Summary of the Terminal Evaluation
I.

Outline of the projectCountry: Kingdom of Cambodia

Project: Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center Project

Sector: Human resource
development

Cooperation scheme: Technical cooperation project

Division in charge: Japan Center
Program Division, Public Policy
Department

Cooperation amount (at the time of evaluation):
1,263,095,000 yen (on the basis of the implementation planfor FY2008)

Period ofcooperation(R/D):
Apr.1, 2004 to Mar.
31, 2009

Partner country’s implementing organization:
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Royal Universityof Phnom Penh
Supporting organization in Japan: The Japan Foundation
Other related cooperation:

1-1(E/N)(grant aid）Jun. 15, 2004

Background to and outline of the cooperation

Cambodia lost its infrastructures, human resources, social systems, and many other things due tothe civil war that started in 1970 and lasted for more than 20 years. From 1975 to 1979 inparticular, Cambodia became a communist society and faced great confusion due to its radical
policies. Many negative effects of the civil war have not diminished even now. After theconclusion of the Paris Peace Agreement on Cambodia in 1991, the Cambodian Government has
endeavored to introduce a full-scale free market economy. However, because the institutional
basis for this is weak, it is necessary to provide not only physical (hard) support but also
non-physical (soft) support – that is, support for the development of human resources and theestablishment of government structures and systems. Above all, the construction of systems
necessary for the transition to a market economy and the development of human resources areurgent issues.
In January 2002, the Japanese Government and the Cambodian Government decided to establish aJapan Center on the premises of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. In April 2004, bothcountries jointly started Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC) Project. In November
2005, the construction of the CJCC using grant aid was completed. When the mid-term
evaluation study was conducted in October 2006, the results of the activities thus far werechecked, and public relations and information provision were added to the main activities. In
May 2007, the Steering Committee confirmed the changes to the activity plan (revision of PDM
and PO).
At present, this Project is strengthening the following four activities: 1) human resources
development courses (business courses); 2) Japanese language courses; 3) mutual understanding
programs; and 4) public relations and provision of information. In addition, the Project is also
strengthening the system for operating the CJCC through the above activities. Japan has
dispatched four long-term experts (a chief advisor, an operations coordinator; an expert in chargeof guidance concerning Japanese language courses, an expert in charge of mutual understanding
programs) and several short-term experts (for human resources development courses and public
relations / provision of information).

1-2

Contents of the cooperation
iv

(1)

Overall goal

To enhance consistent human resources development to promote market economy and to further
strengthen the mutual understanding and cooperation between Cambodia and Japan(2)

Project goal

To establish a management system and a framework of CJCC
(3)

Outputs
1) To establish efficient and effective management, planning and operation system of
CJCC
2) To provide effective HRD courses
3) To provide high-quality Japanese language education (intermediate level)4) To provide exchange activities to contribute to human resources and information
networks between Cambodia and Japan
5) To promote the Center through its website and other promotion activities, to provide
information, to do networking with outside organizations both in Cambodia and Japan(4)

Inputs (at the time of evaluation)
1) Japanese side
Dispatch of long-term experts: 4 experts (7 experts in total)
Dispatch of short-term experts: 51 experts
Training in Japan: 8 participants
Provision of equipment: 200 million yen
Sharing of local operating costs: about 1.19 million dollars2) Cambodian side
Placement of counterparts: 5 persons
Staff members employed by CJCC: 41 persons
Provision of land and facilities (premises of the CJCC and its facilities)
Operating costs (electricity and heating expenses and communication costs)

II.

Outline of the evaluation teamTeam
members

Team Leader: Mr. Katsutoshi FUSHIMI, Team Leader, Japan Center Program
Division, Public Policy Department, JICA
Evaluation Analysis: Mr. Nobuhisa IWASE, IMG Inc.
Japanese Language Course Evaluation: Mr. Toru NAKAJIMA, Expert Memberof the Japanese Language Institute, Kansai, The Japan Foundation
Japanese Language Course Evaluation Planning: Ms. Yuri TAKEDA, Dispatch
and Support Division, Japanese-Language Department, The JapanFoundation
Evaluation Planning: Mr. Kazuya SUETA, Japan Center Program Division,
Public Policy Department, JICA

Period of theevaluation

Oct. 1 to 18, 2008

III.

