XN000022-1976-11-15 — Page 7

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1976

TIME TO EVALUATE YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMMES

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THE TIME HAS COME WHEN SOCIAL WORKERS MUST OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES AND WORK OUT APPROPRIATE EVALUATION METHODS FOR YOUTH SERVICES AND YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMMES, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR. THOMAS LEE, SAID TODAY.

HE WAS SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY MARKING THE END OF A THREE-WEEK UNADI (UNITED NATIONS ASIAN DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE) STUDY TOUR IN WHICH 16 REPRESENTATIVES FROM HONG KONG AND SIX ASIAN COUNTRIES TOOK PART.

MR. LEE STRESSED THAT EVALUATION OF PROGRAMMES WAS ESSENTIAL THOUGH NOT ALWAYS EASY.

+ IN HONG KONG WE HAVE MADE A BEGINNING OF THIS KIND OF WORK, LARGELY THROUGH THE CO-OPERATIVE EFFORTS OF GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY SECTORS OF SOCIAL WELFARE,+ HE SAID.

+BUT WE NEED TO KNOW MUCH MORE AND WE NEED TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF GROUPS LIKE YOURS WHO SEEK TO SHARE EXPERIENCES AND TO BREAK NEW GROUND IN THE AREA OF EVALUATION METHODS, + HE ADDED.

THIS, HE POINTED OUT, WAS AN AREA WHERE EVERYONE CONCERNED WITH SOCIAL WELFARE NEED TO DEVOTE MORE ATTENTION. IT IS NOT, FOR EXAMPLE, SUFFICIENT FOR US ONLY TO EVOLVE AND STUDY YOUTH SERVICES AND YOUTH PROGRAMMES, WE ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE HOW EFFECTIVE THESE PROGRAMMES ARE TO THE COMMUNITY.+

HE EMPHASISED THAT RESOURCES MUST BE UTILIZED EFFICIENTLY BECAUSE SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES IN ALL COUNTRIES WOULD HAVE TO COMPETE WITH OTHER SECTORS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EXPENDITURE FOR THE RESOURCES WHICH WERE NEVER UNLIMITED.

+ IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE LEARN HOW TO ASSESS AND DEMONSTRATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SERVICES AND TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF APPROACHES. THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE IN SOCIAL WELFARE HAVE SOMETIMES TENDED TO AVOID BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN MAKING EVALUATIONS, HE ADDED.

AT THE CEREMONY, MR. LEE PRESENTED CERTIFICATES OF PARTICIPATION TO THE 16 REPRESENTATIVES FROM INDIA, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, THAILAND AND HONG KONG.

THE STUDY TOUR, FOCUSSED ON THE EVALUATION OF YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMME, WAS CONDUCTED IN MANILA FROM OCTOBER 26 TO NOVEMBER 6 AND IN HONG KONG FROM NOVEMBR 7 TO TODAY.

IT AIMS TO DEVELOP AMONG YOUTH DIRECTORS AND SUPERVISORS OF YOUTH TRAINING INSTITUTES A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF PROBLEMS AND ISSUES IN THE EVALUATION OF YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMMES- TO STUDY AND EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF EVALUATION AND TO FORMULATE MORE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES IN EVALUATING YOUTH TRAINING PROGRAMMES.