Orthopaedic training in Kenya - Mulimba, Jao (East African orthopaedic journal, 2011)
Background: Orthopaedic training in Kenya, like in other East, central and southern Africa college of surgeons (cOsEcsA) countries is varied leading to specialists with varying exposures and competencies.the experience in Kenya is used here to study the problem, point out the shortcomings and suggest possible remedies for the future.Objective: to do a survey of the current orthopaedic specialists in Kenya's training since their first medical degrees.Determine the duration, facilities and methods of training.Methods: A number of doctors trained under different arrangements were identified, interviewed and where curriculum was available this was read.Results: the basic degree for most specialists was MMed (surgery).thishad six months of Orthopaedic surgery.Post MMED exposure varied widely.the second group consisted of those with MMed or Msc.(Orthopaedics) of four years.Facilities, duration and methods of teaching varied widely.Conclusions: the duration, facilities and methods of orthopaedic training varied widely in the region.the end products significantly differed in their practices and competencies, especially knowing that most of them go to work on their own after the training.Recommendations: there is need to standardize the Orthopaedic training in the region.this could be best done through cOsEcsA.On its part cOsEcsA must strictly observe the training programme.the registering bodies must also draw up common criteria for Orthopaedic specialists' registration.Assistance from abroad in these early times is necessary.
openalex: W2105243745 mag: 2105243745
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Assessing low-income African-American pre-schoolers' behaviour problems in relationship to community violence, inter-partner conflict, parenting, informal social support and social skills - Oravecz, Linda M.; Osteen, Philip; Sharpe, Tanya L.; Randolph, Suzanne M. (Child & Family Social Work, 2011)
This study examined the relations among community violence exposure, inter-partner conflict and informal social support and the behaviour problems of pre-schoolers, and explored how mothers' parenting skills and children's social skills may mediate the child outcomes associated with such exposure. Participants were 185 African-American mothers and female caregivers of Head Start children who completed study measures in a structured interview. Path analyses revealed that greater inter-partner conflict was associated with more internalizing and externalizing child behaviour problems. Positive parenting was associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing behaviours. Higher levels of child social skills were associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems. Child social skills fully mediated the relationship between community violence and externalizing behaviours as well as between informal support and externalizing behaviours. Social skills partially mediated the relationships between positive parenting and externalizing behaviours. No mediating effect was found on the relationships between inter-partner conflict and child behaviour problems. Implications of the findings for intervention and future research are discussed.
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Service Quality of On-Campus Student Housing: A South African Experience - Radder, Laetitia; Han, Xiliang (International Business & Economics Research Journal, 2011)
This study adds to the service quality literature on student housing, particularly within a South African context. The study proposes and confirms a modified model of SERVQUAL and assesses the quality of on-campus student housing at a South African university based on 430 respondents expectations and perceptions. Exploratory, first- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses performed as part of the data analysis confirmed that on-campus student housing service quality can be viewed as a second-order construct defined by four first-order dimensions: interaction, empathy, general amenities, and room amenities. T-tests and ANOVA tests show that neither age nor gender relates significantly to service quality perceptions. The data also reveal a four-tier structure of service quality which can guide residence managers in allocating limited resources to those service dimensions students regard as most important, but least satisfactory.
openalex: W2179391649 mag: 2179391649
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Assessing drought probability for agricultural areas in Africa with coarse resolution remote sensing imagery - Rojas, Oscar; Vrieling, Anton; Rembold, Felix (Remote Sensing of Environment, 2011)
Drought is one of the most frequent climate-related disasters occurring across large portions of the African continent, often with devastating consequences for the food security of agricultural households. This study proposes a novel method for calculating the empirical probability of having a significant proportion of the total agricultural area affected by drought at sub-national level. First, we used the per-pixel Vegetation Health Index (VHI) from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) averaged over the crop season as main drought indicator. A phenological model based on NDVI was employed for defining the start of season (SOS) and end of the grain filling stage (GFS) dates. Second, the per-pixel average VHI was aggregated for agricultural areas at sub-national level in order to obtain a drought intensity indicator. Seasonal VHI averaging according to the phenological model proved to be a valid drought indicator for the African continent, and is highly correlated with the drought events recorded during the period (1981–2009). The final results express the empirical probability of drought occurrence over both the temporal and the spatial domain, representing a promising tool for future drought monitoring.
openalex: W2067956280 mag: 2067956280
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Absent Bactericidal Activity of Mouse Serum against Invasive African Nontyphoidal Salmonella Results from Impaired Complement Function but Not a Lack of Antibody - Siggins, Matthew K.; Cunningham, Adam F.; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Chamberlain, Jayne L.; Henderson, Ian R.; MacLennan, Calman A. (Journal of Immunology, 2011)
Nontyphoidal strains of Salmonella are a major cause of fatal bacteremia in Africa. Developing a vaccine requires an improved understanding of the relevant mechanisms of protective immunity, and the mouse model of Salmonella infection is useful for studying immunity to Salmonella in vivo. It is important to appreciate the similarities and differences between immunity to Salmonella in mice and men. Ab is important for protection against nontyphoidal Salmonella in both species, and we have previously found an important role for Ab in cell-free complement-mediated bactericidal activity against Salmonella in Africans. It is unclear whether this modality of immunity is relevant in the mouse model. C57BL/6, BALB/c, and C3H mice immunized with heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium strains D23580 (African invasive strain) and SL1344 and live-attenuated strain SL3261 produced a Salmonella-specific Ab response. Sera from these mice deposited reduced levels of C3 on Salmonella compared with human sera and were unable to kill both wild-type and galE(-) rough mutant of D23580, indicating absent cell-free killing via classical and alternative complement pathways. Supplementing immune mouse sera with human complement enabled killing of Salmonella, whereas addition of human anti-Salmonella Ab to immune mouse sera had no effect. These findings indicate that mouse serum cannot effect [corrected] cell-free complement-dependent killing of Salmonella, because of the reduced mouse complement ability to kill these bacteria compared with human complement. This difference in Ab-dependent immunity to Salmonella in mice and men must be considered when applying findings from the mouse model of Salmonella disease and vaccination response to man.
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Comparative Costs of Antibacterial Usage in Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital - Suleiman, Ismail A.; Tayo, Fola (Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2011)
Purpose: To evaluate the cost of antibacterial usage to patients in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Methods: Drug utilization evaluation was carried out retrospectively among patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) over a one-year period between 2005 and 2006 in Lagos UniversityTeaching Hospital (LUTH), Nigeria.Case notes numbering 230 and containing 317 prescriptions were sampled consecutively with the aid of diagnostic coding cards.Relevant data including case demographics, diagnosis, prescribed drugs, and dosages were extracted and the associated costs analysed.Results: A majority of the patients (82.3 %) were youths aged 21 -40 years.Higher prevalence was observed among male patients (70.2 %).The proportion of drugs prescribed in generic and branded names were 82.1 and 17.9 %, respectively.Total number of antibacterial doses was 7284 at a total cost of NGN239,420.00 (US$1,841.69).Average antibacterial cost per patient was NGN1,040.96(US$8.00).Quinolones were the most widely prescribed class of antibacterial agents (31.1 % of cases) at a cost of NGN81,646.00(US$628.05)representing 34.1% of the total antibacterial cost to patients. Conclusion:This study indicates that antibacterial cost was high, relative to the purchasing power of the local populace, a large proportion of whom live below the poverty line (US$1.00 per day).Furthermore, a greater proportion of the antibacterial cost was due to a few agents, the use of which should be evidence-based and closely monitored.
openalex: W2128103959 mag: 2128103959
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Information literacy and law students at the University of Botswana - Toteng, Bosha; Hoskins, Ruth; Bell, Fiona (Innovation (Pietermaritzburg), 2011)
This article is based on a study which investigated the ability of law students to search the electronic databases of the University of Botswana (UB) Library and their perceptions of the Information Literacy course offered by the Library. The study population consisted of 362 undergraduate law students. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. The results showed that although some of the undergraduate law students did use the Library’s electronic databases and benefited from the Information Literacy course offered by the Library, many of the students lacked the necessary legal research skills as regards use of electronic resources.
openalex: W1595996473 mag: 1595996473
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Teaching About Women and Islam in North Africa: Integrating Postcolonial Feminist Theory in the Classroom - Zayzafoon, Lamia Ben Youssef (Foreign Language Annals, 2011)
Abstract: Using postcolonial feminist theory, the researcher attempts in this article to redefine the interpretive framework through which courses on Islam and North African women are being taught in American undergraduate classes. Several conceptual limitations have been identified: inadequate knowledge of the geography and history of North Africa; the discursive dichotomy between East and West; the production of the Muslim woman as a single category; the tendency to de‐historicize Islam and Eastern cultures in general into unchanging and closed systems of religious practices and beliefs; the uncritical adoption of Islamic exegesis as an explanatory prism to understand all the woes of the Islamic world; and the cultural essentialism underlying the discourse of multiculturalism in American textbooks. To each one of these limitations, the author proposes alternative teaching strategies such as the historicization of all discourses on Muslim women; inclusion of the scholarship of Maghrebian women scholars in the classroom; role‐playing; cross‐cultural comparisons; and the integration of medieval maps and Renaissance drawings as well as audiovisual materials produced in North Africa and the Middle East ranging from political cartoons and commercials to youth programs like “Star Academy.”
openalex: W1931278571 mag: 1931278571
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Factors that affect medical students’ performance in Anatomy in the University of Nigeria - Esom, Emmanuel Anayochukwu; Eze, Justus Ndulue; Ozoemena, O. F. N.; Ezepue, UF (Orient Journal of Medicine, 2011)
Background: Much attention has been drawn to the area of medical education in contemporary times with the aim of developing effectiveteaching strategies in our medical schools.Objectives: To identify the problems encountered by students in the study of Anatomy and suggest ways of enhancing their performance in the subject.Materials and Methods: Three hundred structured, pretested self administered questionnaires were applied to medical students of theFaculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), who had spent at least two years in the medical school. Data analysis was by SPSS version 15.Results: Of the 300 questionnaires, 201(67.0%) were correctly filled and analysed. One hundred and three (51.2%) of the respondents were females, 163 (81.1%) were aged 21 to 30 years and 105(52.3%) hadspent more than two years in the medical school. One hundred and eleven (55.2%) believed that dissection followed by audio-visual aids 101(50.3%) offered students adequate exposure to the learning of anatomy. One hundred and eleven, (55.2%) also implicated overcrowding as a major cause of students’ aversion for dissection leading to inadequate exposure to the subject and the resultant poor performance. One hundred and seven (53.2%) believed that the preparatory period for 2nd MBBS exams should be extended so as to offer students adequate exposure to laboratory specimens.Conclusion: Over-population causes inadequate exposure of students to anatomical specimens and thus affects their performance negatively.Keywords: Anatomy, factors, problems, students’ performance
openalex: W2034112916 mag: 2034112916
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Caring for children with disabilities in Kilifi, Kenya: what is the carer's experience? - Gona, JK; Mung’ala‐Odera, V.; Newton, Charles R.; Hartley, Sally (Child: Care, Health and Development, 2011)
Background Carers of children with disabilities have repeatedly highlighted their feelings of discrimination, stigma and exclusion in many domains of their lives. There is little research from Africa addressing these issues. This study investigated the challenges encountered by these carers and the mechanisms of coping with these challenges while caring for children with disabilities in a poor rural setting in Kenya. Methods Thirty-five in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 carers, 10 community members and 5 primary school teachers. Ten unstructured observations were also conducted in home environments to observe mechanisms used in meeting the needs of the children with disabilities. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and translated from the local dialect. Note-taking was performed during all the observations. Data were stored in NVivo software for easy retrieval and management. Results The arrival of a disabled child severely impairs the expectations of carers. Hospital staff underestimate carers' emotional distress and need for information. Fear for the future, stress, rumour-mongering and poverty are encountered by carers. As they grapple with lost expectations, carers develop positive adaptations in the form of learning new skills, looking for external support and in some cases searching for cure for the problem. For their emotional stability, carers apply spiritual interventions and sharing of experiences. Conclusion Despite the challenges faced by the carers, values and priorities in adaptation to the challenges caused by the child's disability were applied. It is recommended that these experiences are considered as they may influence programmes that address the needs of children with disabilities.
openalex: W2136522284 mag: 2136522284
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Menarcheal age among urban Kenyan primary school girls - Ogeng’o, Dorinah N; Obimbo, Moses; Ogeng’o, Julius A (Acta Paediatrica, 2011)
Abstract Aim: To determine the mean menarcheal age among urban primary school girls in Kenya. Subjects and methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to 820 primary grade 6–8 girls aged between 12 and 17 years in five public primary schools, Langata division of Nairobi West district, Nairobi Kenya. The girls came from low and middle socioeconomic status residences. Declared menarcheal age by recall to the nearest month was recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS version 15.0 for windows. The results are presented using tables and bar charts. Results: The mean menarcheal age was 12.5 ± 2.8 years with peak at 12–14 years. A substantial number of girls (10.8%) attained menarche before the age of 11 years, with 2% of them attaining it before 10 years. None attained menarche before nine or after 16 years. Of those who attained early menarche, 64.3% were from middle while only 35.7% came from low socioeconomic status residence, respectively. Conclusion: Mean menarcheal age of 12.5 years is lower than previously reported with over 10% of the girls attaining menarche by 11 years. Early commencement of reproductive health education and follow‐up for complications of early menarche is recommended.
openalex: W1506386184 mag: 1506386184
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The Challenges Facing Early Childhood Care, Development and Education (ECCDE) in an Era of Universal Basic Education in Nigeria - Ige, A (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2011)
openalex: W2073585676 mag: 2073585676
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Founder effect in the Horn of Africa for an insulin receptor mutation that may impair receptor recycling - Raffan, Eleanor; Soos, Maria A.; Rocha, Nuno; Tuthill, Antoinette; Thomsen, A.; Hyden, Caroline S. S.; Gregory, John Welbourn; Hindmarsh, Peter C.; Dattani, Mehul; Cochran, Elaine; Kaabi, Juma Al; Görden, Phillip; et al. (Diabetologia, 2011)
Genetic insulin receptoropathies are a rare cause of severe insulin resistance. We identified the Ile119Met missense mutation in the insulin receptor INSR gene, previously reported in a Yemeni kindred, in four unrelated patients with Somali ancestry. We aimed to investigate a possible genetic founder effect, and to study the mechanism of loss of function of the mutant receptor.Biochemical profiling and DNA haplotype analysis of affected patients were performed. Insulin receptor expression in lymphoblastoid cells from a homozygous p.Ile119Met INSR patient, and in cells heterologously expressing the mutant receptor, was examined. Insulin binding, insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation, and cooperativity and pH dependency of insulin dissociation were also assessed.All patients had biochemical profiles pathognomonic of insulin receptoropathy, while haplotype analysis revealed the putative shared region around the INSR mutant to be no larger than 28 kb. An increased insulin proreceptor to β subunit ratio was seen in patient-derived cells. Steady state insulin binding and insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the mutant receptor was normal; however it exhibited decreased insulin dissociation rates with preserved cooperativity, a difference accentuated at low pH.The p.Ile119Met INSR appears to have arisen around the Horn of Africa, and should be sought first in severely insulin resistant patients with ancestry from this region. Despite collectively compelling genetic, clinical and biochemical evidence for its pathogenicity, loss of function in conventional in vitro assays is subtle, suggesting mildly impaired receptor recycling only.
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Pan evaporation and wind run decline in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa (1974–2005): implications for vegetation responses to climate change - Hoffman, M. Timm; Cramer, Michael D.; Gillson, Lindsey; Wallace, Michael (Climatic Change, 2011)
openalex: W2033227131 mag: 2033227131
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Basic Molecular Evolution Workshop – A trans‐African virtual training course - Ommeh, Sheila; Budd, Aidan; Ngara, Mtakai; Njaci, Isaac; Villiers, Etienne P. de (BioEssays, 2011)
AFBIX09, First African Virtual Conference on Bioinformatics; BecA, Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa; BMEW, Basic Molecular Evolution Workshop; ILRI, International Livestock Research Institute; RSG EA, Regional Students Group Eastern Africa. Why do we bother to organise scientific meetings? The amount of time, energy and resources they take up always surprises us. They do not help our career and promotion prospects – most hiring committees ignore our involvement in organising and participating in such meetings. So why do we do keep organising them? For us, the reasons why we do continue to organise new meetings are similar to those motivating the funders who support the events: promoting research in areas (topical and geographical) where we feel it is particularly needed; helping promote interactions between researchers; providing high-quality scientific impact, ideally at low cost. Not that we are altruists – we enjoy it too, in particular the opportunity it provides to contribute to the development of the scientific fields we work in. We were recently impressed by the effectiveness with which three events we were involved in achieved these and similar goals (Fig. 1) – we hope that, by sharing our enthusiasm for what was achieved through these meetings, we can encourage others to organise and fund similar projects in the future. An overview of the three events described in the article. To highlight the relationships between the different events, the names of the authors of this article are coloured red. Part of the link between these events was thematic – the topic of molecular evolution playing an important role in all of them. At first glance, this might seem strange for scientists keen to promote development within the African continent – surely there are many more important topics to focus on in that context? However, despite first impressions, molecular evolutionary analyses can contribute to many applications associated with economic and public health issues in Africa. One important set of applications is in the epidemiology of diseases important in Africa. These studies may focus on the evolution of the pathogens themselves, including viruses (such as HIV 1), bacteria (such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis 2) and eukaryotes (such as Plasmodium falciparum 3, one of the causative agents of malaria) – but also the evolution of the vectors responsible for transmitting many important diseases (such as Glossina fuscipes fuscipes 4, tsetse flies that are vectors of sleeping sickness, or Anopheles mosquitoes, important vectors of malaria 5). Other medical applications involve analysis of the molecular basis of disease virulence in pathogens (such as in swine fever virus 6), or disease immunity or resistance in hosts (such as the human Duffy blood group locus, which confers complete resistance to vivax malaria 7). In a very different context, molecular evolutionary analyses have been applied in the fields of conservation and ecological genetics, including analyses of the history and evolution of indigenous species (such as cichlid fishes in the African Great Lakes 8) and prioritisation of endangered species for conservation programs (such as Madagascan lemurs 9). Other applications include attempts to understand the response of organisms to changing climatic conditions 10, crop plant research 11, 12 and analyses of human history and anthropology 13. To tell the story of our work together, we will follow the path taken by Sheila Ommeh, the only one of us involved in all three events. The first of these was the AFBIX09 14, which took place in July 2009. Sheila was an organiser of this event, together with many others including Mtakai Ngara, and Etienne P. de Villiers, co-authors of this current paper. As its name suggests, this was a virtual event, where much of the interaction between participants was mediated by information and communication technologies rather than face-to-face. Crucially, AFBIX09 showed us that virtual technologies can successfully deliver useful, effective scientific interactions, at very low cost. Fourteen scientists were involved in organising and delivering the event; four were keynote speakers, five were invited speakers and five were mentors who supported the various hubs through various funds. It also highlighted key points to be aware of when successfully setting up a virtual event of this kind – several of us summarised these lessons in a recent publication 15. Training can play a key role in promoting development and equality, as recognised by international organisations such as UNESCO and the International Council for Science 16 and the European Union 17. Therefore, increasing the provision and accessibility of training