A number of New Zealand universities offer astronomy courses at different undergraduate levels. The courses are taught in Physics or Mathematics Departments. Some are only sub-courses within a physics major rather than a dedicated astronomy course. I will detail these and show material relating to the course content and some of the texts used. Postgraduate programs in astronomy are also offered, principally at the University of Canterbury but also at the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington.

Over the past ten years a comprehensive educational program has been developed at Carter Observatory which covers every level from pre-school to PhD. A great deal of time also is expended in a varied adult education program. Every effort has been made to co-ordinate the various parts of the program in such a way that people will be encouraged to take a productive interest in astronomy.

A version of this paper was originally presented at the Fifth National Space Engineering Symposium at Canberra in November 1989. A copy of the full paper will be found in the text of the Proceedings. It is presented here because the authors believe that the issues raised and strategies suggested are as relevant to the astronomical community as they are to other areas of space science and technology.

Auckland Observatory is a public observatory with a strong research interest. Its activities are reviewed and described. The important role which public access to current astronomy plays is mentioned.

This paper summarises the opportunities available for postgraduate education in astronomy and related disciplines in China.

This paper describes the Star Watch Program in Japan to monitor night-sky brightness.

By 1989 a new curriculum in Japanese elementary and secondary schools had been devised and started. I will report on the contents of the new curriculum and point out some problems in teaching astronomy in Japan identified from the results of recent research in science education. Recent research shows that it is important to know how children’s ideas and misconceptions are constructed and what role the philosophy of science may play in shaping them.

Astronomy is one of the most ancient disciplines of knowledge which has inspired a great deal of human thought. Its study has triggered developments in many fields. Bohr’s atomic model and our idea about the thermonuclear fusion are two of the many examples which have significantly influenced (and will continue to influence) the course of human civilisation.

During the second half of the nineteenth century Australian amateur and professional astronomers worked together in actively promoting astronomy among the general public. This collaboration was a product of the cordial amateur-professional relations that permeated pre-astrophysics Australian astronomy.

Astronomy and astrophysics subjects at the University of Wollongong are seen as a vehicle for emphasising and clarifying concepts in the physics degree course. They also serve to introduce both undergraduate and postgraduate students to skills in computing and instrumentation not encountered in traditional subjects.

This paper summarises the function of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India.

The paper briefly describes a new publication in Japan, the bulletin ‘Teaching of Astronomy in the Asian-Pacific Region’. The author is the Chairman of the Working Committee of Teaching of Astronomy in the Asian-Pacific region of the IAU.

This paper examines the importance of astronomy education for a rural society in a third world country. Some conclusions are drawn about methods of introducing astronomy to school students and, through them, the entire village. The conclusions are based on the author’s direct experience in addressing high school students in several rural towns in India.