TRAININGS
Professionalization of public administration in the region
being a major concern of EROPA, the organization has, since its
conception, promoted the conduct of training for national, local, as well
as diplomatic officials.
The Asian Foreign Service Program
In 1967 EROPA launched a training program designed to bring
together a selected number of foreign officers from the countries of the
region to:
- study and analyze important problems of foreign relations with a
view to promoting a deeper understanding of Asian affairs and of the
position of Asia in the community of nations;
- provide an opportunity for improving knowledge and skills required
by modern diplomacy and for broadening the outlook of foreign relations
with emphasis on economic and social development and
- foster fellowships and understanding among the participants.
Six courses were held from 1967 to 1974 hosted by the
Governments of the Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Iran,
Malaysia, Thailand, with the assistance of the German Foundation for
International Development, the Japan World Exposition Commemorative Fund
(EXPO ’70), and the British Council. These courses for career diplomats on
development diplomacy shifted to the special area of regional trade and
investments promotion. From 1975 to 1985, EROPA, with the assistance of
the German Foundation, conducted regular courses for commercial and/or
trade attaches, economic councilors, appropriate career diplomats and
trade fair officials on trade and investments promotion and the management
of trade fairs.
Over the years, more than 356 foreign service officers from
nearly all Asian countries have, at one time or another, attended these
courses. A large number of them have subsequently assumed important
positions in the diplomatic service including ambassadorships.
International Executive Development Program
In 1978, the EROPA Development Management Center in
collaboration with the Central Officials Training Institute in Korea
initiated an Executive Policy Development Course. The Course was designed
to provide senior executives with the opportunity to broaden their
perspectives and enhance their capability in policy making. The Center, in
collaboration with COTI conducted five sessions of this course.
In 1987, The Development Management Center embarked on an
International Executive Development Program for Government Officials of
EROPA Countries as part of the International Technical Cooperation
Program. The Center has conducted five International EDPs, being host to a
total of 88 participants from countries in the EROPA region and outside
the region, including Guyana, Hungary, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland,
Bulgaria, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Chile, Romania, Bahrain.
The International Executive Development Program focuses on
strategies associated with Korea’s rapid economic development and the
morale training of Korean Government officials who have played key roles
in that development. During the course, every effort is made to foster the
development of mutual understanding and cooperative relationships between
the Korean Government officials and the participants of the course.
The program is an intensive course designed to arm
participants with a cooperative spirit, positive attitude and physical
training in an open and cooperative atmosphere. The course also covers
innovative leadership practices and developmental thinking. Through
in-depth personal examination, participants are provided an opportunity to
assess their own situations and to reflect upon themselves, thus, gaining
a comprehensive understanding of who and what they are. Equipped with this
knowledge, participants will be better able to determine what they can and
should do to improve themselves and thereby become more effective public
administrators.
Group Training Course on Local Government
A three-month training course on local government is held
annually in Tokyo, Japan, under the joint sponsorship of the EROPA Local
Government Center and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The curriculum of a typical course includes 19 days of
lectures, 6 days of seminars and 22 days of field trips. The lecturers are
composed of eminent professors from various universities, specialists from
research institutions and expert officials from the Ministry of Home
Affairs and others. Within the Programme, seminars are held on the
comparative study of local governments, within the participants’
countries. The subjects include comparative studies concerning
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local government systems;
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public personnel system; and
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problems of regional development and approaches to their solutions.
Seminars are devoted to discussions and exchanges of
information and views based on country experiences. Various field trips in
connection with the lectures and seminars are carried out so that
participants could thoroughly understand actual local public
administration. The participants visit public facilities and discuss with
senior officials in charge of these public facilities.
The Center has so far conducted 22 courses and has trained
257 participants from 34 countries since the establishment of the
course.
Training Programs of the EROPA Training Center
The EROPA Training Center in New Delhi conducts several
training programmes in various facets of public administration. The broad
objectives of these programs are to enable administrators to acquire an
understanding of socio-economic environment and approaches influencing
policy formulation and decision making, acquire basic knowledge of some of
the management techniques and tools available to meet the challenges of
developmental administration and to provide a better understanding of the
various factors influencing attitudes and behavior of individuals and
groups of civil servants. The course consists of lecture discussions,
workshop sessions, presentation of case studies and discussion thereon,
library work and so on.
The training programs conducted fall mainly into three
categories:
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Executive Development Programmes meant for officers of senior and
middle levels of both government and public enterprises;
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Courses for officers of municipal corporations, civic bodies and
urban development authorities; and
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Management development programs for officers of the government and
public enterprises and corporations.
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