English language training

Evaluation covers the period 4/78-11/80 and is based on interviews with SARG, USAID/S, and project personnel; site visits; and a review of project documents. Although only 350 of 1000 planned students completed the ELTC course due to SARG ministries unexpected refusal to allow all trainees and potential trainees to take the full three-month course, ELTC was nonetheless judged a success. Institutionalizing the ELTC, however, was found to suffer from many weaknesses. While the SARG"s commitment to the project appears strong (e.g., giving the ELTC a strong director and an independent budget), it has diluted this commitment by: threatening to recall two Syrian counterparts (CP) receiving U.S. instruction in teaching English as a second language (TESL); not assigning a CP who had completed the TESL course; and refusing USAID/S personnel access to ELTC classes or direct access to the ELTC Governing Board. Internally, the ELTC has suffered because the five project teachers did not coordinate their methodologies or develop replicable teaching materials; the proficiency test was overused and failed to discriminate among lower levels of fluency; the replacement test, developed by the contractor, Georgetown University (GU), failed to redress these deficiencies; and the TESL training given to the 10 Syrian CP"s was too theoretical to be useful in the classroom. It is recommended that USAID/S: (1) reaffirm its right to take part in policy decisions within the ELTC Governing Board; (2) establish curriculum and teaching material development programs at the ELTC; discuss with GU and continue to revise the testing program; (4) develop in-service training programs for all ELTC teachers; (5) continue to press SARG to assign all TESL-trained CP"s to the ELTC; (6) proceed with scheduled phase-out of U.S. personnel; (7) encourage SARG to retain a native English speaker at ELTC after project completion; (8) gear TESL training more toward classroom teaching; and (9) closely follow up on programs and funding for remaining CP"s.