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Strategies
and Actions to Institutionalize Social Assessment
During the training, we had a special brainstorming session on this
issue. All three groups had compiled a detail list about how to
institutionalize social assessment in Sri Lanka. The following are what
I consider as important and ready to be started immediately.
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NOR as a supporting center for SA
NOR, as a center to collect information on development projects and to
monitor projects development, is a natural candidate as the SA
supporting center in Sri Lanka. But, a lot more work is needed to
realize it. Currently, the NOR is in lack of (1) some analytical
personnel, (2) some necessary literature like books and journals on
social assessment, (3) some necessary software like SPSS, (4) some basic
social data.
I made suggestions for NOR to work on the above mentioned issues.
Hopefully, all the work can be completed by the end of this year to
enable NOR to function as the SA supporting center in Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka Social Assessment Association
This was proposed by the group # 2 during a brainstorming session of our
training, and was supported by everyone in the classroom.
After some more discussion, it is agreed that it should be started at a
small scale and to be developed gradually. The option is to establish a
SA section within the Sri Lanka Evaluation Association to develop it
into an association later.
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A social assessment legislation
Experience in other countries proves that a SA legislation is necessary
to enforce SA. Most of the trainees supported the idea to pass a
legislation mandating SA in Sri Lanka. Mr. S. Rahubadda suggested for us
to get a few training programs and a few studies completed before
submitting a legislation proposal. It seems to me Mr. Rahubadda and
others have the commitment for this, but wish to proceed step by step.
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Others
Other proposed actions include working with NGOs
and some media organizations to increase awareness of social assessment.
As the training will go to the provisional and district level, it has
been suggested to involve the provisional and district government.
Very important to the institutionalization work
is to start using social assessment for policy making and planning at
various levels of the government. We hope our first social assessment of the national development policy
will serve as a good start.
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