Outline of the evaluation results

3-1

Confirmation of the achievements

Type of evaluation: Terminal evaluationv

As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that inputs from Japan and Cambodia were properly
carried out according to the initial schedule as described in 1-2 (4) above over approximately fourand a half years between the beginning of the Project and the time of the terminal evaluation.
3-1-1

Status of achievement of the outputs

The Status of achievement of the outputs is as follows:(1)

Output 1: To establish efficient and effective management, planning and operation system of
CJCC
The organization of CJCC has been established under the direction of the Cambodian
Director-General. CJCC has seven departments, and human resources have been assigned
to appropriate positions. The Rules and Regulations for Cambodian Staff have been
introduced to specify the basic duties and responsibilities of the staff members. An
Approval Sheet on how to make decisions concerning management has also been
introduced. As a part of the monitoring system, each department submits monthly reports
to the Director-General. CJCC has frequently held management meetings and expert
meetings.
An annual budget plan is prepared based on the JICA budget every year and is appropriately
reviewed every quarter. However, an integrated financial plan that includes the estimationand plan of CJCC’s revenues and expenditures has not yet been established. The
Cambodian Director-General, the department managers, and the experts hold a meeting
every week.
On behalf of the CJCC service users, the Rules and Regulations for the Use of CJCC
Facilities and Equipment have been produced in Khmer, Japanese, and English. The
number of visitors, the revenues from the library, including CJCC membership, and theusage rate of CJCC’s equipment are increasing.
Because the activities related to Output 1 have been carried out smoothly in this way, Output
1 is expected to be achieved by the end of the Project.

(2)

Output 2: To provide efficient HRD courses
As for HRD courses, “seminar series,” “entrepreneur course,” and “business management
course” have been designed and provided. By the time of the terminal evaluation, 5,578
persons had participated in 24 seminars, 81 persons were assigned to 18 classes toparticipate in the entrepreneur course, and 60 persons were assigned to 21 classes toparticipate in the business management course (on the basis of a full course). The numberof people completing the courses was 45 for the entrepreneur course and 228 for thebusiness management course. The participants seem to be very satisfied with the courses.

(3)

Output 3: To provide high-quality Japanese language education (intermediate level)
As for Japanese language courses, 44 training courses, 1 seminar, and 8 special programs
were planned and provided. In each of the courses, the number of applicants was higher
than the fixed number of places for participants. All the classes were filled to capacity.
The total number of participants was 1,620. Of all the participants, 71% completed thecourses. According to the results of a questionnaire survey, all the participants answeredvithat they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the courses.
CJCC’s Japanese language courses are characterized by the management of intermediatelevel classes and the training of Japanese language teachers and provide high-quality
training to participants with a relatively high level of ability. Local lecturers from Japanese
language schools in Phnom Penh also participated in the CJCC training courses. In
addition, training by local lecturers has been promoted. From these viewpoints, CJCC is
expected to almost accomplish Output 3.
(4)

Output 4: To provide exchange activities to contribute to human resources and information
networks between Cambodia and Japan
From the beginning of the Project to the end of August 2008, 206 exchange programs werecarried out with the participation of 30,325 persons in total. According to the results of aquestionnaire survey of participants in the programs, almost all the participants weresatisfied with the programs. These programs introduced not only Japanese culture but also
various aspects of Cambodian culture. Participation in most of the programs was free ofcharge. The indicators show that CJCC is going to achieve Output 4.
The issue in this field is a shortage of human resources for the Japanese culture programs.
Although such programs as tea ceremony and flower arrangement demonstrations arecarried out by Japanese volunteers living in Phnom Penh, it is often difficult to findappropriate volunteers to teach Japanese culture. Another limitation on the exchange
programs is that no short-term experts have been dispatched in any specific field.

(5)

Output 5: To promote the Center through its website and other promotion activities, toprovide information, to do networking with outside organizations both in Cambodia andJapan
Output 5 was added to the PDM as a result of the mid-term evaluation. CJCC has carriedout public relations and provided information. CJCC has operated its website in Khmer,
Japanese, and English, and the total number of hits has reached more than 160,000. The
Project has developed multimedia teaching materials for the HRD courses and the Japanese
language courses and supervised a TV program entitled Ogenki-desuka (“How Are You?”)
which introduced Japanese people living in Cambodia. According to the results of a survey
on visibility, the proportion of persons who know CJCC by name increased from 14% in2007 to 24% in September 2008.

