This report examines the methods and the problems of organising formal and non-formal education in rural areas, through the findings of two studies carried out in Nepal and Sudan. The issues involved in the formaulation and implementation of local plans, and the respective roles of the national and district authorities, the community and the school, are discussed as aspects of a decentralised approach to the management of education. The report illustrates the need for the district level of educational administrative systems to play a more active part in the elaboration of programmes closely to local needs, leading to increased relevance of the overall educational system