Ongoing ICT Based Citizens' Monitoring Evaluation
Affiliated Network for Social Accountability-South Asia Region (ANSA-SAR) in partnership with PRIP Trust has been working for increasing participation of citizens in public service monitoring in Rajshahi District through a project called "Improvement of Quality and Delivery Mechanism of Public Services through ICT based Citizens' Monitoring Initiatives". The project has been launched for enhancing capacity of citizens' groups in ICT- based public service monitoring, increasing use of ICT-based technology in public service monitoring and strengthening collective efforts for improved and quality public services, provisions through policy advocacy.
As a part of the project activities on 16-27 April, 2013 ANSA-SAR & PRIP Trust organized Mobile Phone based Skill Training in Urban and Rural Level for the citizens who are getting public services. In the trainings they were taught on how to evaluate the services of public services through mobile software. Each of the training sessions had 50 participants. The first four training was held in Rajshahi city for Ward 12 and remaining three training were held in Dhamkura Union of Rajshahi. The group members were very keen and eager to learn the monitoring and evaluation process for the service quality. After the trainings the members went to the citizens of Rajshahi City Corporation and Dhankura Union, Paba Upazila, Rajshahi District to collect feedback regarding the public services in their areas. The data collections are being done in May, 2013 and a total of three rounds of data have been collected so far with another one in the process. These data will be complied and evaluated to measure how well the public services are being provided in Rajshahi.
COO of ANSA-SAR Attended a Seminar on Public Service Delivery
ANSA-SAR in collaboration with Partnership for Transparency Fund (PTF) has published a brand new book by Pierre Landell-Mills titled "Citizens against Corruption - Report from the Front Line". This book brings out the fact that when citizens engage with service providers they can achieve remarkable results. Drawing on this book, a seminar was held on 5th May, 2013 in Delhi, India on "How Civil Society Empowerment Improves Governance and Development Results of Public Service Delivery". The seminar featured presentations of experiences, lessons and outcomes of Civil Society Organisations (CSO).
This was followed by a discussion of what works and why - on how CSO's have energised local citizens to demand better services from their public providers. It highlighted some key messages for the development aid agencies to radically rethink their approach to assisting CSOs. Vinay Bhargava, Chief Technical Adviser & Member of the Board, Partnership for Transparency Fund, Naimur Rahman, Chief Operating Officer, Affiliated Network for Social Accountability - South Asia & Global, Gopakumar Krishnan Thampi, Fellow, Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Bangladesh and WooChong Um, Deputy Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank were among the panel of speakers.
Publications by IGS Staff:
1. The Dhaka Tribune: Are we sheep? by Barrister Manzoor Hasan, Institutinal Adviser, IGS, 10 May 2013.
2. Research Report: Exploring State of Governance at Union-Level and Its Relevance for Wider Influencing, May 2013, by Dr. Akhter Hussain in collaboration with CARE and IGS, BRAC University. Editorial team consisted of Munir Uddin Shamim, Senior Programme Manager, IGS, Rubayet Hamid and Kazi Niaz Ahmed, Research Assistant, IGS.
Link: http://www.igs-bracu.ac.bd/research/other-publications-by-staff