1-1 Background of the Project The Survey of Kenya (SOK) suffered from a severe lack of the necessary technicians for map making, and was unable to effectively prepare basic maps necessary for development planning and maps for land registration. The SOK had relied on general engineering schools and university窶冱 surveying departments to develop human resources of new personnel, but the number of graduates produced at those schools was small. It was feared that, general education institutions could not cover the shortage of human resources in the medium term forecast. For this reason, the Kenyan government requested assistance from the Japanese government in the form of a Grant Aid to build the Kenya Institute for Surveying and Mapping (KISM), as a institute for training personnel under the jurisdiction of the SOK. A technical cooperation project was implemented to transfer new technique and train personnel as a result. This evaluation study treats the Grant Aid and the technical cooperation project as one cooperative program and evaluates the impact from a comprehensive perspective. 1-2 Project Overview The aid grant supported the construction of the KISM school facilities, dormitories and other facilities, as well as the provision of the necessary equipment for land surveying, map-making, photogrammetry, remote sensing, and map reproduction. The technical cooperation project that followed involved the construction of the school窶冱 organization, the preparation of the curriculum and educational materials. KISM teachers were also trained through an undergraduate education diploma program and SOK officer(s) retrained through an upper-level diploma program.
The three goals below, (overall goal, project purpose and output), are based on the plan of the technical cooperation project. (1) Overall Goal
To satisfy the number of qualified technicians in the fields of surveying and mapmaking. (2) Project Purpose
To establish KISM窶冱 position as a training institution for qualified technicians in the fields of surveying and mapmaking. (3) Output
1) To establish the KISM- as an organization
2) To set up appropriate training facilities and equipment
3) To improve the quality and quantity of Kenyan instructors
4) To arrange guidelines, syllabi and curriculum
5) To prepare texts and educational materials
6) To provide appropriate training in the fields of surveying and mapmaking (4) Input Japanese Side: Grant Aid: 989 million yen (1995: 6 million yen, 1996: 464 million yen, 1997: 465 million yen) Project-type Technical Cooperation : Long-term Experts 5 Local Costs Short-term Experts 4 per year Trainees received 4 per year Kenyan Side: Equipment 27. 6 million yen Land and Facilities 0. 2 million yen Local Costs 1. 2 million yen Others 0. 8 million yen |
3-1 Summary of Evaluation Results (1) Impact
The KISM窶冱 primary goal was to meet the SOK窶冱 demand for staff, and KISM graduates were generally guaranteed a job at the SOK when the KISM were initially established. However, the government froze recruitment of civil employees and began laying-off staff during the project period, so KISM graduates were not able to find employment with the SOK. As a result, the SOK was unable to alleviate its technician shortage. Of the SOK employees who have taken the higher-level diploma course, (which is a series of retraining courses for current employees), over 75% have returned to the SOK. However, with the exception of some divisions, there are examples of mismatches in appointing positions after the courses were completed, caused by discrepancies between the material learned in the courses and job responsibilities. In particular, course participants working in regional offices, which are beset by inadequate facilities and insufficient equipment, have generally found that they are unable to apply the material they learned. Graduates of the advanced diploma course have contributed to improving the SOK窶冱 performance in the project to digitalize geographical data.
Due to the cuts in public employees, some of the SOK窶冱 work was outsourced to the private sector. The SOK manages quality control and gives final approval to reports and maps prepared by private-sector companies and independent surveyors. Most of those students completing the advanced diploma program are employed in this kind of work, and the SOK has praised these students for their work quality and their role in improving efficiency. On the other hand, since the SOK is not able to increase its technicians and make full-scale improvements in its technique they have not prepared new maps from the time this project was started until the time of this survey. However, the SOK and the KISM are working together to revise maps, including revisions to Nairobi city maps, maps of the national parks, and six topographical maps.
The lack of employment opportunities at the SOK has led the graduates of the diploma course to take employment in the private sector. Compared to graduates of other educational institutions, the diploma program graduates are widely recognized as possessing advanced technical skills, and they are highly regarded by the private-sector companies that hire them. However, a follow-up survey conducted by the KISM in 2001, (a compilation of responses to questionnaires from 122 students graduating between 1998 and 2000), showed that only about 19% were employed. Since a minimum of 1.5 years elapses between the time they take the national exam and receive their certificates, and the rate of employment in the private sector is low, it may take several years to find employment after graduation.
Regarding the labor market, despite the high employment rate from the Land Surveying Department, there are only 50 technicians nationwide who are nationally licensed land surveyors. Given that each land surveyor can only hire from six to eight survey assistants, KISM graduates have a hard time finding a job in the private sector.
Overall, these factors suggest that cooperation with the KISM had limited development impact, presumably due to the changes of external conditions such as the hiring of personnel by the government.
Another impact was the training that the KISM offered for students in neighboring countries using JICA窶冱 continuing assistance. An average of 12 trainees from African countries participated in the training from 1998, and they learned new technique in mapmaking and surveying. According to the 2002 report, 67. 7% of participants responded that they use the GPS skills that they have learned. (2) Sustainability
Taking into consideration the operation and management (O&M) of facilities and equipment, the diploma and advanced diploma programs (and the way they are being run), and the national exam passage rate of graduates and others finishing the program at the time of evaluation - the KISM will likely be able to continue training students in the diploma and advanced diploma courses and develop and improve its training materials. Although the number of applicants to the diploma course has fallen dramatically since all hiring of public employees was frozen in 2000, there are still three times as many applicants as there are entrants. Furthermore, 30 employees from the SOK participate in the advanced diploma course every year. Even after the project was completed, the KISM continued to expand its activities offering computer, GPS, GIS and other short-term courses and third-country training to nearby countries.
