TNAG-2765-FCO40-3982-UK-Hong-Kong-Scholarship-Scheme-donation-to-the-UK-Governme-1993 — Page 158

should, at the Commissioners' meeting, seek to persuade SEDC and

SYKPF that environment, public administration, management, finance and economics should be accorded higher priority under

the scheme.'

Power of Change

17. The scheme focusses on the training of individuals. In the

light of ODA's recent Review of Training, we believe that a greater impact could be achieved through funding projects involving a variety of inputs including training which have clear objectives and focus on key institutions. I recommend that at the Commissioners' meeting we should seek to persuade SEdC and

SYKPF of the merits of this approach and explore the scope for

reforming the scheme to bring it more into line with the recommendations of the 'Power of Change'. Again we judge the extent to which we could achieve this as likely to be limited, although we have had some success in persuading SEdC that projects are more effective instruments of development than

individual training awards in the context of our TCTP.

18.

If Mr Lankester is content, EASD will brief our

representatives at the Commissioners' meeting to pursue these three objectives. (Our representatives will also be pursuing a

few other long-standing concerns relating to the number of women,

the level of stipends and the early return of SBFSS scholars to

China.)

15 June 1993

3454.MCC

VJM

Vincent McClean

Eastern Asia Department

:

CHKC