in developing countries could play a key role in bridging the gap between students worldwide. Students in so-called developed countries typically have easier and cheaper access to scientific training courses than their counterparts in developing countries. Part of the reason for this is that most trainers – and therefore most courses – are located in developed countries. With this in mind, several of us wanted to extend our experience of the effectiveness of virtual technologies to the more complicated context of a training course – where two-way interactions between presenter and audience are more diverse and important than for a conference. But how could we find trainers for this virtual course – trainers that could be relied upon to deliver good, relevant training material? This problem was solved by Sheila's attendance of the EMBO Practical Course on Computational Molecular Evolution 18. One of us, Aidan Budd, was an organiser of this course, which took place in May 2010 in Heraklion, Greece, at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biology and Genetics. During the ten days of this course, Sheila experienced at first-hand the training of many prominent contributors to the field of molecular evolution, including developers of key software packages such as RAxML 19 (Alexandros Stamatakis), PhyML 20 (Olivier Gascuel), MrBayes 21 (John Huelsenbeck) and PAML 22 (Ziheng Yang). The openness and accessibility of the trainers, coupled with the way the course was organised, made it easy for trainees and trainers to get to know each other – providing great opportunities to develop longer-term relationships. This is exactly what Sheila did; approaching several of the trainers whose presentations covered topics she felt would be particularly useful for African scientists. She invited these trainers to deliver similar material – which she knew was of high educational quality – in a virtual context. Everyone she asked was keen to participate – although unfortunately time constraints meant that not all of those she invited were able to get involved. Using the contacts she made in Heraklion, Sheila, along with many others including co-authors Mtakai Ngara, Isaac Njaci and Etienne P. de Villiers, organised the first ever trans-African virtual bioinformatics training course. The BMEW 23 took place in July 2010, and was organised by the Regional Students Group Eastern Africa (RSG EA) 24 together with Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA). Financial and logistic support for the course was provided by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. The central hub was located at the ILRI/BecA, accompanied by seven satellite hubs (SMBI Tangier-Morocco, SMBI Casablanca-Morocco, SMBI Rabat-Morocco, SANBI UWC South Africa, UCT South Africa, University of Pretoria and University of Mauritius). The course was attended by 50 trainees – 18 in Kenya, 15 in South Africa, 16 in Morocco and 1 in Mauritius. Four trainers from the Heraklion course made virtual presentations during the course: Maria Anisimova from Zurich, Switzerland; Aidan Budd from Heidelberg, Germany; Carolin Kosiol from Vienna, Austria and Rasmus Nielsen from Copenhagen, Denmark. Several of the trainers included African-specific examples in their presentations, including analyses of vivax malaria resistance in sub-Saharan African populations 7 and cichlids fish diversity in African Great Lakes 8. While presenting, external trainers were able to see and hear a ‘question taker’ who was located at the central Kenyan hub – but were not directly linked in this way to any of the training rooms. This was to avoid overwhelming the trainers with overlapping inputs from multiple different sources – although at the same time this made it harder to carry out two-way interactions between trainer and trainees. However, it was still possible to accept questions from the trainees via the ‘question taker’, and to initiate exercises involving direct interactions between trainees located at the same hub. Cisco's Webex 25, a proprietary, service-oriented software product provided by ILRI's Information and Computational Technology (ICT) department, was used for the online conferencing component of the course. This software can host a maximum of 25 satellite nodes (also referred to as ‘hubs’) situated in different locations and commonly used in scientific webinars e.g. Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Bio-IT World Web Symposia 26. The central hub was located at the ILRI/BecA, with the other seven locations operating as satellite hubs. A Webex server was hosted on a Mac OS X laptop computer, using Ethernet cables for Internet connection, rather than via a wireless network, to obtain better connection stability and enable faster data transfer. Training presentations were transmitted from the central hub to satellite hubs on a 118.675 KBps Internet connection. Remote hubs logged into the Webex system via a range of personal computers (both Windows and Mac OS X), and presentations were broadcasted to the audience using LCD projectors. Trainers delivered their presentations using the Webex clients on their local machines – as the trainer moved to a new slide, that new slide was shown almost instantly to the other hubs. Prior to the course, tests were carried out with coordinators of the satellite hubs, and with the trainers, to identify potential problems and accustom them to the technology. During the course, trainee questions were communicated to trainers via the central hub, using voice connection and the chatting capabilities of Skype software 27. opportunities to network with participants in different locations, very cost-effective training provision, direct access provided to scientific experts in the field, no fee or travel/accommodation expenses for participants (both trainees and trainers). All trainees indicated that they would like to see such virtual courses held on a regular basis, in particular with focus on topics of specific relevance to the continent. At the same time, participants suggested several ways in which the educational experience could have been improved – and in which more trainees could have been attracted to attend. It was felt that trainees would have attended if the course had been held while the participating universities were in session, rather than during the holidays. The stability of the Internet connection at some of the satellite hubs was also an issue, preventing several hubs from participating. Others felt that more trainees would have attended if the advertisement period for the course had been longer, making it easier for people to plan their attendance. Most trainees would have liked access to recordings of the sessions to be available after the virtual workshop was over. The key feedback received from the trainers was that they would have liked more opportunity for two-way interaction between trainer and audience. They acknowledged, however, that it could be difficult to achieve this without overloading the trainer with input from multiple sources. Overall, however, the trainers were impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of the organisers – especially the prompt, enthusiastic, friendly, and efficient response to logistic and software issues. Finally, the trainers were pleased to learn through their own experience that this kind of teaching can be effective. In particular, Aidan Budd is involved with a group of European bioinformatics trainers, the Bioinformatics Training Network 28, aiming to improve and coordinate bioinformatics training in Europe. Several members of the BTN want to develop the use of virtual technologies to increase the impact of current training activities 29. As a result of his involvement in the BMEW, Aidan now has much more confidence in the effectiveness of virtualised courses, and is keen to develop these ideas further, and become involved in further virtual projects. In the light of this feedback, and of our own experiences organising the course, we hope to organise more virtual courses in the future. Virtual courses hold great potential for Africa and so-called developing countries in general as an efficient and cost-effective way of improving and increasing training provision. Expanding the program of virtual courses on offer will need a community of high-calibre trainers willing to participate in the courses – the limited and unusual interaction between trainers and trainees in virtual courses makes it particularly important that the trainers are both experienced and flexible in their presentation style. Other ways of increasing the impact of virtual courses are to increase both the number of hubs involved in the events, and the number of participants attending at each hub – which will be helped by the newly installed Africa-traversing fibre optic cable network. However, it is also clear that expansion of this kind will require increased support from funding bodies for virtual activities. Hopefully, the successful interplay between virtual and regular events we have described here will encourage organisations to provide additional funding and support for activities of this kind. Finally, we find it interesting to note that a key part of the development of the virtual course was a regular, non-virtual course. The regular course provided the social and scientific environment needed to establish and develop good, long-term relationships within the community relationships that led to the acquisition of good, committed and reliable trainers for the virtual course. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Allan Orth, Sonal Patel, Nelson Gichora, Kimita Gathii, Geoffrey Mtenyo, scientific mentors, and all the hub coordinators for making the BMEW a success. They also want to thank their fellow organisers, and the funders, of both AFBIX09 and the EMBO Practical Course on Computational Molecular Evolution. Aidan Budd would like to thank Toby Gibson for supporting his participation in the BMEW and the EMBO Practical Course on Computational Molecular Evolution, Vera Herkommer for her advice and help concerning documents and publications produced by international organisations, and Maria Pia Becker for many useful suggestions and comments on an earlier version of the text.
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Investigating the information needs of sandwich and part-time students of two Public universities in Ogun State, Nigeria - Adesoye, Abayomi Ebenezer; Amusa, Oyintola Isiaka (Inkanyiso, 2011)
This study investigated the information needs and impediments to access to information among the sandwich and parttime students of two public universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. The two universities are Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED). Questionnaires were used to gather data from 4999 respondents out of 5075 students sampled. The study identified that both male and female pursue part-time/sandwich courses for one reason or another. Their courses of study cut across Arts, Education, Social Sciences, Sciences, and Applied Sciences; and their information needs relate mainly to their studies and other socio-economic issues. The information format preference of the students is both print and non-print. However, their institutional libraries fall short of meeting their information needs due to some problems, prominent among which are inadequate library facilities, and inadequate ICT and library use skill. The study recommended that the universities should recognize the right of their students to access accurate information in the desired formats; provision of practical oriented ICT and library use skill; subscription to electronic resources for the use of staff and students and review of the students’ study packs. Keywords: Information needs, information seeking, sandwich/part-time, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria
openalex: W2132165989 mag: 2132165989
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Maternal deaths associated with hypertension in South Africa : lessons to learn from the Saving Mothers report, 2005-2007 - Moodley, J. (Cardiovascular journal of South Africa : official journal for Southern Africa Cardiac Society [and] South African Society of Cardiac Practitioners, 2011)
From 2005-2007, there were 622 deaths associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.Eclampsia was the major cause of death (n = 344; 55.3%).There were 173 (28.3%) deaths due to pre-eclampsia, and 38 (6.1%) associated with chronic hypertension.Cerebral complications were the final cause of death in 283 (45.5%), while cardiac failure and respiratory failure were the final causes in 142 (22.8%) and 158 (25.4%), respectively.Major problems were identified in all areas of assessment.Non-attendance for antenatal care (n = 106; 19.4%) and delay in seeking help (n = 106; 19.4%) were major patient-related factors.Communication problems (n = 63; 10.8%) and lack of facilities (n = 50; 8.5%) were health administration issues.Health worker-avoidable factors included problem recognition, delay in referral and management at an inappropriate level of healthcare.Compared to the previous report of 2002-2004, there was a reduction in deaths due to hypertension.
openalex: W1967319289 mag: 1967319289
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Team Management as an Effective Technique for the Management of Schools in Nigeria - Nakpodia, E. D. (Social Science Research Network, 2011)
This paper examined the relevance of team management as an effective technique in the management of schools in Nigeria. The paper high lightened the procedures, techniques and principles for implementing good team management and its roles. Four components of team management were identified as the most crucial elements in the management process which include leadership, communication, decision-making and the exercise of shared power and authority. Also, the strengths and weaknesses of team management were also highlighted. The paper therefore deduced that the issue of team management cannot be overemphasized in the proper management of an organization as its benefits are enormous both for the school administrators and the organization itself.
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Neighborhood & Family Effects on Learning Motivation among Urban African American Middle School Youth - Whitaker, Damiya; Graham, Camelia M.; Severtson, Stevan G.; Furr‐Holden, C. Debra M.; Latimer, William W. (Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2011)
Motivational theorists in psychology have moved away from individual-based approaches to socio-cognitive and socio-ecological models to explain student engagement and motivation for learning. Such approaches consider, for example, the influence of family and neighborhood environments as important constructs in youth behavior. In this study, links between neighborhood condition (e.g. external appearance of the blocks nearest to the respondents' home), family dysfunction, and motivation for learning are investigated. Data were obtained from two hundred and sixteen (216) urban African American middle school children enrolled in a substance use prevention intervention. Analytic models show associations between poor neighborhood condition and both family dysfunction and lower learning motivation. Family dysfunction was also found to mediate the effect of neighborhood condition on motivated learning. Neighborhood and family characteristics are important determinants of urban schoolchildren's motivation for learning.
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Al-Azhar student tells why he's staying put in Egypt - Embun, Majid (2011)
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South African History and Culture in Dutch VWO-classrooms - Kelly, Catherine E. (2011)
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From Jesus and God to Muhammad and Allah – and back again Kenyan Christian and Islamic religious education in the slums of Kibera - Kindberg, Mikael (2011)
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Financing Higher Education in Tanzania - Nitume, Neema (2011)
Students loan scheme has become very important in financing higher education for both developed and developing countries. This book describes the challenges of financing higher education with particular reference to Tanzania Students Loan Board.It identifies issues like criteria and equality in loan disbursement among eligible beneficiaries and also possible solutions to the challenges. The text includes a review of current literature on various issues affecting higher education finance across the globe and finally zeros down to the case of Tanzanian Higher Education Finance. It critically analyzes the steps taken by Tanzanian government to finance higher education over the years versus the global trends in higher education finance.Critical review of literature was supplemented with primary data from the Tanzania's case. It will therefore give the readers an informed basis to the analysis of the global trends on financing higher education.
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Relationships between the school-level and classroom-level environment in secondary schools in South Africa - Aldridge, Jill M.; Fraser, Barry J.; Laugksch, Rüdiger C. (South African Journal of Education, 2011)
We report research into associations between the school-level and classroom-level environment in science classrooms in South Africa. An instrument, developed to assess students’ perceptions of their classroom learning environment as a means of monitoring and guiding changes towards outcomes-based education, was administered to 2,638 Grade 8 science students from 50 classes in 50 secondary schools in Limpopo province. In addition, the teachers of each of the 50 classes responded to a questionnaire developed to assess factors in the school-level environment (such as the adequacy of resources, parental involvement and collegiality). The data collected using the two questionnaires were analysed to examine whether the environment created at the school level was linked to the likelihood of teachers successfully implementing outcomes-based education at the classroom level. Keywords: classroom-level environment; learning environment; outcomes- based education; school-level environment; science education; South Africa
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Preparing new principals in South Africa: the ACE: School Leadership Programme - Bush, Tony; Kiggundu, Edith; Moorosi, Pontŝo (South African Journal of Education, 2011)
There is increasing recognition that effective leadership and management are vital if schools are to be successful in providing good learning opportunities for students, and emerging evidence that high quality leadership makes a significant difference to school improvement and learning outcomes. However, in many countries, including South Africa, a teaching qualification and teaching experience are the only requirements for school principals. In the 21st century, there is a growing realisation that headship is a specialist occupation that requires specific preparation. In 2007, the former South African Department of Education introduced a new threshold qualification for aspiring school principals as part of its wider strategy to improve educational standards. The course, badged as an Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership (ACE), was piloted in six provinces from 2007–2009. This paper reports the main findings from the evaluation of the pilot ACE programme and links them to the South African and international literature on leadership development.
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First year Master of Education (M.Ed.) students’ experiences of part-time study: A South African case study - Chikoko, Vitallis (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
This article reports on a study of how a group of first year M.Ed. students in the Faculty of Education of the University of KwaZulu-Natal experienced part-time study. Literature suggests that each year, South Africa suffers significant student departures from universities without completing their studies. Apart from the cost and manpower implications, student dropout also causes damage to the individual’s self-esteem and self-image. The author’s own experience of teaching part-time M.Ed. students suggested that they were faced with a plethora of hindrances whose nature and complexity could not be taken for granted. Thus, this study sought to understand how students experienced part-time study as organised by the faculty. The article contends that organisational factors within an institution are crucial to the success or failure, and the retention or dropout of the students. Therefore, student integration into the institution is highly necessary. Data were collected through a questionnaire that solicited both quantitative and qualitative responses. The findings suggest that while students found their studies worthwhile, their levels of integration with the institution were low, thus weakening their coping strategies. Greater efforts to help students integrate with the institution seem necessary.
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A national benchmarking survey of student counselling centres/units in South Africa - Cilliers, Charl; Pretorius, K.; Westhuizen, L. R. van der (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
Students experience various challenges during their studies, such as personal problems, academic difficulties and mental health problems. Therefore, student counselling centres/units play a valuable role in providing support systems for students in need. The most frequent problems South African students experience are relationship problems andacademic problems, followed by career development issues, anxiety and depression. Most counselling centres/units offer psychotherapeutic services to students, and the main focus areas reported were crisis intervention (reported as a key focus area by all the centres/units), psychotherapy, substance abuse counselling, career counselling, study skills and generic skills workshops. The present study further found that the majority of counselling centres/units had one or more staff members with specialised training in areas such as HIV/AIDS counselling, sexual abuse counselling and multicultural counselling. In 2007, these counselling centres/units saw on average 18 per cent of enrolled students as clients.Studies have shown that the demand for student counselling services has grown; thus it is important to review the standard and scope of the services provided by student counselling centres/units, also with the aid of contemporary benchmarking results.
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CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN POST-WAR LIBERIA: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN STRENGTHENING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY - Duo, Samuel Nyan (2011)
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Developing staff for the implementation of problem-based learning: Experiences from Botswana - Hassan, Salochana Lorraine (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
Educational transformation in higher education places new demands on academics, especially in terms of shifting from traditional methods of teaching and learning to the application of innovative methods. Whereas outcomes-based education leans towards a philosophy, problem-based learning (PBL) offers a structured methodology in which teaching and learning can occur in a systematic, yet innovative manner. One cannot simply expose academics to the theoretical concepts of PBL and then expect them to apply the methods. Academics need rigorous training and development in the practice of PBL. This article describes a workshop aimed at training academics in Nursing Education regarding the application of PBL. The medical model (often termed the hypotheticodeductive method of problem-solving) was used to: analyse clinical scenarios; generate and modify hypotheses; and search for information as learners would. Evaluation and reflection of the programme showed that participants benefited from the exposure to PBL, and were confident about implementing it in the classroom.
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Breaking the back of economic and financial (il)literacy in South Africa: A critical reflection of the role of economic education - Maistry, Suriamurthee Moonsamy (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
South African society is characterized by high levels of poverty and unemployment. South Africa has an embarrassingly uneven distribution of income as reflected by the Gini-coefficient. While much of the country’s economic ailments can be attributed to poor and selective application of economic policies during the apartheid era, there is a growing concern that we are failing to deliver on the promise of economic prosperity in the post-apartheid era. In fact, substantive micro-level economic change is just not reaching those hanging on to the lowest rungs of the nation’s economic ladder. This plight is compounded by the nation’s low levels of economic and financial literacy that often manifest in poor and unfortunate economic decision making. This article explores the potential of a co-ordinated, systemic and sustainable approach to advancing the economic education agenda of the nation. It proposes a critical approach to economic education and argues that higher education in particular has a powerful role to play in stimulating a discourse of critical economic education.
