UNESCO has never equated educational development with mere quantitative expansion. And the kind of education the Organization has endeavoured to promote is one which would contribute to peace and welfare of mankind. The Organization has therefore always considered education in relation to the global needs of the world community and of national societies. In order to guide its own activities, as well as to offer suggestions to its Member States and to educators on how best to achieve these goals, UNESCO had to meet certain prerequisites. First, to draw up a picture of the existing situation in terms of educational legislation structures and statistical data in various countries; second, to stimulate a process of exchange of ideas and consultation among deciders and educators, both on specific issues and on general trends at the regional or world levels; and third, to foster global reflection, aimed at provoking imaginative thoughts regarding its future. Such reflection could take its origin from eminent educators and thinkers. UNESCO has resorted to these three approaches.

DEPICT AND ANALYSE THE STATUS OF EDUCATION The World Survey of Education is an early example of the first approach. It was designed to serve as an instrument of co-operation among education authorities and educationists. In 1951, UNESCO had published the World Handbook of Educational Organizations and Statistics based on the replies to a questionnaire from fifty-seven countries. This was the origin of the World Survey of Education. Published in five volumes between 1955 and 1971, it represented an unprecedented effort to place comparative education, in a workable form, at the service of co-operation in the field of education. Some twenty years after the publication of Volume V, a more condensed and selective publication was issued under the title World Education Report. Intended as a reference book for policy-makers working in education and development, three issues have so far been published (1991, 1993 and 1995). Another major publication is the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook which, since 1964, provides statistical data on significant aspects of educational development worldwide, such as enrolment figures by level and type of education for each region, growth rates of enrolment, public expenditure, etc. The book is widely used by other international organizations, governments and educators.