3-1-2

Degree of accomplishment of the project goals

Project goal: Establishment of systems that enable the continuous implementation of activities todevelop human resources for the promotion of the transition to a market economy and promoting
mutual understanding and cooperative relations between Japan and Cambodia.
The indicators for the project goal are as follows:
Indicator 1:
Indicator 2:
Indicator 3:
Indicator 4:
Indicator 5:

Number of the membership has increased to 900.
15% of the Center’s local expenditure is covered by the Center’s own income.
Name of the Center is more recognized in Phnom Penh.
Number of exchange activities such as exchange program among universities inboth countries has increased.
All stages of HRD courses are done by the counterpart’s initiative.
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Indicator 6:
Indicator 7:

6 of ex-participants of HRD courses have started a new business.
70% of ex-participants of HRD courses have improved management in their current
environment.
Indicator 8: All stages of Japanese language courses are done by the counterpart’s initiative.
Indicator 9: Number of ex-participants of HRD courses (including Yomiuri scholarship students
and the twining program) who goes to Japan for his/her study has increased.
Indicator 10: All stages of Exchange Program are done by the counterpart’s initiative.
As described below, most of the indicators that measure the degree of accomplishment of the
project goals had been fulfilled by the time of the terminal evaluation. The number of CJCC
members and the level of visibility of the CJCC have increased, and most of the stages of thecourses and programs have begun to be carried out under the leadership of C/Ps. Many graduatesfrom the HRD courses have improved the management of existing businesses or started new
businesses. The number of Japanese course graduates who have studied in Japan under ascholarship has reached 17. As described above, the five expected outputs have begun to beaccomplished, and the three external conditions for the achievement of the project goals are likely
to be basically fulfilled. Therefore, the project goals are likely to be mostly achieved. In
response to the results of the achievement of the outputs, most of the experts, C/Ps, and CJCC
staff members expect that the project goals will be accomplished. This expectation has been
confirmed by comments from several members of the board of advisors.
3-2

Summary of the evaluation results(1)

Relevance

It can be said that the Project as a whole is highly relevant, because the Project is in accordancewith Cambodia’s development policy, the target group’s needs, and JICA’s policy for cooperation
with Cambodia.
(2)

EffectivenessAs described above, the project goals are expected to be mostly achieved. This is mainly
because the C/Ps, who have a high ability to absorb the techniques and know-how transferred by
the Japanese side, and the staff members employed by the Project (CJCC) were placed
appropriately and displayed a strong sense of responsibility for the Project and effectively
cooperated with the experts. It seems that the building and equipment constructed through grant
aid and the Cambodian people’s friendly feelings towards Japan have increased the visibility of
the CJCC and their interest in the CJCC to some extent from the outset. It can be considered thatin general this Project has been highly effective.
(3)

Efficiency

In this Project, both Japan and Cambodia have smoothly provided inputs according to the initialplan. In addition, because it can be evaluated from questionnaire and interview surveys of theexperts and C/Ps that the contents and quality of the inputs have been appropriate, the conversionof the inputs into the achievements of the outputs has been secured at an appropriate level and it
can be evaluated that the efficiency of the Project is relatively high. Above all, it can beevaluated that the placement of Cambodian C/Ps and staff members with a good level of ability
has contributed to the effective management of the Project.
The procedures for the management of the CJCC have mostly been established appropriately.
Although the functions and membership of the Managing Committee (MC) were defined when theviiiProject was designed, and the MC has held meetings three times so far, the MC has not functioned
as well as expected when the Project was designed.
(4)

ImpactAlthough the Project had a relatively limited impact at the time of the terminal evaluation, it canbe evaluated as having a high potential to have a greater impact with regard to the social andeconomic aspects. If the various activities of the CJCC continue and are further strengthened, it
seems possible to achieve the overall goals from a long-term perspective. The achievement of
the overall goals depends on whether Cambodia will further increase its ownership andcommitment to the Project.
(5)