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A comparative perspective on teacher attitude-constructs that impact on inclusive education in South Africa and Sweden - Nel, Norma; Müller, Hélène; Hugo, Anna J.; Helldin, Rolf; Bäckmann, Örjan; Dwyer, Helen; Skarlind, Anders (South African Journal of Education, 2011)
This article is based on joint research, between academics from South Africa and Sweden, comparing the influence of South African and Swedish teachers’ attitudes towards the practical application of inclusive education (IE) in the classroom. The aim of the study was to identify and investigate problem areas pertaining to teachers’ attitudes to IE. Attitudes often relate to interaction with others. This study departs from Festiger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, which deals with the influence of people’s attitudes and attitude change. In this research teachers from South Africa and Sweden completed the same questionnaire on perceptions pertaining to IE in their school system. A number of attitude-constructs were derived from the data via exploratory factor analysis methodology. Attitude-constructs included policy issues and specialised support; practical implementation of IE; teacher support structures; teachers’ receptiveness of IE implementation; feasibility of proposed IE practices; and role of special schools in an IE environment. Negative responses to some of the attitude constructs identified problem areas in Swedish and South African inclusive systems. The comparative nature of the work enabled the researchers to suggest remedial action within each country’s socio-economic setting, and in this way affect change in teacher attitudes.
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Community development as an approach to community engagement in rural-based higher education institutions in South Africa - Netshandama, Vhonani (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
The premise of this article is that the ‘jury is still out’ to describe what effective Community Engagement entails in South African higher education institutions. The current discussions about community engagement and service learning do not cover the primary objective of adding value to the community, particularly of the ruralbased universities whose service learning is almost often synonymous with community development (Bender 2008, 1154). The intention is to contribute to the discussions about placing community development at the forefront of a higher education institution community engagement mandate, with particular focus on a rural-based university. In addition, whilst there is general consensus regarding the benefits and advantages of service learning programmes for the student, there is a lack of studies and reports that focus on the impact it has on the community and the institution (Eyler 2002, 518). In this regard, I argue that community development as an approach, a process and an outcome should be central to the regeneration of CE knowledge and its application, at least to the extent that contextual relevance is realised in rural-based universities. My experience in the role of coordinating CE activities at a rural-based university influences the tone of this article.
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How affluent is the South African higher education sector and how strong is the South African academic profession in the changing international academic landscape? - Wolhuter, Charl C.; Higgs, Philip; Higgs, Leonie G.; Ntshoe, Isaac (South African journal of higher education, 2011)
The aim of this article is to determine to what extent South African higher education and the South African academic profession can hold their own, within the international constellation of higher education systems and academic profession contingents. The article uses the theoretical framework of current changes taking place in higher education worldwide, developed by the international CAP (Changing Academic Profession) survey of the academic profession. It also uses data emanating from the CAP survey. A disturbing picture emerges. Enrolment ratios in South Africa as well as rates of increase in enrolment ratios are lower than that of comparable higher education systems abroad. The distribution of students across various academic fields is lopsided. Scholarly productivity is low and the link between academics and society appears to be weak. The stranglehold of managerialism on South African academics is perceptibly present, and felt stronger than by academics in other countries for which data exist. Public spending on higher education is relatively low, and is receding on a steeper inclination than the international pattern.
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Faith in schools: religion, education, and American Evangelicals in East Africa - By Amy Stambach - Gittins, Anthony J. (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 2011)
Journal of the Royal Anthropological InstituteVolume 17, Issue 1 p. 180-181 Faith in schools: religion, education, and American Evangelicals in East Africa – By Amy Stambach Anthony J. Gittins, Anthony J. Gittins Catholic Theological Union, ChicagoSearch for more papers by this author Anthony J. Gittins, Anthony J. Gittins Catholic Theological Union, ChicagoSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 February 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2010.01675_4.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume17, Issue1March 2011Pages 180-181 RelatedInformation
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The tides: masculinity and climate change in coastal Papua New Guinea - Lipset, David (Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 2011)
In the wake of severe coastal erosion in 2007, views about rising sea-levels and climate change took on urgency among the Murik, a coastal people in Papua New Guinea. A theoretical question is raised by their discourse: how to conceptualize the relationship among multiple understandings of this event that would not silence local voices? Bakhtin's concepts of chronotopes and dialogue, referring to contested images of man in space and time, are used for this purpose. It is argued that, in this culture of climate change, chronotopes of modernity and global risk interrogated chronotopes of ancestral masculinity and doubt. Murik ethnography is adduced and analysed in support of this argument. Résumé Suite à une sévère érosion côtière en 2007, les considérations liées à l’élévation du niveau des mers et au changement climatique ont pris un caractère d’urgence chez les Murik, un peuple côtier de Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée : comment conceptualiser la relation entre les multiples appréhensions de cet événement sans réduire au silence les voix locales ? Les concepts de chronotopes et de dialogue de Bahktine, renvoyant à des images contestées de l’homme dans l’espace et le temps, sont mis à contribution dans ce but. L’auteur affirme que dans cette culture du changement climatique, les chronotopes de modernité et de risque planétaire interrogent les chronotopes de masculinité ancestrale et de doute. L’ethnographie des Murik est mise à profit et analysée à l’appui de cet argument.
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The impact of a geographic technologies professional development institute on Middle Eastern and North African teachers - Benimmas, Aïcha; Kerski, Joseph J.; Solís, Patricia (International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 2011)
Basic education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seems to be characterized by lecture methods of instruction, a lack of interdisciplinary approaches and a disconnection with local community problems. During 2008, a “My Community, Our Earth” (MyCOE) workshop was organized in the MENA region and involved teachers of geography, math and science. It aimed to promote and support the use of geographic methods and technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), regarding sustainable development topics as a way to improve primary and secondary teaching and learning through an interdisciplinary approach and connection to local issues. These subjects were integrated to a perspective based on spatial thinking, spatial analysis, active learning and problem solving on a variety of regional and local issues. This article explores the impact that the MyCOE workshop may have on participants’ learning. Preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires were administered, and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data shows that the respondents’ expertise was reinforced and that they learned to use geographic technologies. In addition, the MyCOE workshop resulted in the development of a more concrete vision among participants of what basic math and science education could be in Arab nations, by using geographic learning as a framework for integrated education.
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Impact of Climate Change in Nigeria - Idowu, A. A.; Ayoola, S. O.; Opele, A. I.; Ikenweiwe, NB (2011)
Climate change is an adverse environmental phenomenon that is causing enormous concern all over the world. It refers to some anomalies in the climate system that is a result of human activities. These anomalies include increase in the concentration of GHGs, HFCs and CFCs in earth's atmosphere, which will ultimately lead to global warming. In fact, global warming has already begun, as earth's temperature has risen between 0.4 and 0.8°C in the last 100 years. Nigeria is one of the world's most densely populated countries with a population of 180 million people, half of which are considered to be in abject poverty. Nigeria is recognized as being vulnerable to climate change. Climate change and global warming if left unchecked will cause adverse effects on livelihoods in Nigeria, such as crop production, livestock production, fisheries, forestry and post-harvest activities, because the rainfall regimes and patterns will be altered, floods which devastate farmlands would occur, increase in temperature and humidity which increases pest and disease would occur and other natural disasters like floods, ocean and storm surges, which not only damage Nigerians' livelihood but also cause harm to life and property, would occur. The paper provides a strong starting point and a useful guide for further investigations and solution finding projects, both at the local and international levels which focus on more specific issues like public health, food security, energy, adaptations and barriers to them.
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Higher Education, Policy Networks, and Policy Entrepreneurship in Africa: The Case of the Association of African Universities - Johnson, Ane Turner; Hirt, Joan B.; Hoba, Pascal (Higher Education Policy, 2011)
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INCIDENCE AND EXTENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE: AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NAIROBI PROVINCE KENYA: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIALISED INTERVENTION - King’endo, Madrine (2011)
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the School of Education, Kenyatta University October, 2010
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Agricultural expansion and climate change in the Taita Hills, Kenya: an assessment of potential environmental impacts - Maeda, Eduardo Eiji (2011)
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Microbial quality, diversity and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates from borehole water used by schools in Greater Giyani Municipality, Mopani District, South Africa - Samie, Amat Us; Makonto, T. E.; Odiyo, John O.; Ouaboi-Egbenni, P. O.; Mojapelo, Paul Eanas Lesedi; Bessong, Pascal (African Journal of Microbiology Research, 2011)
In the present study, the microbial quality of several boreholes, used by rural schools in Greater Giyani Municipality, was assessed over a six months period to determine their safety for human consumption and to highlight the potential occurrence of water-borne diseases. The microbiological quality of the water sources was performed using the membrane filtration technique, while standard culture methods were used for bacteria isolation. The MicroScan was used for identification and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of isolated potentially pathogenic bacteria. The results obtained indicated that the water quality of the boreholes was poor over the study period (June to October, 2009). Indicator organisms were higher than the acceptable maximum limits prescribed by the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and the World Health Organisation. Numerous organisms that are potential enteric pathogens such as Vibriospp., Shigella species and Klebsiella spp, were isolated throughout the study period. There was high resistance to many antibiotics particularly ampicillin (92%), cefazolin (95.9%), cefuroxime (91.7%) and cefoxitin (92.6%). The most active antibiotics were tobramycin with resistance level of 8.7% and levofloxacin (23.0%). The study indicates that water from the studied boreholes was not suitable for human consumption and may pose a serious threat to the health of consumers and therefore calls for urgent intervention. High level of antibiotic resistance is of concern in the management of infections caused by these organisms. Further studies are needed to identify the sources of contamination in order to curb the negative effect of contaminated water particularly in children. Key words: Antibiotic resistance, bacterial indicators, children, water quality, borehole, schools, South Africa.
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School-based surveys of malaria in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: a rapid survey method for malaria in low transmission settings - Ashton, Ruth A.; Kefyalew, Takele; Tesfaye, Gezahegn; Pullan, Rachel L.; Yadeta, Damtew; Reithinger, Richard; Kolaczinski, Jan; Brooker, Simon (Malaria Journal, 2011)
In Ethiopia, malaria transmission is seasonal and unstable, with both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax endemic. Such spatial and temporal clustering of malaria only serves to underscore the importance of regularly collecting up-to-date malaria surveillance data to inform decision-making in malaria control. Cross-sectional school-based malaria surveys were conducted across Oromia Regional State to generate up-to-date data for planning malaria control interventions, as well as monitoring and evaluation of operational programme implementation.Two hundred primary schools were randomly selected using a stratified and weighted sampling frame; 100 children aged five to 18 years were then randomly chosen within each school. Surveys were carried out in May 2009 and from October to December 2009, to coincide with the peak of malaria transmission in different parts of Oromia. Each child was tested for malaria by expert microscopy, their haemoglobin measured and a simple questionnaire completed. Satellite-derived environmental data were used to assess ecological correlates of Plasmodium infection; Bayesian geostatistical methods and Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic were employed to investigate spatial heterogeneity.A total 20,899 children from 197 schools provided blood samples, two selected schools were inaccessible and one school refused to participate. The overall prevalence of Plasmodium infection was found to be 0.56% (95% CI: 0.46-0.67%), with 53% of infections due to P. falciparum and 47% due to P. vivax. Of children surveyed, 17.6% (95% CI: 17.0-18.1%) were anaemic, while 46% reported sleeping under a mosquito net the previous night. Malaria was found at 30 (15%) schools to a maximum elevation of 2,187 metres, with school-level Plasmodium prevalence ranging between 0% and 14.5%. Although environmental variables were only weakly associated with P. falciparum and P. vivax infection, clusters of infection were identified within Oromia.These findings demonstrate the marked spatial heterogeneity of malaria in Oromia and, in general, Ethiopia, and provide a strong epidemiological basis for planning as well as monitoring and evaluating malaria control in a setting with seasonal and unstable malaria transmission.
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Socio-Economic Aspects of Fuel Wood Business in the Forest and Savanna Zones of Nigeria: Implications for Forest Sustainability and Adaptation to Climate Change - Gbadegesin, Adeniyi; Olorunfemi, Felix (Global Journal of Human-Social Science Research, 2011)
Forests and forest products can play a significant role in mitigation of harmful effects of green house gas emissions. They can act as a â€œsinkâ€ to absorb emissions and store large quantities of Carbon for extended periods of time. Forests are also an important component of adaptation strategies needed to address continuing changes in the natural resource base that sustains our livelihoods. Sustainable forest management is thus a critical component of any policy and action programme that seeks to address the growing global concern about the impact of climate change. In this study , the socio-economic aspects of the fuel wood business is examined in selected states of the forest and savanna zones of Nigeria with a view to highlighting the effects of government policy of subsidy removal on petroleum products could have on forest sustainability and adaptation to climate change. The study was carried out in rain forest states of Osun and Ondo and the guinea savanna state of Niger in Nigeria. The study involved administering questionnaire on households, institution and small scale business enterprises, fire wood sellers and transporters. Results indicate that fuel wood remains the main source of energy for heating and cooking in the two zones. In addition , frequent increase in the price of petroleum products has pushed the price of the products beyond the reach of the poor with an attendant increase demand for fuel wood .Also, small scale business enterprise in the informal sector depend overwhelmingly on the use of the fuel wood. However, methods of fuel wood exploitation in the two ecological zones are unsustainable as people hardly plant trees to replace those removed. The implications of the government policy on forest sustainability and adaptation to climate change strategies such as community based forest management are discussed.
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The Dilemma of Minerals Dependent Economy: The case of Foreign Direct Investment and Pollution in Nigeria - Kingston, Kato Gogo (Social Science Research Network, 2011)
This study empirically investigates the causal relationship between mineral exploration and environmental pollution in Nigeria with specific focus on natural gas and crude oil in the Niger Delta region. The model of Granger causality tests was used. Quarterly data covering 2008 and 2009 were used in accordance with the Akaike (1976) minimum lag length of time-series analysis. The ADF unit root tests show that the null hypothesis of a unit root is rejected and, the KPSS stationary test result accepts the null hypothesis of stationarity implying that the variables are fit for the purpose of Granger causality analysis. The test for cointegration show that the variables are cointegrated at the trace level; this imply that gas flaring, environmental pollution and foreign direct investment are statistically linked. The regression on the ordinary least squares illustrates that the impact of oil and natural gas exploration on the Nigerian environment is persistent in the long-run. The Granger-causality test result shows that there is one-way causality flowing from the flaring of gas by the foreign firms to the environmental pollution in Nigeria. The study finds a long-run uni-directional causal relationship flowing from mineral exploration to air, soil and water pollution.
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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Non-sexual transmission of Trichomonas vaginalis in adolescent girls attending school in Ndola, Zambia. - Low, Nicola (2011)
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“Which Palestine Should We Teach?” Signatures, Palimpsests, and Struggles over School Textbooks - Mazawi, André Elias (Studies in Philosophy and Education, 2011)
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Antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli and other coliforms isolated from urine of asymptomatic students in Bayelsa State, Nigeria - Ngwai, Y. B.; Akpotu, Mark O.; Obidake, Ruth E.; Sounyo, Adebukola A.; Origbo, Samuel O. (African Journal of Microbiology Research, 2011)
This study investigated the isolation rate and antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coliand other coliforms from asymptomatic male and female students of Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. E. coli and other coliforms from midstream clean-catch urine samples of asymptomatic male and female students were isolated and tested for their susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobial agents using the disk diffusion protocol described by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Of the few subjects that harbored E. coli, more were males. Zone sizes for both isolate groups from males were higher than those from females. E. coli were more susceptible to the antimicrobials than the non - E. coli (unclassified coliform) isolates for both subjects, although the overall susceptibility of both isolate groups was poor. Gentamicin was the most active (64.5% for E. coli and 33.3% for unclassified coliforms) while tetracycline was the least (22.7% for E. coli and 0% for unclassified coliforms). The most common resistance phenotypes were “ATCtGSNa” (for E. coli) and “ATCtGSNaNC” (for unclassified coliforms); “ATCtGSNaNC” was observed in both isolate groups. Multiple antibiotic resistances were observed significantly in both E. coli (83.9%) and the unclassified coliforms (100%). As against 9.7% of the E. coli isolates, 40% of the unclassified coliforms were resistant to all the antimicrobials. MAR indices were very high (all above 0.2) in both isolate groups. Although asymptomatic male students of Niger Delta University harbored more E. coli than the female students, isolates from the female students pose greater risk of antimicrobial resistance owing to their lower susceptibility to antimicrobials compared with those from their male counterparts. The prior exposure of all the isolates to antibiotics as suggested by their high MAR indices provides justification for continuous monitoring of bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics before prescription in order to ensure adequate treatment of infections arising from urinary pathogens and reduction in the spread of bacteria resistant strain. Key words: Escherichia coli, urine, asymptomatic, antimicrobial susceptibility.
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EDUCATION: Somalia (Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series, 2011)
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesVolume 48, Issue 1 p. 18711A-18711C EDUCATION: Somalia First published: 22 February 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-825X.2011.03692.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume48, Issue1February 2011Pages 18711A-18711C RelatedInformation
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Prevention. South African school program reduces risky behaviors in teens. (PubMed, 2011)
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Somalia: Drought Brings Emergency (Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 2011)
Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 47, Issue 12 p. 18942B-18942B Somalia: Drought Brings Emergency First published: 10 February 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2011.03658.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume47, Issue12February 2011Pages 18942B-18942B RelatedInformation
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Subjective Well-Being and Religiosity in Egyptian College Students - Abdel‐Khalek, Ahmed M. (Psychological Reports, 2011)
A sample of 224 Egyptian college students (101 men, 123 women) was recruited. Their ages ranged from 17 to 29 years ( M = 18.9, SD = 1.5). They responded to the Arabic versions of the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Love of Life Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, as well as five separate single-item self-rating scales assessing physical health, mental health, happiness, satisfaction, and religiosity. All correlations between the measures and rating scales of subjective well-being and religiosity were statistically significant and positive, the largest between satisfaction and religiosity. Only one factor was retained in principal components factor analysis of the correlation matrix and labeled “Well-being and religiosity.” It was concluded that religious persons in the present sample reported higher subjective well-being.
openalex: W2020713908 mag: 2020713908
Keywords: openalex:import

