We believe that there will be a need for full cooperation by these officials and a need for improvement in the reliability of the input data. a requirement which conditions any discussion or evaluation of the adequacy of program operations. Our observations regarding this very important subject are discussed below. Unreliability of the Refugee Data Being Reported Although much essential refugee data was available to enable CORDS and/or AID/ Washington to evaluate the program. we found that the basic information being reported in the automatic data processing report in Vietnam was generally conflicting. confusing. and inconsistent. Data collected for inclusion in the monthly refugee reports generally comes from the Ministry of Social Welfare provincial officials who. according to AID/Washington and CORDS officials. have not had formal training on data collection and reporting. Also. we found that much of the basic data being reported is based on subjective assessments made by Ministry of Social Welfare personnel using GVN criteria. On the basis of discussions with CORDS officials in the six provinces visited and CSVN Ministry provincial officials in some of these provinces. we believe that the basic data being reported has and will continue to be highly questionable. For example. in Quang Ngai Province in I Corps. the CORDS refugee advisor and the Ministry official stated that most of the data reported under the old reporting system was purely estimated. because there was not enough time every month to complete the reports accurately. The refugee advisor stated that the site characteristic data was very inaccurate. He stated that neither he nor the Ministry official could visit each site on a regular basis because of the limited time and lack of security. Regarding the new reporting system. the refugee advisor explained that he was unable to review the monthly reports because the data is printed in Vietnamese and that he did not have sufficient time to have it translated. Therefore. he just signs off on it and hopes that it is accurate. The Ministry official told us that the GVN placed little emphasis on these reports and that he never had received any feedback from the Ministry of Social Welfare about it. In Vinh Long Province in IV Corps. the Assistant New Life Development Officer (no refugee advisor in this Province). who is also responsible for the refugee program. stated that the refugee information reported is unreliable and of little value because all the deficiencies have yet to be eliminated from the system. He pointed out that the philosophy behind the new reporting system was that it was going to be a joint report to be utilized by the United States and the GVN. but in practice the report is utilized only by the United States and it will probably remain that way. Our analysis of the statistical data that was reported under the old system as of February 20. 1970 showed obvious questionable site characteristic data for 44 percent of the sites In I.
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