AID and education : a sector report on lessons learned

education projects are herein reviewed and summarized. The projects (four each in Asia and Latin America, two each in Africa and the Near East) included such activities as establishing institutions and institutional processes, curriculum reform, distance teaching, vocational and nonformal adult education, teacher training, and building/equipping educational facilities. The following lessons were drawn: (1) Since the lasting effects of an education project are only apparent over time, A.I.D. should be prepared to make long-term commitments. (2) A.I.D. efforts have significantly helped to increase and equalize access to education. (3) A.I.D. training of professionals and support of educational institutions have been successful, especially when supported by career advancement and salary incentives. (4) Careful prefeasibility studies and serious collaborative planning are essential to projects that introduce new teaching methods and curricula in remote areas. (5) To ensure continuity, A.I.D. must not only introduce cost-effective reforms, but also determine how recurrent costs are apportioned, whether the costs are reasonable, and what will motivate continued payment of maintenance expenses. (6) A project must fit into the wider economic context, respond to work force needs, and advance economic growth. (7) Project success depends on good rapport among host country officials, institutions, and key A.I.D. personnel, and on careful consideration during the design phase of host country policy and of institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural constraints. Future research needs are to: undertake a more comprehensive study of A.I.D.'s education interventions and a more representative study of A.I.D.'s nonformal education efforts; balance the need to expand access to education with the need to maintain its quality; determine whether the generally poor results of job-oriented education projects are representative; and assess the indirect impact of A.I.D. projects on established institutions and programs. Appended are data sheets for the 12 projects and proceedings of a 2/82 A.I.D. conference on the above findings.