[Air pollution and respiratory disease in a tropical urban setting in Cotonou, Benin]. - Agodokpessi, G.; Adjobimey, Mênonli; Hinson, Vikkey; Fayomi, Benjamin; Gninafon, M. (2011)
Purpose To assess the impact of air pollution inside and outside housing on respiratory function in people living around traffic intersections. Methods A descriptive analytical study was carried out from February 5 to July 5, 2006. Carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitric dioxide (NO2) were measured over an 8-hour period inside and outside 60 houses near intersections during periods of heavy and light traffic. Spirometry was performed on residents of the same houses. Results CO levels were higher during heavy than light traffic both inside houses: 65 ppm vs. 43.2 ppm and outside houses: 160 ppm vs. 115 ppm. Similar results were observed for SO2, i.e., 2.8 ppm vs. 0.49 ppm inside houses and 4.3 ppm vs. 0.83 ppm outside houses. Measurements for NO2 were consistently nil. Respiratory symptoms were more frequent during heavy than light traffic: p = 0.0001; odds ratio (OR), 4.73; confidence interval (CI), 2.13-10.51. The frequency of spirometric abnormalities was higher in heavy than light traffic: p = 0.004; OR, 5.78; CI, 1.43-27.10. Conclusion Indoor pollution level is higher during heavy traffic than light traffic. Respiratory symptoms were greater during heavy than light traffic.
openalex: W2472669484 mag: 2472669484
Keywords: openalex:import

