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Air pollutants often have adverse effects on human health. This paper investigates and ranks a set of policy and technological interventions intended to reduce such health costs in the high population density areas of South Africa. It initially uses a simple benefit-cost rule, later extended to capture sectoral employment impacts. Although the focus of state air quality legislation is on industrial pollutants, the most efficient interventions were found to be at household level. These...

The detailed analysis of current cropping areas in Africa presented here reveals significant climate sensitivities of cropland density and distribution across a variety of agro-ecosystems. Based on empirical climate-cropland relationships, cropland density responds positively to increases in precipitation in semi-arid and arid zones of the sub-tropics and warmer temperatures in higher elevations. As a result, marginal increases in seasonal precipitation lead to denser cropping areas in arid...

Abstract This article seeks to replace the traditional and authoritative staff appraisal at a case-study school by a concept of performance management depicted as the performance enhancement and peer appraisal of teachers. It is achieved by elaborating an open system of performance management where teachers are empowered within the existing vertical hierarchy of management. This paradigm shift has substantial implications in terms of the redistribution of power as well as leadership. A “new”...

Abstract This paper analyses the take‐up of proposals for a national quality assurance system in South Africa using different approaches to quality assurance to classify stakeholder responses to survey and interview questions. The context of the study was the introduction of an external quality assurance system for South African higher education by an agency of the Department of Education, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) in 2004. A conceptual framework using Habermas’s...

This article examines the cadet system paying special attention to its curriculum, aims and objectives in the context of the discourse of masculinity and martial orientation of young lads as it afforded the young boys with a frontier of experiences. The term cadet system refers to the physical training and practical;..: teaching of young boys in the use and handling of military< weapons as was done in almost all White dominated schools in Southern Rhodesia. The idea was mainly to instil a...

The study sought to determine the relationship between students’ background variables and the utilization of library resources among secondary schools students in southern senatorial district of Cross River State. The authors developed a nineteen item student’s background questionnaire (SBQ) and twenty two item students utilization of library resource scale (SULIRES) was utilized. The instrument had a correlation coefficient of 0.89 and 0.82 determined using test- retest method. The design...

This study uses the Ricardian approach to examine the economic impact of climate change on agriculture in Zimbabwe. Net farm revenue is regressed against various climate, soil, hydrological and socio-economic variables to help determine the factors that influence variability in net farm revenues. The study is based on data from a survey of 700 smallholder farming households interviewed across the country. The empirical results show that climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) have...

The temporal and spatial distribution of the aftershock sequences of the Ruwenzori (February 5, 1994, Mb (5.8)), Masisi (April 29, 1995, Mb (5.1)) and Kalehe (October 24, 2002, Mb (5.9)) earthquakes have been studied. It has been found that most of the aftershocks of the Ruwenzori earthquake are located on the eastern flank of the main escarpment and those of the Masisi earthquake are confined to the northwest of Lake Kivu margin where earthquake occurrence of swarm-type was normally...

In July 2005, President Mbeki announced the launch of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), a new development strategy designed to help the South African state meet the ANC's 2004 election pledges, namely: halve unemployment; halve poverty; accelerate employment equity; and improve broad-based black economic empowerment. AsgiSA outlines a very different development path from the current orthodoxy of the Millennium Development Goals and Poverty Reduction...

Neonatal morbidity and mortality still poses a serious challenge in developing countries. Low level of obstetric care, unsupervised home deliveries and late referrals lead to poor outcome even in special care baby units (SCBU). To identify the common causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality among babies admitted to the SCBU in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) the case-notes of all admitted neonates from January 1998 to December 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 2963 (98.3%)...

This article looks at the importance of student-generated analogies, metaphors, and similes as an entry point into their understandings of HIV/AIDS. In addition, it argues that analogies, metaphors, and similes are good tools for eliciting students’ prior understandings of HIV/AIDS, especially matters relating to sexuality that are often figuratively communicated in many Ugandan cultures. It posits that students’ prior knowledge determines how they respond to messages about HIV/AIDS. The...

(english) In this paper, we consider a model of on-the-job learning where workers learn informally by watching and imitating colleagues. We estimate the rate of knowledge diffusion inside the firm using three matched worker-firm data sets from Benin, Morocco and Senegal. We rely on non-linear least squares to estimate the structural parameters of the informal learning model and account for unobserved firm heterogeneity using firm factors derived from a principal component analysis. We find...

This article reports on a baseline survey, designed to collect information on students' and teachers' conceptions on environmental issues and their involvement in three Zimbabwean colleges of secondary teacher training. The survey was the first step of a research programme designed to evaluate the Secondary Teacher Training Environmental Education Programme (St2eep). It was found that students perceive the environment mainly in terms of biophysical issues whereas teachers also relate the...

This paper looks at access to adult education and vocational education and training (VET) provision in fishing communities in the Western Cape, South Africa. Fishing communities are being disadvantaged due to geographical and socio-political marginalisation, and the predominance of informal sector employment in the context of worldwide marine resource depletion. Neither public nor private provision is adequately serving rural areas or the informal sector in this context. Using the...

Abstract Towards the close of the twentieth century in South Africa, powerful discourses were disrupted and political, economic and cultural transformation hailed. Yet, attitudes, subjectivities and patterns of behaviour are not simply automatically erased. In this paper I assume the relevance of Foucauldian insights for conducting socio-cultural critique and I argue the significance of genealogical work in relation to understanding the present. Thus, I seek both to establish what could...

The purpose of this study was to examine students' and teachers' perceptions of their relationship. Eighty-nine African American children in Grades 3 through 6 and their teachers independently rated the quality of the teacher—child relationship and completed a range of questionnaires regarding the children's school-related adjustment. Teacher and child reports on the quality of the relationship were correlated significantly ( r = 0.33, p &lt; 0.01). Positive teacher—child relationships, as...

The global spread of HIV and AIDS has presented a major threat to development, affecting the health of the poor and many aspects of social and economic development. The greatest impact of the epidemic has been felt in sub‐Saharan Africa, and Zambia ranks among the worst hit countries. The Free Basic Education Policy in Zambia upholds the right of all children to a universal basic education. This study explored staff and student perceptions of the impact of the epidemic on access to, and the...