AMIDEAST : human resources development, West Bank/Gaza Strip

Evaluation covers the period 7/78-4/81. No methodology is specified. America Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST), the operational program grantee, has successfully portrayed itself as a private group concerned with improving educational opportunities for Palestinians. Sixteen faculty have completed U.S. degree training, and 48 others are still studying. Because costs were less than expected, AMIDEAST increased the number of participants without additional funding. AMIDEAST"s offices in Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon proved beneficial. A pilot undergraduate scholarship program was established, and 542 of a planned 575 students have participated. However, English-language proficiency has been a major problem, orientation for departing candidates is restricted due to the location and size of AMIDEAST"s Jerusalem office, staff turnover is high (knowledge of the American education system is much sought after), and relations with Israeli officials are strained. An education sector assessment was completed in 1979, despite the fact that there was no "host country;" the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs did not assist and sometimes impeded efforts; the three West Bank universities did not actively participate because they could not spare faculty members, did not wish to train undergraduates, and were reluctant to obtain approval from the Military Goverment; cooperation with the Council on Higher Education never materialized; and AMIDEAST was not at the time accepted by the participating individuals and institutions. Nevertheless, the assessment did provide AMIDEAST with a greater understanding of the area"s human resources problems and was useful to local universities. Although envisioned as a continuing activity, AMIDEAST has been blocked in its attempts to collect data directly. Authors recommend that AMIDEAST: (1) find larger quarters; (2) modernize its equipment; (3) seek a solution to its staffing shortage; and (4) consider increased allowances for faculty trainees, particularly regarding the purchase of textbooks.