Educational Research Contents and Objectives: An Empirical Study on the Schools of River Nile State – Sudan - Ahmed, Mustafa Shazali Mustafa; Shazali, Mustafa (Social Science Research Network, 2011)
The study assumes that the faculties of education in Sudan have given a firm emphasis only in the issue of teaching, ignoring completely the development of human resources in the environmental context and regional levels in which these College of Education are founded. These colleges have overlooked the establishment of research centers to develop the human resources in the state or the region .Most recent studies on education indicate the objective of such establishments as to increase the awareness of knowledge in many areas and then apply the appropriate solutions to help direct teacher education and professional development inside schools. To test the validity of this hypothesis the paper has followed the descriptive analysis and distributed a questionnaire to ten of headmasters in primary schools and ten of headmasters in secondary schools in the state of the River Nile. Data was derived from interviews and document analysis of some Arabic references about education research. The questionnaire focused on the extent to which the aforementioned headmaster's schools have benefited from these existing colleges of education in the state and of the University of the Nile Valley during the past five years. The research found that despite the primary aim of these research centers which is to keep pace with the development of staff and the development of education research, but unfortunately such academic bodies are still lacking in the region.
openalex: W2598559790 mag: 2598559790
Keywords: openalex:import

Factors Determining the Effectiveness of Secondary Schools in Nigeria - Ajayi, Iyiade Adeseye; Ekundayo, Haastrup T. (Anthropologist (Delhi, 1999), 2011)
The study examined the factors determining the effectiveness of secondary schools in Nigeria. The study was a descriptive research design of the survey type. The population comprised all the teachers, principals as well as parents of students in public secondary schools in south – west Nigeria. The sample comprised 1200 teachers, 300 parents and 60 principals from 60 secondary schools. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Three sets of instruments were used to collect the data for the study. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentage scores and multiple regression analysis. The study revealed that the secondary schools were effective in the affective and the psychomotor domains but not effective in the cognitive domain. The study further revealed that learning environment, monitoring of students’ progress, school facilities and teachers’ quality made significant contributions to school effectiveness. Learning environment was the best predictor of school effectiveness. It was therefore recommended that the government and school administrations should intensify efforts towards improving the level of cognitive achievement while more emphasis should be placed on institutional factors such as teachers’ quality, learning environment, school facilities and monitoring of students’ progress in order to improve the effectiveness of schools.
openalex: W2187958330 mag: 2187958330
Keywords: openalex:import

