5. PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES
A few problems and difficulties hamper the smooth running of
courses at CRTO. Among them are
1. Equipment and Materials : The high cost of equipment and
remote sensing data affects the running of the courses,
especially since images have to be ordered from time to
time. Besides, efforts to secure demonstration copies of
images free of charge from the appropriate agents have been
futile.
2. Books and Journals : There is lack of sufficient reference
books and journals particularly in the French Language. As a
result, trainees do not have access to recent research
results for reference in their project assignments.
3. Late Commencement of Courses : Courses often start one to two
weeks late because of late arrival of participants. This is
due to the poor communication system in the sub-region, and
to the late submission of application forms by directors of
applicants.
4. Sponsorship of Trainees : Because of the high cost of training
and the poor financial standing of the Centre, all applicants
are advised to approach their governments or international
agencies for sponsorship. Most of the time they are not succes-
sful and rely on CRTO to find scholarships for them. But the
limited number of scholarships available through technical
aid agreements imposes limitations on the intake of applicants
5. Unqualified Applicants : CRTO's policy is to give equal oppor-
tunity to all member states to benefit from its training
programmes. Therefore, for every course, at least one scholar-
ship is awarded to each member state which nominates the
participant. Even though entry qualifications are always
specified, there have been instances where unqualified appli-
cants have been recommended for the courses.
6. FUTURE COURSES
The following courses are scheduled for 1988/1989
- October 1988 : The XXVIth Regular Course (9 months) in
English and French ;
- October 1988 : The First Refresher Course (8 weeks) in French ;
- April 1989 : The IVth Specialised Course in Crop Forecasting
(12 weeks) in French ;
- October 1989 : The XXVIIth Regular Course (9 months) in
English and French ;
- October 1989 : The IInd Refresher Course (8 weeks) in English ;
- One-week Seminars in member states.
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