EVALUATION REPORT OF GOVERNMENT OF SWAZILAND/USAID PARTICIPANT TRAINING PROGRAMMES : SOUTHERN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT PERSONNEL AND TRAINING AND SOUTHERN AFRICA ACADEMIC AND SKILLS TRAINING

Special evaluation covers the period 11/77-8/80 and is based on questionnaires sent to trainees and interviews with Government of Swaziland (GOS) officials. By 3/80, 46 trainees had returned to Swaziland. Of the 33 respondents to the questionnaire, only two had studied outside the United States. Women accounted for 20% of the participants. Fifty-eight percent had received promotions. Most felt that their training was quite relevant to the needs of their country, but not always to the departments to which they were assigned. Originally, USAID, the Department of Establishments and Training (DET), and GOS ministries worked together to select candidates. However, that procedure was dropped, with the DET making the selections. In the future, A.I.D. should make arrangements with the DET to keep the ministries informed about A.I.D. training opportunities. USAID should investigate training programs in other developing countries, particularly in Africa where training would be more applicable, trainees would have the opportunities to discuss common problems with developing country counterparts, and the cost would be less. When U.S. training is provided, observation tours to other developing countries (in the summer or on the way home) should be considered. More work/study programs are also recommended. Only 26% of the candidates received academic training; none received Ph.D. training. Several GOS officials noted that most M.S. and B.S.-level participants are not qualified to train others. Thus, more Ph.D. candidates are needed to increase the multiplier effect. Because USAID did not have university catalogs available, participants made their course selections in the United States without the benefit of consultation with their ministries. USAID should make a greater effort to provide such information. Other recommendations include avoiding courses involving non-traditional formats unfamiliar to Swazis and reducing costs by conducting some courses in Swaziland.