Towards Palm Oil Self-sufficiency in Nigeria: Constraints and Training needs Nexus of Palm Oil Extractors - Akangbe, J. A.; Adesiji, Gbolagade Benjamin; Fakayode, S.B.; Aderibigbe, Y.O. (Journal of Human Ecology, 2011)
This study investigated constraints and training needs of oil palm fruit processors- 'palm oil extractors' in Nigeria, using Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria as a case study. A two stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and sixty (160) households involved in palm oil extraction activities across the study area. Data were collected using interview schedule and were analysed using both descriptive and training need analyses. Study findings revealed that palm oil extractors were aged women who have had little or no formal education and have been involved in palm oil extraction activities for about 35 years. Almost all the major palm oil extraction activities were carried out using the outdated unhygienic traditional methods. Training needs assessment indicated that sterilization (mean score = 7.54), stripping (8.17), mixing (9.36), skimming (8.46) and clarification activities (8.72) in palm oil extraction are all tasks that extractors require training on. Constraints to palm oil extraction activities reported were those of poor and inadequate transportation system (36.3%), water scarcity (26.2%), inadequate labour supply ( 21.9%) , as well as non-contact with extension (15.6%). The study therefore calls for the design of extension and training programmes by stakeholders for oil palm extractors, provision of boreholes at palm oil extraction vicinities, and mobilization of extractors to form cooperatives to acquire modern extraction machines
openalex: W2338806244 mag: 2338806244
Keywords: openalex:import

The Legitimation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) As Redress Mechanism for Work Spaces in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Narrative of a Black Master Builder - Alexander, Gregory; Wyk, Michael M van; Bereng, T.; November, Ivan (Journal of Social Sciences, 2011)
Prior to the first democratic elections in 1994, historically disadvantaged populations (blacks) in South Africa were subjected to Eurocentric learning content that discriminated against any validation of examples relevant to their lives. Invariably, the site and practitioners in prior learning processes are located in work spaces which are often outside formal institutions. RPL as endorsed by post-Apartheid legislation and structures, such as the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the National Qualifications Framework (NRF) recognise knowledge and skills learnt from experiences through informal settings. In this paper, the narrative of a black master builder is presented as a case for RPL. Our contention is that learning experiences acquired from work spaces such as the building industry, are equally legitimate, so too are their ‘knowers’. Transformative redress mechanisms should recognise diverse ‘ways of knowing’ and the assessment of quality and enskilment. Our case, reflected in narrative form, will indicate the quality and social benefit of workspaces, historically undervalued and unaccredited due to what SAQA (1995) terms lack of ‘certification’ rather than merit.
openalex: W2185255930 mag: 2185255930
Keywords: openalex:import

Entrepreneurship education : an imperative for sustainable development in Nigeria - Arogundade, B. B. (Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2011)
This paper stresses the importance of entrepreneurship education towards enhancing sustainable development in Nigeria. The problems facing the country ranging from high rate of poverty, youth and graduate unemployment; over-dependence on foreign goods and technology; Low economic growth and development; among others. This paper therefore argues that entrepreneurship education will equip the students with the skills with which to be self-reliant. The objectives and strategies for re-designing entrepreneurship education are also discussed. The paper also recommended that educational programmes at all levels of education should be made relevant to provide the youth the needed entrepreneurial skills. It is also recommended that the government should give adequate attention to entrepreneurial development in the country through the provision of good economic environment.
openalex: W1527837452 mag: 1527837452
Keywords: openalex:import

Drought is a major yield loss factor for rainfed East African highland banana - Asten, Piet J.A. van; Fermont, A.M.; Taulya, G. (Agricultural Water Management, 2011)
Although drought stress has been identified among the production constraints of East African highland bananas (Musa spp., AAA-EA genome), no quantitative data were available to support this assumption. This study uses data from three on-station fertilizer trials (5–6 cycles) in Central and Southwest Uganda to quantify the effect of drought stress on banana production and explore possible interactions with nutrient availability. Production data were collected at individual plant basis from 1996 to 2002 in one trial and from 2004 to 2009 in two trials. Cumulative rainfall in the 12 months before harvest (CRF12) was computed per plant from daily rainfall measurements. Average bunch weight ranged from 8.0 to 21.9 kg between trials and cycles and was 8–28% less in dry (CRF12 ≤ 905 mm) than in normal (905 < CRF12 ≤ 1365 mm) rainfall periods. Linear relations were observed between CRF12 and maximum bunch weight over the whole range of observed CRF12 (500–1750 mm), whereby every 100 mm decline in rainfall caused maximum bunch weight losses of 1.5–3.1 kg or 8–10%. Optimum annual rainfall for East African highland bananas may thus be well above 1200–1300 mm yr−1 as suggested earlier. Relative drought-induced yield losses were independent of soil fertility. Absolute losses on fertile/fertilized soils were similar to those recorded in well fertilized irrigation studies in Latin America. Our study suggests that drought-induced yield losses in areas of the East African highlands with annual rainfall < 1100 mm are perhaps as high as 20–65% compared to the wetter areas in this region. To improve productivity of smallholder banana farmers in Africa, more attention should be given to research geared towards improved water/drought stress management.
openalex: W2028311442 mag: 2028311442
Keywords: openalex:import

Helping African American clergy and churches address minority disaster mental health disparities: Training needs, model, and example. - Aten, Jamie D.; Topping, Sharon; Denney, Ryan M.; Hosey, John M. (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2011)
openalex: W2014318900 mag: 2014318900
Keywords: openalex:import

DNA‐adducts in subjects exposed to urban air pollution by benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Cotonou, Benin - Ayi-Fanou, Lucie; Avogbe, Patrice Hodonou; Fayomi, Benjamin; Keith, Gérard; Hountondji, Codjo; Creppy, E. E.; Autrup, Herman; Rihn, Bertrand; Sanni, Ambaliou (Environmental Toxicology, 2011)
Air pollution effect on humans represents a major public health problem. Exposure to genotoxic compounds in the ambient air is evaluated using different biomarkers. In the present study we assessed DNA-adducts levels in apparently healthy people living and working in the city of Cotonou (Benin) in which exposure to air pollutants such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) mainly benzo(a)pyrene has been evidenced. Rural inhabitants were enrolled as control group. Taxi-motorbike drivers, street food vendors, and gasoline salesmen were recruited in Cotonou whereas suburban residents were recruited in Godomey, 12 km from Cotonou. We found that taxi-motorbike drivers, roadside residents, street vendors, taxi-motor-bike drivers and gasoline sellers had significantly higher levels of DNA-adducts than suburban and village inhabitants (P < 0.001; post hoc, LSD). Means values were 24.6 ± 6.4, 23.78 ± 6.9, 34.7 ± 9.8, and 37.2 ± 8.1 in the exposed groups versus 2.1 ± 0.6 and 3.1 ± 0.8 adducts/10(8) nucleotides, in the two control groups, respectively. We did not find any significant difference within the high exposure groups and inside low exposure subgroups (namely suburban residents and villagers) because the mean individual exposure values to both PAHs and benzene were similar among subjects exposed in the city of Cotonou and those in suburban and village areas. However, there is significant interindividual variations in adducts levels that may reflect variation of genetic susceptibility factors. Ranges of adduct level/10(8) nucleotides were: 1-69, 1-76, 3-169, 4-124, 0-9, 0-8 adducts/10(8) for taxi-motorbike drivers, roadside residents, street vendors, gasoline sellers, suburban and village inhabitants, respectively. Our study demonstrated a clear-cut elevated level of DNA adducts in city residents than in none exposed people (or very low exposure levels people) and designate these city residents groups as people at risks for the chronic diseases possibly caused by benzene and PAHs.
openalex: W2026351432 mag: 2026351432
Keywords: openalex:import

Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among school‐children in Aden, Yemen - Ba-Saddik, Iman Ali; Munibari, A-Nasser; Al‐Naqeeb, M S; Parry, Christopher M.; Hart, C. A.; Cuevas, Luís E.; Coulter, J. B. S. (Annals of Tropical Paediatrics, 2011)
Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an important contributor to cardiovascular disease in children and adults in Yemen. This is the first report to determine the prevalence of RHD among school‐children in the city of Aden.Methods: A cross‐sectional case‐finding survey of RHD was conducted in 6000 school‐children aged 5–16 years. Echocardiography was undertaken in those with clinical signs of organic heart disease.Results: The prevalence of RHD was 36·5/1000 school‐children, which is one of the highest reported among school echocardiography surveys in the world. RHD was more common in 10–16‐year‐old students. RHD was diagnosed in more than one member of the families of 53 (24·2%) of the children. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was detected in 49·8%, 26·6% had MR with mitral valve prolapse and 17·8% had combined MR and aortic regurgitation. Fifty‐eight children were diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD), representing a prevalence of 9·7/1000. The main types of CHD were mitral valve prolapse, patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and aortic stenosis. Congenital mitral valve prolapse found in 36 children was three times more common in males than females. Children with RHD were more likely to be from low‐income families with poor housing and greater overcrowding (49·3%, 39·3% and 64·8%) than children with CHD (44·8%, 32·8% and 48·3%, respectively).Conclusions: The high prevalence of RHD is a major public health problem in Yemen. Urgent screening surveys and an RHD prophylactic programme of appropriate management of group A β‐haemolytic streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis are required.
openalex: W2073453834 mag: 2073453834
Keywords: openalex:import

Supporting HIV-Positive Learners in Inclusive Classes in South Africa: Is It the Responsibility of Teachers? - Beyers, Christa; Hay, Johnnie (Journal of Social Sciences, 2011)
The adoption of White Paper 6 of 2001 in South Africa on the implementation of inclusive education has become an important milestone to ensure the accommodation of the full range of learner needs in ordinary schools. This paper deals with the rights and needs of HIV-positive learners and their first line of support, namely ordinary teachers, who form the backbone of support within the inclusive classroom. At the moment, learners living with HIV miss out frequently on help and support because specialist out-of-school HIV and AIDS services are not geared towards their needs. Teachers, on the other hand, experience various demands due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic (especially in Southern Africa). In most schools there are no dedicated staff employed to provide support and counseling to learners (or teachers). It is, therefore, of great importance that question be asked if it is the responsibility of teachers to deal with HIV-positive learners in a confident way. The objective of this paper is to clarify the range of special needs to be included in ordinary classes, with specific reference to learners who are HIV positive, and to focus on the challenges and demands this situation places on teachers. Teachers’ attitudes towards HIV-positive learners will be scrutinized in order to challenge and possibly reframe their roles and responsibilities towards these learners and to finally equip them to contribute to the social and emotional inclusion of this group of learners.
openalex: W2152429637 mag: 2152429637
Keywords: openalex:import

Beyond passivity: constructions of femininities in a single‐sex South African school - Bhana, Deevia; Pillay, Nalini. (Educational review, 2011)
In the context of the calamitous effects of gender violence on the experience of schooling for South African girls, single‐sex schools have been advanced as a strategy to protect girls from violenc...
openalex: W2158489548 mag: 2158489548
Keywords: openalex:import

The role of higher education policy in distance education provision in South Africa - Botha, Jeanette (2011)
openalex: W2195571666 mag: 2195571666
Keywords: openalex:import

