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This is a report of the work conducted by our research group, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Afrique du Sud, Faculte des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, UnIversite de la Reunion, (South African Research Group, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Reunion), also known as GRAS, 10 on the mediation of linguistic and cultural differences in education in multicultural settings. The aim of this three-year research programme, started in August 1999, was to analyse educational practices...

Abstract The article critiques pregnancy policies in the education systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Policies discussed are divided into expulsion, re-entry and continuation policies. Arguing from the standpoint of theories of oppression, it is postulated that expulsion policies symbolise direct violence against girls who become pregnant and are more common in those countries with poor human rights records. Continuation and re-entry policies are prevalent in countries that have ratified the...

The perceptions of the practice of ability grouping by students assigned to low ability classes were investigated in two secondary schools in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study sought to elicit information on the perspectives of learners assigned to low ability classes on what they considered to be the effect of ability grouping in their performance, instruction by teachers and social interaction with their peers in high ability classes. Interviews, observations and documents were used to collect...

Freedom of religion is a very important part of the new Constitution of South Africa. Up until its new Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, South African laws have never had a direct article guaranteeing freedom of religion. Now freedom of religion is guaranteed in article 15 of the said Constitution. The content of what this freedom of religion implies for South Africans still to a large extent, has to be developed. For this development different religions, religious groups, church denominations...

The objective of this paper is to direct discussion away from issues of measurement of the losses of human resources due to HIV / AIDS, and the effects on schools, to a neglected set of problems that arise as a consequence. These can broadly be described as systemic, ie. in what ways is the functioning of the educational system affected by the HIV epidemic, and how does a general epidemic change what the educational system is expected to deliver as well as has the capacity to provide to the...

Low-income and African American children are at increased risk for school readiness deficits in terms of both cognitive and social development. This study examined the roles of childcare involvement and parent–child interaction quality on the development of school readiness and social skills among a low-income, minority sample of kindergarten children. Findings provide mixed evidence on the role of childcare exposure, with early entry into childcare predicting higher levels of social skills...

Vitamin A supplements are reported to reduce febrile episodes of malaria and parasite counts, especially in children aged 12–36 months. Red palm oil (RPO) is a good source of vitamin A, is rich in α- and β-carotene and is as effective as high-dose retinyl palmitate supplements in improving vitamin A status. In western Nigeria, where malaria is endemic, RPO is widely used and consumption can be measured using plasma α-carotene as a proxy biomarker since there are few other prominent sources...

Nearly five years have elapsed since the onset of implementation of a process for regulating private higher education provision in South Africa. While the accreditation and registration processes have certainly heightened awareness of issues of quality, it is by no means clear that regulation in and of itself assures quality. It is argued that a culture of quality needs to develop within institutions themselves as they see the need for accountability to their learners and responsiveness to...

Background: Education is perhaps the single essential measure to ensure a full participation of women in development. Women's participation in all fields of the world has become significant. Objective: This study was conducted to identify gender related problems of female students in Jimma University (JU). Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study undertaken using quantitative and qualitative methods, in which the university community (staff and students of both sexes) participated....

Introduction As the HIV/AIDS problem has reached epidemic or pandemic proportions, states are becoming more concerned about education as a means of informing people about the dangers. HIV/AIDS is a major problem in the United States, and even more so in Africa where, according to Bittner, Russo, and Whitaker (2001), 8.7 percent of the African population is infected. AIDS usually or always results in death, and is often sexually transmitted. Thus, adolescent sexual behavior and knowledge are...

This paper examines the role that representatives of the London Missionary Society in central southern Africa during the nineteenth century may have played in the development of geographical debates concerning the long‐term desiccation of the African continent. Observations on climate included within missionary documents are used to reconstruct a chronology of intra‐decadal climatic variability for the period 1815–1900. This reveals six drought periods and seven wet phases that affected...

This article focuses on the small but potentially pivotal role that private higher education providers - particularly corporate classrooms - might play in the ambitious plans for the rebirth of African economies. The inquiry is located in the overlapping contexts of (1) the restructuring of South African higher education, (2) the emergence of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), (3) and the worldwide changes in higher education as a result of rapid globalisation. Corporate...

Human Immuno Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is unique in its devastating impact on the social, economic and demographic development. This study was conducted to assess College students' `knowledge' about condom distribution, high-risk behavior and pattern of condom utilization. A cross-sectional study was done among 383 students of GCMS. Data were collected using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. Out of 383 students 214 (56.1%) were sexually...

In 1994 Ethiopia committed to expanding its education system, particularly at the primary level, to reach previously marginalized communities. The unprecedented expansion of the education system resulted in large classes with few resources. The reforms aimed to implement studentcentered, active learning, but the new approach was not reflected in the teacher preparation curriculum, and there was little student teaching. As a result, there was a teacher shortage and morale was low. A new...

A journal article critiquing whether Zimbabwean teachers are equipped to teach Human Rights Education.

We have recently demonstrated in the guinea pig that preventive dietary magnesium supplement can significantly reduce hearing loss caused by acute impulse noise exposure. To elucidate the underlying protective mechanisms of magnesium, the present study examined its effect on noise-induced impairment of cochlear blood flow (CoBF) and perilymphatic oxygen partial pressure (pO2) in two groups of guinea pigs maintained on optimal or suboptimal dietary magnesium status. While laser Doppler...

The issue of language in education in South Africa at the turn of the millennium remains contested. Apartheid language-in-education policy infused with unequal language proficiency demands for school pupils in the country was replaced in 1997 with a new policy based on non-discriminatory language use and the internationally accepted principle of mother-tongue education in the context of a bilingual or multilingual framework. It was designed to secure mother-tongue (L1) maintenance,...

South Africa has experienced a rapid growth in both independent (private) schooling and private higher education over the past decade. While the growth of the two sectors has been driven by the same forces and they exhibit common characteristics, there is generally no causal relationship between developments in independent schooling and those in private higher education. Trends in the latter have arisen independently (through similar environmental circumstances) rather than in response to...