Since over half of all KISM staff members are sent from the SOK, the KISM is severely influenced by the reforms the government is making to the public employee system (such as downsizing and project changes). However, KISM still has a high number of graduates, suggesting that the instructor shortage is not hurting the quality of education at this point. The KISM is very active in exchanges with international groups involved in geographical surveying, ( such as Hokkaido University), and strives to obtain up-to-date information on surveying and cartography.
Excluding some facilities such as the cafeteria, school buildings and adjunct facilities, everything is well maintained. There are no major problems in maintaining equipment, since it is still new and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development repairs the equipment for free. However, there is no system for checking the equipment on a regular basis, and there is a shortage of maintenance staff. Since the KISM is a subsidiary of the SOK, the KISM must follow the Ministry窶冱 acquisition procedures for any component or part that costs more than 10,000Ksh (about JPY16, 000). Delays in receiving the needed parts means that many pieces of equipment are left in a state of disrepair. The equipment installed during the project is still state-of-the-art technology.
The Kenyan government has given the KISM a fairly stable budget. After Japan窶冱 aid was over, the budget was increased to cover necessary expenses.
The KISM窶冱 competitive superiority is due to the training it offers in advanced technique using the latest equipment, but technique becomes outdated so fast that the equipment must be updated frequently. The high cost of geographical survey equipment means that it is not possible to buy or update some equipment. The high price of satellite data makes it very hard to obtain. About 23-26% of the revenue generated in theFY2001/2002 was from the KISM窶冱 own sources, such as class and dormitory fees. The government has decided to make the KISM a semi-autonomous organization. Hence the largest concern lies on how the KISM will afford necessary expenses other than personnel costs, (which arecovered by the government). 3-2 Factors that Promoted the Realization of Effects (1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A (2) Factors concerning the Implementation Process
About 35% of the SOK窶冱 work, (surveying necessary to make cadastral maps, and preparing maps by subject), is commissioned out to private-sector map surveying companies, which gives graduates of the diploma course, (who are no longer guaranteed jobs with the SOK), job opportunities with private-sector companies. Furthermore, the KISM is beginning to be involved in graduate job searches and in creating networks with companies. Staff in the Student Job Counselors Division conduct follow-up surveys on graduate job status and invite related institutions窶琶ncluding private-sector companies窶杯o graduation ceremonies. Students are given internships at companies and the SOK to strengthen connections with the private sector and ensure that their education meets the market窶冱 needs. Moreover, the KISM launched a program last year in which teachers participate in the internship to provide guidance. Although the results planned for the project have not materialized as anticipated due to changes in external factors, the positive factors described above ensure that the project has yielded results. 3-3 Factors that Impeded the Realization of Effects (1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A (2) Factors Concerning to the Implementation Process
The government窶冱 hiring freeze on public employees and downsizing prevented the project窶冱 initial goal of providing the SOK with staff.. The private sector can only absorb a limited number of surveyors, and the number of assistants that a surveyor can hire is also regulated. This makes it very difficult for the graduates to find jobs in the private sector. Furthermore, there have also been cases in which those completing the advanced diploma course, (a retraining course for agency personnel), find that they are not able to fully use the techniques they learned upon returning to the SOK due to limitations of their particular job description or insufficient/inadequate equipment. 3-4 ConclusionGiven the O&M of facilities and equipment, the way the diploma courses and advanced diploma courses are being run, and the high national exam passage rate of graduates and others finishing the program at the time of evaluation, the KISM will likely be able to maintain the foundations established in the cooperation project in the short term. Considering that KISM will become an independent organization in the future and that their independent revenue only makes up 1/4 of the total in the evaluation, it is difficult to project their future prospects.
Although it was assumed that the SOK would be the main target for potential staff, trained in surveying and cartography by the KISM, the government窶冱 hiring freeze meant that graduates could not be hired at the SOK. With limited demand in the private sector, graduates are not able to find a place where they can contribute to the fields of surveying and cartography. The advanced diploma program intended to improve the techniques of SOK employees is stable, but students completing the course cannot be put in the right place due to outdated equipment in the SOK and changes in job responsibilities. This limits the developmental impact of this cooperation project. 3-5 Recommendations(1) The KISM should adopt a marketing strategy to encourage private-sector companies to take advantage of the short-term courses the KISM offers so that ties between the KISM and the companies strengthen and graduate employment rates also rise. Also, the KISM should change the name of the Mapmaking Division, to make it easier for graduates to find jobs in the printing industry. (2) The KISM should improve its equipment and facility O&M system. In particular, training O&M staff is required in order to use the equipment for longer durations. (3) The KISM should engage in commercial activities such as marketing, in order to enable the KISM to secure the independent financial resources it will need as an independent organization in the future, without adversely affecting its educational activities. (4) The KISM should accept students into the advanced diploma program from a wide range of private-sector companies and countries other than Kenya in order to expand the scope of KISM窶冱 impact. 3-6 Lessons Learned In the project, the external conditions listed in the original plansuch as the hiring of technical staff and the employment by the SOK of diploma program graduates were not satisfied. The external conditions should be monitored during the project窶冱 implementation period. If there are changes in these external conditions during the project period, it is important to change the project approach in whatever ways possible to ameliorate or avoid any negative influences. It is also crucial that the correct external conditions are assumed at the planning and implementation stages of the project. 3-7 Follow-Up Situation N/A |