Pliocene volcano-tectonics and paleogeography of the Turkana Basin, Kenya and Ethiopia - Bruhn, Ronald L.; Brown, Francis H.; Gathogo, Patrick N.; Haileab, Bereket (Journal of African Earth Sciences, 2011)
The distribution of hominin fossil sites in the Turkana Basin, Kenya is intimately linked to the history of the Omo River, which affected the paleogeography and ecology of the basin since the dawn of the Pliocene. We report new geological data concerning the outlet channel of the Omo River between earliest Pliocene and final closure of the Turkana Basin drainage system in the latest Pliocene to earliest Quaternary. Throughout most of the Pliocene the Omo River entered the Turkana Basin from its source in the highlands of Ethiopia and exited the eastern margin of the basin to discharge into the Lamu embayment along the coast of the Indian Ocean. During the earliest Pliocene the river’s outlet was located in the northern part of the basin, where a remnant outlet channel is preserved in basalts that pre-date eruption of the Gombe flood basalt between 4.05 and 3.95 Ma. The outlet channel was faulted down to the west prior to 4.05 Ma, forming a natural dam behind which Lake Lonyumun developed. Lake Lonyumun was drained between 3.95 and 3.9 Ma when a new outlet channel formed north of Loiyangalani in the southeastern margin of the Turkana Basin. That outlet was blocked by Lenderit Basalt lava flows between 2.2 and 2.0 Ma. Faulting that initiated either during or shortly after eruption of the Lenderit Basalt closed the depression that is occupied by modern Lake Turkana to sediment and water. Several large shield volcanoes formed east of the Turkana Basin beginning by 2.5–3.0 Ma, volcanism overlapping in time, but probably migrating eastward from Mount Kulal on the eastern edge of the basin to Mount Marsabit located at the eastern edge of the Chalbi Desert. The mass of the volcanic rocks loaded and depressed the lithosphere, enhancing subsidence in a shallow southeast trending depression that overlay the Cretaceous and Paleogene (?) Anza Rift. Subsidence in this flexural depression guided the course of the Omo River towards the Indian Ocean, and also localized accumulations of lava along the margins of the shield volcanoes. Lava flows at Mount Marsabit extended across the Omo River Valley after 1.8–2.0 Ma based on estimated ages of fossils in lacustrine and terrestrial deposits, and possibly by as early as 2.5 ± 0.3 Ma based on dating of a lava flow. During the enhanced precipitation in latest Pleistocene and earliest Holocene (11–9.5 ka) this flexural depression became the site of Lake Chalbi, which was separated from Lake Turkana by a tectonically controlled drainage divide.
openalex: W1979785530 mag: 1979785530
Keywords: openalex:import

Professional development during a period of change: a small‐scale case study exploring the effect of context on practice in a South African rural school - Bryan, Chris (Professional Development in Education, 2011)
Education in post‐apartheid South Africa has undergone considerable change in recent years and is seen as providing the key to reform and social transformation. However, despite many government policies designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning, education continues to present challenges, particularly within the area of professional development. This small‐scale case study sets out to explore how context affects practice in a senior primary school in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Data collection was by semi‐structured interview of the principal and teachers, classroom observation and learner diaries. The findings suggest that within this semi‐rural school, historical and socio‐economic factors significantly influence professional practice. It is proposed that professional development should be a process of personal growth requiring pedagogical understanding within a contextual framework of the individual, the school and society.
openalex: W2028607602 mag: 2028607602
Keywords: openalex:import

KANT'S CONCEPTION OF RESPECT AND AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION RIGHTS - Bynum, Gregory Lewis (Educational Theory, 2011)
Immanuel Kant envisioned a kind of respect in which one recognizes each human (1) as being not fully comprehensible by any human understanding, (2) as being an end in him‐ or herself, and (3) as being a potential source of moral law. In this essay, Gregory Lewis Bynum uses this conception of respect as a lens with which to examine African American education rights on three levels: the individual level (the level of individual persons' moral experience and moral significance), the community level (the level of the formation and sustaining of social groups that have value for humanity), and the global level (the level of a universal community of humanity). Bynum's goal in this examination is to strengthen our practical understanding of African Americans' right to education defined, in accordance with international human rights documents, as the right to an education that supports the full development of the human personality in a manner that respects students' “cultural identity, language, and values.”
openalex: W1967607508 mag: 1967607508
Keywords: openalex:import

Effect of cooperative learning strategy on students’ retention in circle geometry in secondary schools in Benue State, Nigeria - Chianson, Martha Mimi (American journal of scientific and industrial research, 2011)
This study investigated the effect of cooperative learning method compared with the conventional learning method in order to find out the retention level of students' in circle geometry.The study was carried out on senior secondary II students in the three education zones (Zone A, Zone B and Zone C) in Benue State, Nigeria.The ability of students to grasp and memorize a mathematical concept or topic that was taught has become a basic problem in secondary schools.These problems may arise due to inappropriate teaching methods being used to explain these topics.Hence, this study adopted the cooperative learning strategy to teach 358 senior secondary two (SSII) students circle geometry, and see how well the learning method may effectively improve on students' ability to retain concepts in mathematics in comparison to the conventional learning method of teaching.An independent T-test analysis was used to determine whether a statistical significant difference existed between the cooperative learning approach and the conventional learning approach in terms of students' retention of the taught concept (t (356) = 8.474, p= 0.001).The findings of the study confirmed that students who were subjected to the cooperative learning strategy were able to retain the concepts of circle geometry more than those students who were taught using the conventional learning approach.Hence the recommendations were that, students would be able to retain taught and learnt concepts in mathematics for a longer period of time if mathematics teachers applied the cooperative learning strategy in teaching.
openalex: W2314796662 mag: 2314796662
Keywords: openalex:import

Teaching and learning in two languages in African classrooms - Clegg, John; Afitska, Oksana (Comparative Education, 2011)
In sub‐Saharan Africa, education conducted through a European language is associated with low school achievement. Both teachers and learners may often not be fluent enough to use the language as a medium of instruction. In these circumstances, both also make use of a common African language. They switch between two languages in the plenary classroom and – less commonly – learners talk in the African language when working in groups. These uses of African languages are often condemned by authorities and teachers feel uneasy about them. In other parts of the world, bilingual education is often planned, supported by authorities, underpinned by theory and its procedures well‐defined. In the absence of such planning, teachers in Africa tend to generate their own creative bilingual practices. In this article we describe the extent to which this occurs, the forms it takes and the possible educational value these practices may have. We discuss the attitudes of teachers and authorities to the use of two languages. The article focuses in particular on the way low learner ability in the medium of instruction limits talk and necessitates bilingual interaction, and outlines ways in which teachers can make adjustments to the management of bilingualism in the classroom which facilitate learning in a European language. It emphasises the relative absence in African teacher education of the specialist pedagogy which learners with low ability in the medium of instruction require and proposes that bilingual education be formally recognised and promoted by authorities.
openalex: W2085669836 mag: 2085669836
Keywords: openalex:import

Adaptation to climate change in Africa: Challenges and opportunities identified from Ethiopia - Conway, Declan; Schipper, E. Lisa F. (Global Environmental Change, 2011)
Africa is widely held to be highly vulnerable to future climate change and Ethiopia is often cited as one of the most extreme examples. With this in mind we seek to identify entry points to integrate short- to medium-term climate risk reduction within development activities in Africa, drawing from experiences in Ethiopia. To achieve this we employ a range of data and methods. We examine the changing nature of climate risks using analysis of recent climate variability, future climate scenarios and their secondary impacts. We assess the effects of climate variability on agricultural production and national GDP. Entry points and knowledge gaps in relation to mainstreaming climate risks in Ethiopia are identified using the Government's plan for poverty reduction. We end with a case study incorporating climate risks through drought insurance within the current social protection programme in Ethiopia, which provides support to 8.3 million people. Rainfall behaviour in Ethiopia shows no marked emergent changes and future climate projections show continued warming but very mixed patterns of rainfall change. Economic analysis highlights sensitivities within the economy to large-scale drought, however, while the effects are clear in major drought years in other years the relationship is weak. For social protection fairly small positive and negative effects on the number of recipients and frequency of cash payments during drought occur under the extreme range of climate model rainfall projections (2020s). Our analysis highlights several important challenges and opportunities for addressing climate risks. Challenges primarily relate to the large uncertainties in climate projections for parts of Africa, a weak evidence base of complex, often non-deterministic, climate–society interactions and institutional issues. Opportunities relate to the potential for low-regrets measures to reduce vulnerability to current climate variability which can be integrated with relatively modest effort within a shift in Africa from a disaster-focused view of climate to a long-term perspective that emphasises livelihood security and vulnerability reduction.
openalex: W1993917942 mag: 1993917942
Keywords: openalex:import; openalex:yes

Adaptation to climate change in Africa: Challenges and opportunities identified from Ethiopia - Conway, Declan; Schipper, E. Lisa F. (Global Environmental Change, 2011)
Africa is widely held to be highly vulnerable to future climate change and Ethiopia is often cited as one of the most extreme examples. With this in mind we seek to identify entry points to integrate short- to medium-term climate risk reduction within development activities in Africa, drawing from experiences in Ethiopia. To achieve this we employ a range of data and methods. We examine the changing nature of climate risks using analysis of recent climate variability, future climate scenarios and their secondary impacts. We assess the effects of climate variability on agricultural production and national GDP. Entry points and knowledge gaps in relation to mainstreaming climate risks in Ethiopia are identified using the Government's plan for poverty reduction. We end with a case study incorporating climate risks through drought insurance within the current social protection programme in Ethiopia, which provides support to 8.3 million people. Rainfall behaviour in Ethiopia shows no marked emergent changes and future climate projections show continued warming but very mixed patterns of rainfall change. Economic analysis highlights sensitivities within the economy to large-scale drought, however, while the effects are clear in major drought years in other years the relationship is weak. For social protection fairly small positive and negative effects on the number of recipients and frequency of cash payments during drought occur under the extreme range of climate model rainfall projections (2020s). Our analysis highlights several important challenges and opportunities for addressing climate risks. Challenges primarily relate to the large uncertainties in climate projections for parts of Africa, a weak evidence base of complex, often non-deterministic, climate–society interactions and institutional issues. Opportunities relate to the potential for low-regrets measures to reduce vulnerability to current climate variability which can be integrated with relatively modest effort within a shift in Africa from a disaster-focused view of climate to a long-term perspective that emphasises livelihood security and vulnerability reduction.
openalex: W1993917942 mag: 1993917942
Keywords: openalex:import

A 25,000-year record of climate-induced changes in lowland vegetation of eastern equatorial Africa revealed by the stable carbon-isotopic composition of fossil plant leaf waxes - Damsté, Jaap S. Sinninghe; Verschuren, Dirk; Ossebaar, Jort; Blokker, Jord; Houten, Rianne van; Meer, Marcel T. J. van der; Plessen, Birgit; Schouten, Stefan (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2011)
The debate of climate versus CO2 in controlling the long-term dynamics of tropical African vegetation has focused on events at the upper tree-line, since the relevant paleodata tend to be from mid-elevation sites (~ 2000–3000 m). Less well known is the relative importance of CO2 in regulating the dynamics of tropical lowland (< 1500 m) vegetation, particularly that of the dry open woodlands, bush- and grasslands covering much of eastern equatorial Africa. Here we examine the stable carbon isotopic composition of n-alkanes in the sediment record of Lake Challa, a lowland crater lake near Mt. Kilimanjaro, covering the last 25,000 years. The distributions of the n-alkanes, with dominance of the long-chain odd-carbon-numbered components, and their isotopic composition reveal a mixed origin. The C23 and C25 n-alkanes are depleted in 13C, with δ13C values between − 30 and − 50‰. In shallow lakes these n-alkanes are thought to derive from non-emergent aquatic plants, but this is unlikely in this steep-sided crater lake as it lacks a significant littoral habitat. The C27+ n-alkanes are predominantly derived from leaf wax lipids of terrestrial plants, brought into the lake predominantly by local soil run-off. Their δ13C values, in particular that of the n-C31 alkane, reveal a marked transition in local lowland vegetation from being dominated (~ 70–100%) by C4 plants during the glacial period until 16.5 cal kyr BP, to a more mixed C3/C4 composition (~ 30–60% C4) during the Holocene. The start of the late-glacial trend towards a greater proportion of C3 plants coincided with the start of increasing monsoon rainfall, ~ 1500 years after the onset of the rise in atmospheric CO2 and ~ 3500 years after the onset of post-glacial warming. The transition was interrupted during the dry Younger Dryas period (13.0–11.7 cal kyr BP), when C4 plants again became much more prevalent, almost reaching their glacial-period abundance. Notably, the principal trend in leaf-wax δ13C values infers C4 dominance during both wet and dry phases of the glacial period, and a mixed C3/C4 vegetation during both wet and dry phases of the Holocene. Our results indicate that long-term variation in pCO2 exerted important control on the composition of drought-adapted savanna vegetation in this currently semi-arid lowland region of equatorial East Africa.
openalex: W2103793094 mag: 2103793094
Keywords: openalex:import

