TECH SERVICES/FEASIBILITIES STUDIES (I, II, AND III)

Evaluation covers the periods 6/77-5/80 (276000100 or TS/FS I), 10/77-7/80 (276000500 or TS/FS II), and 8/78-8/80 (276002600 or TS/FS III) and is based on interviews and consultants" reports. Since 1975 over 40 activities have been funded under the three projects, mostly in the area of rural development, but also in the areas of transportation, communications, education, and health. TS/FS I activities carried over to the next two projects include project designs for English language training, the technical health institute, and agricultural education; the Lattakia Highways study; surveys of garbage collection and land classification/soils; and development of health services. Major activities begun under TS/FS II and III are assessments of the agricultural and transport sectors. Although the projects" success is measured by the number of follow-on activities, GOS has yet to fund an activity studied under the three projects. GOS inability to determine development priorities or coordinate agency requests for assistance was the major problem faced by the projects. Two years had to be added to TS/FS I to draw down allocated funds. Other problems were the high number of small activities funded by the projects, the inefficient use made of USAID time, and the lack of motivation to use the projects due to the temporary termination of A.I.D. funding to Syria. Precise outputs for the three projects were never established, providing USAID with some welcome flexibility but increasing the likelihood of funds being used for non-development, non-essential activities. There is little evidence that GOS planning and implementation capabilities were improved, but follow-on activities have benefitted groups such as the urban poor and health workers. The projects did teach the usefulness of the TS/FS design. TS/FS I will be terminated 5/31/80; the balance of TS/FS II and III funds will be used for graduate academic participant training.