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Abstract The rapid growth of the private sector for vocational skills training in the Gambia, as a consequence of government policy, raises questions about the quality of such training. This article is based on a UNESCO-sponsored evaluation of the skills training centres in the Gambia in 1998. This case study shows that the open market for vocational skills training did not result in high quality training; rather, programme delivery was characterised by a mix of strengths and weaknesses....

Abstract This paper explores the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, using data from a longitudinal household impact study and focus groups conducted in two communities in the Free State province of South Africa. Non‐attendance at school among children in general and particularly older children, although relatively low, is disconcerting, being higher in affected than in non‐affected households. A large and growing number of children have lost their mother or father, pointing to a substantial and...

Vast disparities in oral health status coupled with projected decreases in African Americans enrolling in and graduating from dental school have heightened concern about the underrepresentation of African Americans in the dental profession. The purpose of this study was to explore differences between African-American and white American students regarding demographics, professional motivations, and career plans. African-American (n = 104) and white American (n = 226) dental students completed...

We conducted a study on chemical and bacteriological groundwater pollution in Niamey, a Sahelian city of some 700,000 inhabitants. A total of 22 wells and 24 bore-holes were selected on a geological and socio-economic basis. The superficial aquifers, located on each bank of the River Niger and connected to the wells, presented high levels of oxidizable nitrogen and bacteriological pollution (coliform and faecal Streptococcus) which make the water unfit for human consumption. The deep...

To determine the prevalence and pattern of drug use among secondary school students in rural and urban communities in south western Nigeria.A survey of senior secondary school students for drug use using a modified form of the World Health Organisation (WHO) questionnaire for student drug use surveys after a pilot study.Rural and urban communities in two local government areas in Ilesa, Osun State in south western part of Nigeria.A total of 600 students drawn from six secondary...

Abstract This study investigated whether people living with HIV/AIDS are held more responsible for their illness than sufferers of a smoking‐related disease. Students at the University of Cape Town completed one of two questionnaires, one referring to HIV/AIDS and the other to lung cancer. In each, a vignette was presented describing a student who discovers that he has the disease in question linked to risk‐taking behaviour. The participants completed a number of questions, including some...

TT he promulgation of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), shifted the emphasis away from a rule driven and highly centralised system of expenditure control to the management of public financial resources by the head of a department. This change brought about new training priorities and it is required from public officials to develop the necessary skills and competencies to manage public finances effectively. The development of new skills and competencies created...

Integrating multiple sources of institutional information can help administrators identify factors related to retention. In this study, 183 African-American freshmen participated in a campus climate survey during their first semester on campus. This information was linked with additional entering freshman data and retention data. Retention of these students was tracked through seven semesters. Significant differences between persisters and non-persisters were found and included financial,...

AIM The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS Epidemiological survey based on a representative sample of 1569 urban school children of Sousse, Tunisia. RESULTS Overweight (BMI > or = 25) was significantly higher in girls (16.1%) than in boys (11.6%); (chi 2 = 8.2; p = 0.004). Obesity (BMI > or = 30) was slightly higher in girls (3.7%) than in boys (2.7%); (chi 2 = 0.89; p = 0.34)....

Review(s) of: Uganda, by Ian Leggett, Oxford, Oxfam, Kampala, Fountain Publishers Ltd, 2001. Pp iv +88, Photographs. ISBN 0 85598 454 6 Oxfam UK (P/b), 9970 02 270 9 Fountain Publishers (P/b); Review(s) of: Kenya Promised Land? by Geoff Sayer, Oxford, Oxfam GB. Pp 72, Map, Photographs; ISBN 0 85598 382 5 (p/b). Chris Peters, Sudan A Nation in the Balance, UK and Ireland, Oxfam, 1996. Pp 64, Map, Photographs. ISBN 0 85598 316 (P/b).

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, number of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n = 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as...

Based on data collected during country visits in 2000. Examines recent developments in the supply of relevant training services for workers in micro and small enterprises in the informal sector. Reviews current policies, programmes and projects concerning skills for informal sector operators and draws lessons for the design and implementation of future programmes. Includes cases studies of successful programmes.

To assess the effect on the haemoglobin concentrations of schoolchildren of weekly iron tablets administered by teachers.Sixty schools were randomly assigned to two groups: in 30 schools children were given weekly for 10 weeks a tablet providing 65 mg of iron and 0.25 mg of folic acid; in the other 30 schools no iron tablets were given. All children were dewormed and given vitamin A before the study began. The haemoglobin concentration of up to 20 randomly selected children in each school...

In order to study smoking habits of children and adolescents from Sousse in Tunisia, we undertook an epidemiological survey on a representative sample of 1569 pupils aged between 13 and 19 years with a global answer rate of 95,4%. The objective of the study was both to describe Tunisian adolescent smoking behaviour and also to evaluate the influence of the home environment, friends and the different socio-demographic factors on acquiring or maintaining the habit. Students were surveyed in...

Ensuring a suitable supply of teachers in a climate of major structural and curriculum reform is not an easy task. It is even more difficult when a teacher education program is being developed simultaneously with the implementation of a new education program. Add to this the challenge of empowering communities to become active contributors in curriculum development and teacher education activities. This paper describes a model of teacher education developed in Papua New Guinea to meet these...

This study assessed the effect of school-based health education on the practice of personal hygiene by children in primary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Three hundred and ninety-five (395) and three hundred and ninety-eight (398) primary school pupils randomly recruited as intervention and control groups were rated on five key personal hygiene practices before, immediately after and three months after school-based hygiene health education. Less than 45% were rated clean before health...