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This paper argues the importance in and for a democratic state and society of discussing controversial issues in education. In particular it analyses two national educational contexts, that of England and South Africa. It considers both whether they provide a suitable framework for teaching controversial issues in school classrooms and if they prepare teachers to be able to organise discussions of controversial issues in schools. The paper then examines interview data on teaching controversial issues with university tutors and student teachers in four universities, two in England and two in South Africa. The data suggest that there are still serious obstacles in both countries to teaching controversial issues in schools and in preparing teacher education students to teach about controversial issues.

Silent exclusion, when children register and attend school but learn little, is a critical feature of educational access in South Africa. Several international studies (e.g. TIMMS, SACMEQ) have shown that despite high levels of investment, South African schools perform poorly in relation to other countries at similar levels of income. Equitable access is yet to be achieved with wide variations in the quality of access between sub‐populations. This paper focuses on levels of learning achievement and comparisons between grades, schools, and populations of children in the Western Cape. Since outcome data is available over time changes can be followed and equitable access explored.

(1996). The Unregarded Prophet: Lord Curzon and the Palestine Question. Journal of Palestine Studies: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 60-68.

Purpose To describe the types and prevalence of long-term, established pseudophakic dysphotopsia in a typical population more than a year after cataract extraction. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Fifty-five patients who had undergone cataract surgery more than a year before were administered a questionnaire that was based on photographic images of photic phenomena. Results Dysphotopsia were found in 18 of 55 patients. There was a predominance of halos and starburst effects but also substantial symptoms of arc effect, streams of light, and central flash. There was no correlation between measured dysphotopsia and age, final attained acuity, or contrast sensitivity. Conclusions Dysphotopsia in the operated eye was still a common symptom in its many forms more than a year after uncomplicated cataract surgery. There was no correlation of symptoms with age or visual function.

Dear Editor, We read with interest the article by Buller and co-workers [1] indicating that patients anticipate and experience less inconvenience from once daily (OD) eye drop regimes compared to more complicated alternatives. They suggest, therefore, that OD regimes will encourage voluntary compliance. We would propose that OD treatment regimes also reduce involuntary non-compliance and are particularly advantageous for elderly patients. We surveyed 70 consecutive glaucoma patients by means of interview administered questionnaire to determine whether the medication they were actually using was the same as that advised by the ophthalmologist at their previous clinic visit. It was found that 11/70 (16%) were not compliant with the regime recommended. Six of these 11 were using the drops at an inappropriate frequency, which was felt to be due to a failure to make the treatment regime clear during the previous consultation. The other five of the 11 non-compliant patients were using medication other than that intended. Although the initial prescription for glaucoma medication may be given by an ophthalmologist, the responsibility for ongoing prescription of treatment in many health care systems rests with the family doctor or general practitioner. The source of error in these cases, therefore, was the system of communication between specialist and general practitioner. Non-compliant patients (mean age 78.9) were significantly older than those who complied (mean age 69.9) (p=0.04). Patients using OD drop treatments were also significantly more likely to be compliant than those on more complex regimes; only 1 of 33 OD patients failed to comply, compared to 10 of 37 patients prescribed more frequent drop administration (p

The events of the schools’ boycott presented by Molteno are reviewed. It is argued that for a combination of reasons illustrative of the difficulties deriving from the relationship between the social sciences and politics, his interpretation of the events must be seriously questioned. The implication arising is that Molteno's linking of practice and theory is in this case not justified.

The reaction of teachers to an innovation, the Science Education Project in South Africa, has been analysed by considering the demands made on them in their roles of subject specialist, classroom director, professional and employee. The Science Education Project relies on phased, ongoing inservice work, incorporating courses, on‐site teacher support and teacher groups, to achieve its purposes of encouraging teacher growth and hence more active, pupil‐oriented classrooms. The four roles represent an increasing complexity of involvement of implementers with teachers, and have been found to correspond with the phases of inservice work.

The literature on the Rh factor and its relationship to human disease, physical and mental, has been reviewed. My own investigation into the incidence of Rh incompatibility in 427 cases of mental deficiency has been described. The conclusion has been drawn that Rh incompatibility, per se , is not a factor in the causation of mental deficiency.

Shorvon and Sargant (1947) have given a full account of the history and development of the use of ether in relation to excitatory abreaction. They have shown how valuable its use can be to rid patients of emotional tension which has occurred as a result of some particular battle experience, such as being blown up, buried alive, torpedoed, etc. They propound various theories as to the mechanism of excitatory abreaction, and they give a full description of the technique they employed, illustrated by examples from the numerous cases with which they dealt.