Human resources sector; memorandum audit report, 8/26/82

Audit report covers the period 1/1/79-3/31/82 and is based on document review and site visits. Despite a shortage of qualified candidates, the Development Training II project, being implemented by the Central Planning Organization (CPO), is expected to meet its revised goal of training 440 participants by 1987. To date, 98 participants have completed training and 203 are in training in the United States and overseas. However, there have been problems. The CPO has not developed acceptable criteria for trainee selection, resulting in the use of different criteria by each YAR agency and the selection of many participants for U.S. training who lack adequate English-language ability. Moreover, YAR agencies have not cooperated in sending participants to the Yemen-American Language Institute. USAID/Y has not yet implemented follow-up procedures for monitoring the activities of the 98 trainees who have returned to Yemen; the Mission did, however, request in 3/82 the services of a U.S. contractor to devise such procedures. Contrary to A.I.D. policy, USAID/Y rescinded two bills for collection issued against the YAR Government. The Basic Education Development project is behind schedule. The Basic Education Development Council was set up 2 years late, negatively affecting planning, coordination, and monitoring of the three (of four planned) subprojects currently under way. Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has provided only 7 of 11 technical advisors programmed, delayed replacing a chief of party for 6 months, and has made little progress in the in-service training program for 3,500 primary teachers. While the institute subproject has met numerical goals (98 primary teachers trained to the M.S. level and placed), trainees have been poorly qualified and have often had unsatisfactory work assignments. The goal of including 20% women participants has been difficult to meet due to cultural impediments.