A degree of decentralization in administration which will permit the effective decision making at local and regional level is
V- PROPOSALS OF CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR THE MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF LOCAL SERVICES AND
PERFORMANCE OF INSTITUTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ADMINISTRATIONS.
77. While any organization will have some form of record-keeping, only to satisfy the government's reporting requirements, it takes a special effort to streamline and focus record-keeping to make it efficient and useful. The key objective of physical and financial monitoring is to set up an internal routine mechanism which will quickly identify any deviation from plans, so that appropriate measures can be taken. All administrative and technical departments contribute data according to their responsibilities.
Monitoring and evaluation in local services emphasizes three requirements for effective physical and financial monitoring:
(a) to differentiate between the information that the organization is obligated to report to central authorities and those it needs for its own management decisions. While there is a great overlap in the nature of the information, the level of aggregation and timing will differ. Many local service institutions focus on the former, when in fact it would be more efficient to focus on the latter.
(b) to establish targets, schedules and budgets for each chain of activities, so that monitoring can systematically compare to what is achieved with what was planned.
(c) to identify clear responsibility and cost centres for major activities.
78. Management-oriented monitoring is a continuous, analytical
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process through which managers receive frequent updates on three key questions:
(a) Are local service activities being implemented as planned, on schedule and within budget?
(b) Are these activities leading to expected results?
(c) What is causing delays or unexpected results?
79. To continuously provide local authorities with up-to-date answers to these questions, a management information system (MIS)
will be maintained. MIS covers regular updates on progress in
physical and financial implementation of the organization's work programme, the utilization by expected beneficiaries of the services and infrastructures. It provides reasons as to why thebeneficiaries do or do not need the services. Information on the changing socio-economic environment within which the beneficiaries
operate is required.80. The term "monitoring function" encompasses all activities related to the coordination, analysis, interpretation and reporting
to management. The evaluation function should be kept separatefrom monitoring function since it differs in objectives, audience
and timing. While the monitoring function provides authorities with feedback on the nature and extent of progress achieved to date, in implementing activities with what had been planned, andevaluation of a particular programme will seek to explain and, if
possible, measure the level of efficiency of its implementation in relation to costs and accrued benefits, to reassess the relevance of the objectives and eventually to measure its contribution tooverall development. Monitoring systems should produce information
which is accurate, objective, reliable, relevant, timely and action-oriented. Suitable indicators need to be identified to be used for monitoring and evaluation of the quality of local services and performance of institutions. Some indicators are presented as follows.(i) Educational Service Indicators
Literacy figures are only crude reflection of access to education. Literacy is a person's first step in learning and knowledge building. The following are some education indicators:
(a) Adult Literacy Rate:- The percentage of persons aged 15 and over who can, with understanding, read and write.
This measures performance in terms of quantity.
(b) Dropout Rate:- The proportion of the children entering
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the first grade of primary school who do not successfully complete that level in due course. This, to a certain extent, measures quality of services if the cause of the dropout is the weakness in teaching.
c. Enrolment Ratio measures the relative number enroled in a level of education.
d. Percentage of Rural and Urban Population Accessibility to educational services:- indicates rural and urban disparities in the provision of educational services and their coverage.
e. Cost Per Student:- measures the efficiency of educational services.
(ii) Health Indicators show performance in terms of quantity and quality. The main examples are listed below
a) Life Expectancy at Birth:- The number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. The importance of life expectancy lies in the belief that a long life is associated with good health and adequate nutrition.
b) . Infant Mortality Rate:- The annual number of infants under one year of age per 1000 live birth.
c) Cost Per Patient:- measures the efficiency of health services.
d) Percentage of Rural and Urban Population Accessibility to Health Services:- indicates disparities in the provision of health services and their coverage.
e) Percentage of Population Accessibility to Sanitation and Safe Drinking Water:- measures the coverage of the two services.
(iii) Housing indicators include cost per unit and number of houses per head.
81. All the above indicators will be calculated for the different levels of government: central, regional and local level. Cost per unit will be calculated for each school and health centre or station so that the efficiency of each is measured. Most of the indicators emphasize quantity. Qualitative aspects of local services can be evaluated by making quality surveys, including
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