Abstract
Evaluates the ability of the Fundacion de Credito Educativo (FCE) in the Dominican Republic to implement an off-shore scholarship program. Special evaluation, conducted in 3/83, is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with FCE staff, clients, and related personnel. FCE lacks the capacity to implement an off-shore scholarship program. FCE processes 1,000 student loans annually (using its own and third-party funds), the FCE credit division (responsible for making loans and collecting repayments) has developed a system to handle hundreds of inquiries and follow-up applications per month, and FCE staff are highly motivated. However, FCE is not involved in scholarship programming (most staff at both the policy and operational levels could not distinguish between educational credit and scholarship services) and would have to overcome numerous problems to achieve this capacity. FCE communication and decision/policy making processes do not encourage independent thinking (there is little lateral staff communication; staff meetings are infrequent; program decisons are made by FCE board, not by the executive secretary or staff). FCE selection of loan recipients is based on a point scheme which homogenizes each candidate's characteristics, rather than on critical judgement; student monitoring is bureaucratic, rather than substantive. FCE lacks the necessary physical and personnel resources to place students in overseas training programs (e.g., staff with English-language ability; direct access to students and U.S. institutions; information on study opportunities) or to help them find a job when they return. Other constraints include: lack of long-term commitment to and of broad, ongoing, national support for such a program (and the resulting need for external financial aid); FCE's lack of a project development capacity; and a tendency to politicize FCE decisions. Recommendations are to: not create an FCE off-shore scholarship program; train FCE staff to pre-screen candidates for other AID-sponsored programs; support FCE staff enrichment through visits to other Latin American educational credit organizations; and create an educational resource and counseling center in the Dominican Republic.