Comparative Education as an Instrument of Planning

There is a curious phenomenon about comparative education. We all know that it exists. But in spite of that, the specialized teachers who have twice met under the auspices of Unesco have not succeeded in agreeing upon a definition of it. Let it be said in passing, however, that having failed, the persons in question were easily consoled by the thought that it was more important for comparative education to be pursued, without its essence or limits being exactly clear, than that there should be a unanimously accepted definition but a lesser degree of practical application. Tempting as the prospect may be, this is not the place for a study-which would of necessity be comparative-of the various definitions formulated since Marc-Antoine Jullien, of Paris, published his Esquisse et vues prdliminaires d'un ouvrage sur l'e'ducation comparde in 1817.