A. si Moussa, F. Tupin. Discourse, Structure and Practice and Continuing Education: A Comparison between Switzerland and Germany; K. Weber, J. Wittpoth. Critical Approaches to Lifelong Education; R. Preston. Lifelong Learning within Higher Education in South Africa: Emancipatory Potential? S. Walters. Understanding the Experiences of Beginning Secondary School Teachers; E.Z. Mazibuko. Postcolonialism and Comparative Education; L. Tikly. Author Index.