Sustainability

Although the Project is relatively sustainable in terms of its technical aspects, it is evaluated that
the Project has medium-level sustainability in terms of both organizational and financial aspects.
To improve the Project’s sustainability, it is necessary to take measures such as strengthening theorganizational system and increasing its own revenues.
3-3

Factors for the emergence of the effects(1)

Ownership by the Cambodian Government – in particular, the Ministry of Education, Youthand Sport and RUPPIt seems that, since the formation of the Project, the strong leadership and coordinating capacity ofboth the Minister of Education (Vice-Minister at the beginning of the Project) and theVice-Minister of Education (President of RUPP at the beginning of the Project) has contributed tothe smooth implementation of the Project, especially with regard to securing the budget from theCambodian Government. In addition, the assignment of five RUPP professors, including the
Director-General of CJCC, as almost full-time C/Ps has become advantageous.
(2)

Use of appropriate and eager human resources as C/Ps or staff members

The appointment of human resources with a high level of ability as C/Ps is also a factor in the
success of the Project. Moreover, not only the C/Ps but also many Cambodian staff members
employed in the Project are competent and have a high sense of responsibility. Many C/Ps andmain staff members have experience in studying or working in Japan, and all the five C/Ps havereceived training in Japan under the Project. This can be said to be a factor that has increased theeffectiveness and efficiency of the Project. Other factors that seem to have increased theeffectiveness and efficiency of the Project are that because the Project is the most recent JICA
Japan Center project, the Japanese side has acquired appropriate know-how and experience intechnical transfer to the appointed C/Ps and staff members.
To raise the organizational sustainability of the CJCC in the future, it is necessary to improve thecapabilities of these existing core human resources, train the general staff members, produce new
managers through OJT, and identify candidates for CJCC staff members and managers fromamong a wider range of human resources.
(3)

Form of the dispatch of experts in the management of HRD courses

Since the start of the Project, the HRD courses have been managed by a company to which
operations were outsourced under a comprehensive contract. According to this method, theixcourses have been consistently designed and managed concerning the business sector, whichchanges rapidly and involves a wide range of subjects to be covered. This made the following
possible: flexible design and management of the courses based on baseline surveys and various
needs surveys; the selection and dispatch of appropriate short-term experts who cover a wide
range of subjects; the promotion of more effective and efficient management and monitoring ofoperations through the establishment of a monitoring PDM that defined the Project’s PDM in
detail in terms of numerical targets. Therefore, it can be considered that this method has
contributed to the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Project.
3-4

Problems and the factors causing them

(1)

Form of the dispatch of experts for the management of the HRD courses

With regard to the management of the HRD courses, although there are contributing factors
described above, because the contractor had to accomplish the achievements under an outsourcing
contract, the contractor placed too much importance on the smooth management of the HRD
courses, with the result that sometimes the technical transfer to local staff did not advanceaccording to the plan or the identification and use of local lecturers became too circumspect.
A lesson for the future to be taken from these points is that to improve the effectiveness andefficiency of the Project it is necessary to consider more carefully when to apply outsourcing forthe management of the courses and what range of inputs to provide under the contract, while fully
evaluating the advantages of the dispatch of experts and the implementation of the Project under
the outsourcing contract.
(2)

Increased concern about resignations by the CJCC managers and staff members

Although one of the factors in the success of the Project is that the CJCC succeeded in employing
capable C/Ps and young local staff members who are highly motivated and responsible, there isconcern that if local staff members improve their capabilities, some of them may resign from the
CJCC. This may affect CJCC’s sustainability in the future.
3-5

Conclusions

It has been four and a half years since JICA began to cooperate in this Project. Although the
Project started from nothing, it has been progressing smoothly and it is highly likely to achieve theproject goals by the end of the Project term. The CJCC has established a basic management
structure as a “service providing” institution that is sufficiently sustainable to promote mutual
understanding between both countries. In the city of Phnom Penh, the CJCC has become
well-known as a high-quality center that provides practical business training and Japanese
language education. However, it seems that it will take some time to confirm its visible impact
on the promotion of a market economy in Cambodia and mutual understanding and friendshipbetween both countries. To have a satisfactory impact in the future, the CJCC should makecontinuous efforts to plan and carry out effective and efficient projects for longer periods.
Securing the CJCC’s organizational and financial sustainability in particular is an important issue
to be discussed in the future. Although this Project has established the foundation for future
development, it is necessary for the CJCC to make efforts to strengthen the sustainability of the
Project together with related Cambodian organizations and JICA.
3-6

