Education has been dramatically reformed worldwide over the last few decades. In this age of globalisation, student teachers, Education students and scholars of the social sciences in general need to take careful note of these changes. Comparative Education: education systems and contemporary issues contains separate chapters in which a selection of education systems - South Africa, Botswana, the United States, Australia and India, as well as the emerging education dispensation of the European Union - are discussed. Each of these chapters is written by a renowned specialist of comparative education residing and working in the particular country. The other chapters of the book deal with issues in education: values and ideologies in education, cultural diversity, gender issues, higher education, curricular reform and violence in schools. The book commences with an outline of the historical evolution of comparative education and its significance.

Prof. Charl Wolhuter studied at the Rand Afrikaans University, the University of Pretoria and the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. He obtained a doctorate in comparative education at the University of Stellenbosch. He was a junior lecturer in history of education and comparative education at the University of Pretoria and a senior lecturer in history of education and comparative education at the University of Zululand. Prof. Wolhuter is currently a professor in comparative education at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, South Africa. He is the author of various books and articles on history of education and comparative education.

Prof. Eleanor Lemmer is a professor in the Department of Education, University of South Africa (UNISA), where she has worked since 1987. She is a specialist in comparative and international education, with a special interest in parent involvement. She has authored and edited several published books in her fi eld dealing with the South African education system, multicultural education and women?s career development. Prof. Lemmer has also made signifi cant contributions to many academic journals, and has presented papers at several local and international conferences.

Prof. Corene de Wet has been teaching comparative education since 1992 at the University of the Free State. She has supervised many postgraduate students, delivered papers at national and international conferences, and published extensively on crime and violence in schools and in other fi elds such as cultural diversity as an educational issue. Prof. de Wet is an assistant editor of Acta Academica, South African Journal of Education and SA-eDUC Electronic Journal.