Ministries of Education in Small States

Book excerpt: The conventional literature on public administration is dominated by the patterns and concerns of large countries. It does not address the needs of small countries, which have very different organisational and managerial frameworks. For example, what degree of specialisation is possible in a ministry which has only a small group of professional staff? And what are the implications for management of highly personalised societies in which everybody seems to know everybody else?This book presents 14 studies written by people who are actually grappling with the issues about which they write. The book thus has both authenticity and practical value.The book is an amplification of a companion work, and will be of value to academics as well as to administrators and trainers. The companion book is also available from the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is entitled Making Small Practical: The Organisation and Management of Ministries of Education in Small States.