Recommendations (concrete measures, proposals, and advice concerning the Project)

The evaluation team has given the following recommendations concerning the Project:x(1)Management of the CJCC

Strengthen coordination between the HRD courses, the Japanese language courses, and exchange
events, by promoting the sharing of information and collaboration between these departments.
1) Establish medium-term staff assignment and training programs, including clarifying thedefinition of the functions of the position of each person in writing.
2) Consider an independent method of developing the institutional capabilities, such as theestablishment of job manuals.
3) Establish a medium-term financial management plan, including clear policies for bothrevenue creating services and the effective use of its own revenues.
4) Make a greater effort to increase its own revenues to ensure that the management issustainable.
5) Consider improving the performance of the CJCC facilities to make a sustainable andrealistic financial plan possible.
(2)

Management of HRD courses
1) Make greater efforts to identify and qualitatively improve local lecturers.
2) Increase efforts with regard to collaboration with related organizations, such as the
Ministry of Commerce and other business training institutions.
3) Increase the opportunities to exchange opinions and experience among graduates and to
expand the CJCC network as follow-up activities for the graduates from the HRD
courses.

(3)

Management of Japanese language courses
1) To increase the number of local lecturers who can teach intermediate level or higher
level courses, make efforts to carry out more training courses to improve the teachingability of Cambodian teachers in the Japanese language.
2) Strengthen the functions for the coordination of networking among Japanese language
education communities, including universities and language schools.

(4)Management of exchange programs
1) Promote information sharing and collaboration with the Royal University of Fine Arts
and other universities.
2) Make efforts to discover new target groups while improving the existing programs anddesigning new programs to deepen the understanding of the culture and traditions ofboth countries.

In addition, to achieve the outputs more effectively, the evaluation team recommended considering
the following matters during and after the remaining project period.
(5)

Strengthen the relationship between the CJCC and the member organizations of the board ofadvisors, such as the Ministry of Commerce. CJCC is expected to take a more positive
approach in order to plan and implement joint projects with such organizations effectively.

(6)

Redefine the powers and responsibilities of the Managing Committee and further examine
the decision-making process of the CJCC.
xi

3-7

Lessons learned (matters that serve as reference materials for the identification, creation,
implementation, and management of similar projects derived from this Project)Through this evaluation study, the evaluation team extracted the following two lessons from thisProject to use as reference materials for other Japan Center projects:(1)Creation of relations with C/Ps whose ownership is high (C/Ps’ staff assignment andleadership)）
The Cambodian side has appointed C/Ps (university staff members) as the Director-Generalof the CJCC and the managers of its main sections. The appointment of staff members
likely to stay with CJCC for a long time will strengthen the foundation for the managementof the Project and improve its sustainability. Therefore, in other Japan Center projects also,
to improve the outputs, it seems that an effective approach is to consider the proportion ofstaff members that stay for a long time, strengthen the organizational management system bydisplaying the Director-General’s leadership, and endeavor to promote understanding among
all related personnel. However, there is concern that if smooth communications andrelations of trust with the Japanese expert team are adversely affected, this may have aserious effect on the management of the Project.

(2)

Importance of process control in the establishment of the organization
This Project created an organizational system from nothing and established an organizationthat has 46 C/Ps and staff members. Meanwhile, although the Japanese side continued
technical transfers, it provided cooperation during the period of the Project with anunderstanding common to the Japanese parties concerned in this Project that the Cambodianside should take the leadership in the activities of the CJCC. The Japanese side also
repeatedly conducted its activities through trial and error at the beginning of the Project, butby the time of this evaluation many of the CJCC’s activities were being carried out under theleadership of the Cambodian side.
To ensure the sustainability of any project, as seen in this Project, it is important that acommon understanding between to the parties concerned in the project should be perceived,
shared, and put into practice for any process during the project period.

xii