Physical characterization of clayey materials from tertiary volcanic cones in Limbe (Cameroon) for ceramic applications - Diko, Makia L.; Ekosse, Georges-Ivo; Ayonghe, Samuel N.; Ntasin, EB (Applied Clay Science, 2011)
Samples of clayey materials from Tertiary volcanic cones in Limbe-Cameroon were physically characterized for ceramic applications. Particle size distribution (PSD), color, Atterberg limits; plastic limit (PL), liquid limit (LL), and plasticity index (PI), technological properties; flexural strength (σ), water absorption capacity (WA) and linear shrinkage (LS) were determined. The samples were classified as silty clay and clayey silt. Raw color ranged from pale yellow to red, with most of the samples having different shades of brown. Values obtained for PL ranged from 32 to 49 mass%, LL 41–83 mass% and PI 9–45 mass%. Flexural strength (σ) ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 MPa at 900 °C, 0.7–1.5 MPa at 1000 °C and 1.3–3.1 MPa at 1100 °C. Values for WA ranged from 15.1 to 29.4 mass% at 900 °C, 9.4–27.9 mass% at 1000 °C and 2.8–10 mass% at 1100 °C. Linear shrinkage values were 3.8–7.5%, 6.3–11.3% and 12.5–18.7% for all three firing temperatures respectively. Technological properties were altered at higher firing temperatures, as inferred from the mean values of WA (0.6–2 MPa), σ (22.3–7.3 mass%) and LS (6.1–15%) from 900 °C to 1100 °C. Based on PSD, color, Atterberg limits and technological properties, these clayey materials, were found to be suitable for use in the ceramic industry.
openalex: W2050258865 mag: 2050258865
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Developing Skills Via Practical Training: The Algerian Business Students' Experience - Djessas, Omar (2011)
This study aims to evaluate the development of important set of skills during a period of practical training within Algerian business master. It discusses the practical training within higher education with its benefits. A questionnaire-based survey was administrated to business master students at University Farhat Abbas-Setif (UFAS). A comparison between three departments was been done. As a result, the students agreed that they were effective in developing a set of skills.
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An Environmental Management System approach to mitigation of environmental pollution from tannery operations utilizing proactive strategies. A Case for Leather Processing in Zimbabwe. - Goriwondo, William M.; Mhlanga, Samson; Tapedzisa, Cephas (2011)
Proceedings of the Fifth TWAS-ROSSA Young Scientists? Conference and Award Ceremony, 26-27 February 2011, Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya,In a quest to support the ever-improving standards of living, manufacturing companies engage in consumption patterns that draw materials heavily from the earth on one hand and dump back to the earth as pollution on the other hand. Climate Change is a consequence of such factors that include human activity and may be a result of years of cumulative, though localized environmental impacts. There is growing concern that manufacturing companies are contributing negatively towards environmental pollution. This paper highlights one such situation in a medium-sized leather processing company in Zimbabwe. The approach taken considers implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) as a sustainable way of engaging in ?GREEN? manufacturing to the enjoyment of future generations. Manufacturing companies the world over have adopted environmentally friendly practices but smaller to medium-sized companies in developing countries continue to face difficulties in utilizing such technologies. This results in costly production activities that are not environmentally friendly to the disappointment of the company and other stakeholders that include future generations. Apart from this, they become liable for legislative penalties, operate inefficiently, face product boycotts and closure. In this study, Environmental Impacts were identified and ranked in order to establish the critical few. A materials balance of critical processes was conducted and it revealed areas of potential improvement. This led to the characterization and comparison of waste discharged against regulatory levels. The development and implementation of the EMS resulted in benefits to the organization, the environmental and all other stakeholders. Some highly hazardous materials in the process were substituted with environmentally friendly ones thereby reducing the pollution load from the organization. Lead times were improved and that contributed to the reduction of operation costs. The individual contribution of one organization if extended to consider many other companies, would go a long way in mitigating negative environmental impacts that subsequently cause climate change. Environmental performance improvement at one company alone cannot resolve global environmental pollution hence there is need for networking and adoption of best practices.
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Proposing love on the way to school: mobility, sexuality and youth transitions in South Africa - Hampshire, Kate; Porter, Gina; Mashiri, Mac; Maponya, Goodhope; Dube, Sipho (Culture, Health & Sexuality, 2011)
Young people's daily mobility in sub-Saharan Africa remains largely invisible and under-researched. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from the Child Mobility Project in South Africa, we show how young people's daily journeys (to school and other places) shape, and are shaped by, the possibility of sexual encounters. Young women are seen to be at risk of sexual violence as they travel around their neighbourhoods and fears of sexual violence and transgressive relationships lead to controls over their mobility, with potentially negative consequences for education and social opportunities. However, mobility can also present opportunities for welcomed sexual encounters and experimentation, which are seen as part of growing up. We discuss the implications for young women's ability to negotiate safe routes to adulthood.
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Cananyteacher teach sexuality and HIV/AIDS? Perspectives of South African Life Orientation teachers - Helleve, Arnfinn; Flisher, Alan J.; Onya, Hans; Mukoma, Wanjirû; Klepp, Knut‐Inge (Sex education (Print), 2011)
In this paper we explore the perceived desirable characteristics of South African Life Orientation teachers for teaching sexuality and HIV/AIDS. We also investigate the extent to which these characteristics can be understood as parts of a role script for teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Data were collected from teachers who taught Grade Eight and Grade Nine students in South African public high schools. The teachers particularly emphasised the importance of personality and life experience as important characteristics for teaching sexuality and HIV/AIDS. In addition, they felt that it was challenging to create an open dialogue in the classroom and at the same time maintain classroom discipline. The teachers did not perceive that teaching about sexuality and HIV/AIDS was a role that a teacher could step in and out of. On the other hand, they were accustomed to playing different roles with respect to the students, such as parent, friend, counsellor and social worker.
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Elusive equity in doctoral education in South Africa - Herman, Chaya (Journal of Education and Work, 2011)
This paper explores the drive to expand the quantity and quality of PhD's in South Africa and the impact this has had on under‐represented groups, in particular black graduates. Based on both qualitative and quantitative data, the paper argues that while there has been a significant increase in the number of black students in doctoral education, these students are still under‐represented compared with their participation in the population and that the increase of black graduates is to a large extent attributed to the intake of doctoral students from other parts of Africa. The relatively low participation of South African black students is attributed to a dysfunctional school system, high drop‐out rates, insufficient funding, feelings of alienation and isolation at historically white universities, family commitments and the lure of the labour market. Since the disadvantage to black students affects the majority of the population in South Africa, the paper suggests that the PhD could become a key driver for economic development only if there is a concerted effort to address barriers to black South African students' access to and retention in doctoral programmes.
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Introduction of bubble CPAP in a teaching hospital in Malawi - Heuvel, M. Van den; Blencowe, Hannah; Mittermayer, K.; Rylance, Sarah; Couperus, A.; Heikens, Geert Tom; Bandsma, Robertus (Annals of Tropical Paediatrics, 2011)
Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is relatively inexpensive and can be easily taught; it therefore has the potential to be the optimal respiratory support device for neonates in developing countries.Objective: The possibility of implementing bubble CPAP in a teaching hospital with a large neonatology unit but very limited resources was investigated.Methods: A CPAP system was developed consisting of a compressor, oxygen concentrator, water bottle to control the pressure and binasal prongs. Neonates with birthweights between 1 and 2·5 kg with persistent respiratory distress 4 hours after birth were eligible for bubble CPAP.Results: In the 7‐week introduction period from 11 March until 27 April 2008, 11 neonates were treated with CPAP. Five of these neonates met the inclusion criteria and six neonates did not meet these criteria. Of the five neonates who received CPAP and met the inclusion criteria, three survived. The six infants who did not meet the inclusion criteria included three preterm infants with apnoea (all died), two with birthweights <1 kg (both died) and a firstborn twin (1.2 kg) who survived. No major complications of CPAP occurred. Bubble CPAP could be used independently by nurses after a short training period.Conclusion: Successful long‐term implementation of CPAP depends on the availability of sufficient trained nursing staff.
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Curbing examination dishonesty in Nigeria through value education - Jekayinfa, Alice Arinlade; Omosewo, Esther O.; Yusuf, Amin; Ajidagba, U. A. (Educational Research Review, 2011)
Examination dishonesty is one of the most devastating and conspicuous forms of indiscipline in Nigeria. It has become a cankerworm in the Nigerian education system over the years. It has graduated from being an educational issue to an educational crisis. It has many forms, causes and consequences and the Nigerian government has tried on many occasions to put an end to it but to no avail. It is a hyper-dreaded monster which has to be curbed in the Nigerian educational system. This paper identifies the different dimensions, causes and consequences of examination dishonesty in Nigeria and how it can be curbed through the teaching of value education by given opportunity to students to reflect different values and the practical implications of expressing them in relation to themselves and others. Teaching them that values may vary from people to people and from culture to culture, but there are universally- accepted and cherished values such as honesty, integrity, openness and uprightness which they can imbibe. These set of universally- accepted values are recommended to be taught to children right from home, to the elementary, secondary, to the tertiary level of education in Nigeria. If this is done, there would be proper integrity in the systems of examination in Nigeria.
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Mass media and public services: The effects of radio access on public education in Benin - Keefer, Philip; Khemani, Stuti (2011)
Does radio access improve public service provision? And if so, does it do so by increasing government accountability to citizens, or by persuading households to take advantage of publicly-provided services? Prior research has argued that citizens with greater access to mass media receive greater benefits from targeted government welfare programs, but has not addressed these questions for public services such as in education and health. Using unique data from Benin, this paper finds that literacy rates among school children are higher in villages exposed to signals from a larger number of community radio stations. The effect is identified based on anatural experimentin the northern communes of Benin where within-commune variation in village access to radio stations is exogenous to observed and unobserved village characteristics. In contrast to prior research, the authors find that this media effect does not operate through government accountability: government inputs into village schools and household knowledge of government education policies are no different in villages with greater access to community radio. Instead, households with greater access are more likely to make financial investments in the education of their children.
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Mass Media and Public Services: The Effects of Radio Access on Public Education in Benin - Keefer, Philip; Khemani, Stuti (Social Science Research Network, 2011)
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Nutritional status in older adults with mild cognitive impairment living in elderly homes in Cairo, Egypt - Khater, Mohamed; Abouelezz, Nahla Fawzy (The Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging, 2011)
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Weather-index drought insurance : an ex ante evaluation for millet growers in Niger - Leblois, Antoine; Quirion, Philippe (RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2011)
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A deconstruction of disability discourse amongst Christians in Lesotho - Leshota, Paul L. (2011)
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A step in the wrong direction: linking the South Africa Child Support Grant to school attendance - Lund, Francie (The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 2011)
Placing conditionalities on cash transfers imposes costs on those seeking the benefit, and on the implementing institutions. A small, unconditional but means-tested regular cash transfer – the Child Support Grant (CSG) – for young South African children in households living in poverty was introduced in 1998. A new regulation requires that beneficiaries attending school have to show proof of regular attendance twice a year. Education is highly valued in South Africa, and school attendance is not a priority problem. The quality of education for children from households in poverty is, however, dismal. Unnecessary additional administrative burdens will now be imposed. All the evidence points strongly against the new policy.
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Popular education and republican ideals: the Portuguese lay missions in colonial Africa, 1917–1927 - Madeira, Ana Isabel (Paedagogica Historica, 2011)
Abstract This article aims to offer another reading of the Portuguese civilising process in Africa on the basis of an analysis of a set of alternative sources and to explore the role of other educational configurations, beyond those of the public school and the religious missionary school, such as the civilising missions. With the creation of the Lay Civilising Missions in 1913, a new and totally lay conception of missionary work in the colonies was instituted. In the context of European colonialism, this configuration is distinguished as one of the most peculiar moments of republican affirmation in the governing of African territories dominated by the Portuguese. Through the analysis of the letters exchanged between the civilising agents, between Portugal and the African colonies, the author will try to analyse the arguments, strategies and tactics of government in terms of wills, inventions, programmes, acts and counter‐acts, thus discussing the discontinuities between the programmes of governing at a distance and local practices. Methodologically speaking, looking at alternative source materials opens up a series of theoretical‐conceptual possibilities, unveiling the tensions and contradictions embedded in the colonial encounter. Keywords: historycolonial educationmissionscolonialismAfricaeducation Notes 1N. Rose and Peter Miller, “Political Power beyond the State: Problematics of Government,” British Journal of Sociology 43, no. 2 (1992): 172–205, article reprinted in the British Journal of Sociology (2010): 271–303; N. Rose, Inventing our Selves: Psychology, Power, and Personhood (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998); See also Nikolas Rose, Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999). The term was originally used by Bruno Latour in Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, “Unscrewing the Big Leviathan: How Actors Macro‐Structure Reality and How Sociologists Help Them to Do So,” in Advances in Social Theory and Methodology: Toward an Integration of Micro and Macro Sociologies, ed. K. Knorr‐Cetina and A. Cicourel (Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981), 277–303 and in Michel Callon, “Some Elements of a Sociology of Translation,” in Power, Action and Belief: A New Sociology of Knowledge?, ed. J. Law (Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986), 196–233; Engin Isin transposes the term for the analysis of colonialism in Cities Without Citizens (Montreal: Black Rose Press, 1992). 2Rose, Powers of Freedom…, 49–50. 3Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities (London: Verso [7th edn], 1996). 4See Michel Foucault, A arqueologia do saber (Coimbra: Almedina, 2005 [1969]), 143–44. 5See Reinhart Koselleck, Futuro passado: contribuição à semântica dos tempos históricos (Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Contraponto/Ed. PUC‐Rio, 2006), 132. 6See Rose, Powers of Freedom…, 50. 7Decree of October 8, 1910, D.G., no. 4, de 10; COLP, 1910, II, 3. 8It is known that, at the end of the nineteenth century, the Company of Jesus had various missions in Mozambique assisted by foreign personnel, namely in Zambézia (Boroma), and that the congregation of the Sisters of S. José de Cluny, of French origin, looked after the feminine primary teaching at the Institute D. Amelia and the Leão XIII Institute. See Freire Andrade, Relatórios sobre Moçambique, Vol. V (Lourenço Marques: Imprensa Nacional, 1910), 300. See also A.I. Madeira, “Ler, Escrever e Orar: Uma análise histórica e comparada dos discursos sobre a educação, o ensino e a escola em Moçambique, 1850–1950” (doctoral thesis in educational sciences (comparative education), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Lisbon University, 2007), 235. 9Decree of December 31, 1910, D.G., no. 1, of January 3, 1911; COLP, 1910, II, 208–11. 10See Jean Comaroff and John Comaroff, Of Revelation and Revolution, Christianity, Colonialism, and Consciousness in South Africa, Vol I (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1991). 11See Marcelo Caetano, Portugal e a Internacionalização dos Problemas Africanos (Lisbon: Ática, 1971), 106–08. Among the international treaties that Portugal signed and obliged the missions to recognise are: the Treaty of Zaire (1884), the General Act of the Berlin Conference (1885), the General Act of the Brussels Conference (1890), the Portuguese–British Treaty (1891), the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the Conventions of Saint‐Germain‐en‐Laye (1919). 12Art. 2, decree no. 3352 of September 8, 1917. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 2, May, 1920, 44–52. 13Art. 3, § 1 e 3, decree no. 3352 of September 8, 1917. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 2, May, 1920, 44. 14Art. 3, § 2, decree no. 3352 of September 8, 1917. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 2, May, 1920, 45. 15See A. Oliveira Gomes, Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 1, April 1920, 7. 16Decree no. 233, of November 22, 1913, extended the Law of Separation of Church and State to the colonies, established the basis of the civilising missions and authorised the government to create them. This creation would be consecrated six years later, in decree no. 5778 of May 10, 1919 (The Missions Law). 17Arts. 11, 12 and 13, in decree no. 3352 of September 8, 1917. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 2, May, 1920, 46. 18Art. 1 of decree no. 5778 of May 10, 1919. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 4, July, 1920, 25. 19Art. 2 of decree no. 5778 of May 10, 1919. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 4, July, 1920, 25. 20Abílio See Marçal, Missões Coloniais. Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras (Instituto de Missões Coloniais. Cernache do Bom Jardim: Tip. do Instituto de Cernache do Bonjardim, 1920), 19. 22See Marçal, Missões Coloniais, 21. 21Art. 5, decree 5778 of May 10, 1919. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 4, July, 1920, 26. 23Hereafter, BCM. 24 Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras [1920, no. 1 – 1925, no. 24]. 25Decree no. 5778 of May 10, 1919. 26Art 17 of decree no. 5778 of May 10, 1919. 27See Marçal, Missões Coloniais…, 7. 28Decree no. 6332 of January 2, 1920. In Boletim das Missões Civilizadoras, no. 8 e 9, December, 1920, 25–29. 29Laws no. 1015 and 1023, of August 7 and 20, 1920 and Decree no. 7008, of October 9, 1920. 30Art 14, only paragraph, Decree no. 242 of February 22, 1923. 31Art 1, 2 and 3 of the provincial edict no. 42, of February 7, 1925. 32 BMC, no. 14, Novembro e Dezembro, 1921, 25–26. The term “mafundiças” was the name accorded to the African “teachers” trained in the Protestant missionary schools, who were considered, in the administration official's eyes, foreign to the Portuguese allegiance. 35 BCM, no. 11, February and April, 1921, 30–31 33See Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities (London: Verso [7th edn], 1996). 34 BCM, no. 11, February and April, 1921: 22 and BCM, no. 14, November and December, 1921, 25–26. 36 BCM, no. 11, February and April, 1921, 28–29. 37 Historical Arquive of Mozambique. Governor‐General fund, Box. 37 [Exposition of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and the High Commissioner of the Province of Mozambique with a copy to the Navy ministry]; Historical Archive of Mozambique. Governor‐General fund, Box. 26 [Letter no. 164/12/L.A., of 8‐10‐1912, sent by the British Consul in Lourenço Marques to the Governor‐General of the Province of Mozambique]; Historical Archive of Mozambique, Administration, Instruction and Cults fund, Box. 23 [17‐12‐1912 – Letter from the Reverend John S. McGeary, superior of the Free Methodist Church of North America, sent to the Consul of the USA in Lourenço Marques]. 38 BCM, no. 22, January 1925, 32–33. 39 BCM, no. 13, October 1921, 28–34 40 BCM, no. 20, May and August 1924, 32–33. 41 BCM, no. 17, October and December 1922, 36–37. 42 BCM, no. 22, January, 1925, 32–33. 43At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Cartilha Maternal or the “João de Deus” was one of the most common manuals for learning to read. 44See Alfredo Fernandes, Cartilha Experimental: processo intuitivo, analítico, sintético, inventivo, fonomímico, legográfico (Lisbon: Bertrand, 1923). 45 BCM, no. 18, January 1923, 28–30. 46 BCM, no. 19, April 1924, 20. 47 BCM, no. 19, April 1924, 19. 48Decree no. 12886, B.O. no. 6, 1927. 49See The Catholic Missionary, no. 33, Year III: 174–75.
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Environmental exposure to endotoxin in rural and urban Egyptian school children and its relation to asthma and atopy. - Mm, Morcos; Wm, Morcos; Ibrahim, Mohammed Auwal; Ma, Shaheen (PubMed, 2011)
The environmental exposure of farm children to micro-organisms in dust has been related to a reduced prevalence of asthma and atopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between settled dust endotoxin and development of asthma and/or atopy in rural and urban school children.A comparative study was conducted on 40 rural and 40 urban school children (6-12 years). Parental self-reported allergic symptoms questionnaires were distributed. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured using MIR spirobank and FVE1% was calculated. Skin prick testing with the most common aeroallergens was performed. Limulus amebocyte lysate endotoxin content was measured in settled dust samples.The rural group which has higher exposure to farm animals and feeding on farm milk has less allergic symptoms. Rural students showed highly significant FEV1, FEV1% and significant FVC versus urban students (110.9±19.7, 103.8±12.2, 105.8±24.3 vs. 92.3±24.2, 98.4±18.9, 92.7±23.2, respectively). Rural school dust contains significantly higher level of endotoxin (2-3 EU/mg) than urban school (0-0.1 EU/mg). Urban residence was associated with increase risk of asthma after age and sex adjustments ([ORadj], 5.16; 95% [CI], 0.95-28).Our results support the hygiene theory, i.e., endotoxin exposure could be protective to asthma and atopy in school children.
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Policy and Practice: Financial Management in Schools in the Mafeteng District of Lesotho - Motsamai, Motsamai J; Jacobs, Lynette; Wet, Corene De (Journal of Social Sciences, 2011)
AbstractDespite the efforts of the Lesotho Ministry of Education to enhance principals’ performance and the existence of guidelines in the form of a chapter on financial management in the Manual for Principals of Secondary and High Schools, financial management capacity is a concern in Lesotho secondary and high schools. This article reports on findings emanating from in-depth personal interviews with school principals on financial management practices in their schools. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the narratives. Identified themes were juxtaposed with the Lesotho Ministry of Education’s policy guidelines on financial management. The study highlighted the deficiency of, as well as problems regarding the implementation of the policy: (1) There is a noteworthy discrepancy between the policy and school financial theory. (2) Despite the policy document’s extensive directives on financial planning and organisation, problems regarding budgeting, the collection and recording of school fees, as well as a lack of administrative support abound. (3) The absence of a clear policy directive on financial leadership and control is reflected by unsatisfactory financial leadership and arbitrary auditing practices. Findings of this study repudiate the argument that the existence of a financial policy will inevitably lead to sound financial management in Lesotho schools, and consequently quality education.Key Words: LesothoEducation PolicyQualitative ResearchPrincipalsFinancial Policy
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What do secondary trainee teachers say about teaching as a profession of their “choice” in Malawi? - Mtika, Peter; Gates, Peter (Teaching and Teacher Education, 2011)
This interview-based qualitative study is concerned with the recruitment of secondary teachers in Malawi. This study shows a range of perspectives for pursuing a teacher training course: failure to follow a desired career, springboard to other careers, to upgrade, and teaching out of vocation. It shows that trainee teachers held a range of images about teaching: its ability to enhance knowledge; low pay with no incentives, low status profession, and lack of trust of male trainee teachers. Teacher educators and policy makers need to consider the perspectives of trainee teachers to reduce resource wastage and support trainee teachers appropriately.
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The Conference on Teaching Information Ethics in Africa held at the University of Botswana 6-7 September 2010 - Mutula, Stephen M. (Information Development, 2011)
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Social Work Education in Africa: Whence and Whither? - Mwansa, Lengwe-Katembula (Social Work Education, 2011)
This article discusses the origin of social work education in Africa as an export of colonial powers. Social work or social work education has not been the product of a progressive social metamorphosis but rather that of foreign methodologies imposed on African societies. Consequently, the essence of social work education lacks relevance in terms of its philosophical, value and ideological base. Thus students who graduate from such a system of education tend to remain, to some extent, unfamiliar with indigenous knowledge systems and lack adequate knowledge in working with the people. The paper further argues that, while the origin of social work education is well known, its future direction, development and focus on the continent remain unknown, at worst haphazard, ad hoc and undirected with serious implications for the mission and vision of the profession. Social work in Africa has been without a platform to foster discourse on its nature, character and direction. Transformation of social work education from being Euro-centric to being Afro-centric has to be spearheaded by an organization that can provide a forum for dialogue, leadership and a contextual framework. The article therefore examines the need for such a forum and briefly discusses past efforts in this direction in an attempt to provide a direction for transformation.
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Attitude of student-teachers towards teaching practice in the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria - Nwanekezi, AU; Okoli, Nkechi; Mezieobi, Sam A. (Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2011)
The paper is a descriptive survey which sought to ascertain the attitude of student teachers towards teaching practice. This study was conducted in the Faculty of Education, University of Port Harcourt. The sample comprised of 120 Students who were on teaching practice in 2008/2009 Session, 10 principals and 20 teachers of practicing schools were drawn by simple balloting. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a 40 - item questionnaire developed by the researchers. The instrument was validated and an internal consistency of 0.87 (87%) was calculated using Cronbach Alpha techniques. Data was analyzed using means and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings revealed that if all the strategies for improving students attitude towards teaching practice would be adopted the students' attitude towards teaching practice, no doubt, will be affected positively. Based on the findings, recommendations were made among others that the Faculty should have a micro-teaching laboratory where the students will be well exposed to the rudiments of teaching before they should be sent to schools for actual practice.
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Students Use of Academic Libraries in Nigeria: A Case of Obafemi Awolowo University Library, Ile-Ife - Nwezeh, Chinwe M. T.; Shabi, Iwok Nnah (Library Philosophy and Practice, 2011)
A survey of student use of Hezekiah Oluwasanmi LIibrary was carried out with five hundred students as respondents. While 95 percent of respondents use the library, those who do not have various reasons for it. It also showed that of all the library materials, indexes/abstracts, microfilms, and government publications are the least used library resources. Recommendations for improving the use of library resources are made.
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Computer-Assisted Programmed Instruction Revisited: A Study on Teaching Typewriting in Nigerian Higher Institution - Olaoluwako, Alaba; Ajelabi, Peter Ayo; Oyewusi, Lawunmi Molara; Inegbedion, Juliet Obhajajie (Asian journal of information technology, 2011)
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Antibiotics sensitivity pattern of staphylococcus aureus from fomites in the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC) Nigeria - Omololu-Aso, Joseph; Kolawole, D. O.; O.O, Omololu-Aso; Ajisebutu, Stella O. (International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 2011)
This study determines the possible roles of cross contamination in the hospital environment. Two hundred swabs were obtained from doctors’ stethoscope diaphragm, cell phones of Health Care Workers (HCWS), patients’ bed linen, pillows and door knobs at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, from September 2003 to September 2005 using sterile cotton-tipped applicators. Cultures from the swabs were screened for Staphylococcus aureus. The results show that 18.70% of the doctors’ stethoscopes, 20.33% of the doctors’ cell phones, 20.33% of the door knobs were contaminated with S. aureus. Less than 99% of the isolated strains of S. aureus were sensitive to vancomycin, and rifampin, 95.12% to chloramphenicol, while 88% were sensitive to lincomycin, ciprofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole, 73% to gentamicin, cephalothin and cephalexin, while 70% were sensitive to amikacin and erythromycin. The isolates were sensitive to all tested antibiotics to different degrees except penicillin. The risk of having population of S. aureus strains with high multi-drug resistance is high in the study area, There is need to address indiscriminate use of antibiotics and other risk behaviors related to hygiene measure of the Health Care Workers. Key words: Fomites, Health Care Workers (HCWs), Staphylococcus aureus
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Effects of a school feeding intervention on school attendance rates among elementary schoolchildren in rural Kenya - Omwami, Edith Mukudi; Neumann, Charlotte G.; Bwibo, Nimrod O. (Nutrition, 2011)
A randomized controlled school feeding intervention offered an opportunity to determine whether school feeding resulted in improved school attendance among elementary schoolchildren in a rural district of Kenya.Twelve schools with a total of 554 children in the 1998 first-grade cohort were randomly assigned to four research groups, three of which received a fortified local staple-based snack (Githeri meal) at morning recess. The groups–designated as Meat-Githeri, Milk-Githeri, and Energy-Githeri–received a recess meal that provided 240 kcal in the first school year and 313 kcal for the remainder of study period. The intervention study covered the second school term of 1998 through the second school term of 2000. Assessment for all indexed children included baseline assessment of anthropometric measures of height-for-weight, weight-for-age, and height-for-age, and socioeconomic status at baseline, as well as daily school attendance for each of the school terms. Analysis included descriptive statistics, partial correlations statistics, regression analysis, χ(2), and General Linear Model (GLM) repeated measures analysis. In all the analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the criterion of statistical significance.Baseline regression analysis for the overall study sample population showed that age-dependent anthropometric measures of nutritional status were statistically significant predictors of school attendance rates. Partial correlation analysis evidenced a statistically significant positive association between baseline attendance rates and the measures of socioeconomic status and the age-dependent anthropometric measures. The intervention groups performed better than the control group on the repeated measure of school attendance.
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Conservation agriculture (CA) in Tanzania: the case of the Mwangaza B CA farmer field school (FFS), Rhotia Village, Karatu District, Arusha - Owenya, M.; Mariki, Wilfred; Kienzle, J.; Friedrich, Theodor; Kassam, Amir (International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2011)
This project was initiated to promote conservation agriculture (CA) in Tanzania so as to improve the food security and rural livelihood of small- and medium-scale farmers through the scaling-up of CA as a sustainable land management (SLM) tool as well as increasing the numbers of SLM-CA farmer field schools (FFS) in communities. The project had two phases from 2004 to 2010. It was funded by a Government of Germany trust fund and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania. The project pilot districts include Arumeru (Arusha and Meru Councils), Karatu, Babati, Hanang and Moshi districts. CA has been shown to offer positive elements that could contribute to fighting hunger and poverty.
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Monitoring anthropogenic sewage pollution on mangrove creeks in southern Mozambique: A test of Palaemon concinnus Dana, 1852 (Palaemonidae) as a biological indicator - Penha‐Lopes, Gil; Torres, Paulo; Cannicci, Stefano; Narciso, Luı́s; Paula, José (Environmental Pollution, 2011)
Tropical coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, have a great ecological and socioeconomic importance for adjacent systems and local populations, but intensive environmental impact monitoring is still lacking, mainly in East Africa. This study evaluated the potential anthropogenic disturbance on Palaemon concinnus population structure and fitness. Palaemon concinnus populations from one peri-urban (domestic sewage impacted) and two pristine mangrove creeks were studied by sampling nearly 100 shrimps per location every 15 days for 12 months. The shrimps at the peri-urban location were larger, experienced longer reproductive periods, presented higher proportion of ovigerous females and better embryo quality when compared with shrimps inhabiting pristine locations. Physiological indices (RNA/DNA ratio) were similar between shrimps at pristine and peri-urban mangroves. However, a higher level of parasitation by a Bopyridae isopod, Pseudione elongata indicated some degree of stress on the host at the peri-urban mangrove, with potential effects on the host population dynamics.
openalex: W2063964482 mag: 2063964482
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Hepatitis B Virus Carriage among Students of a Nigerian Tertiary Institution: A Cohort of Eligible Blood Donors - Pennap, G. R. I.; Nwachukwu, Onyeka O.; Ishaleku, D.; Ombugadu, R.J. (Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 2011)
openalex: W2317932451 mag: 2317932451
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A Review of the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Education, the Workforce and Workplace: The African Experience - Pennap, Grace; Chaanda, M.; Ezirike, L. (The Social Sciences, 2011)
openalex: W2331932539 mag: 2331932539
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A Low-Cost Simulator for Learning to Manage Postpartum Hemorrhage in Rural Africa - Perosky, Joseph E.; Richter, Randolph; Rybak, Ofra; Gans-Larty, Florence; Mensah, Mabel Adu; Danquah, Abraham; Debpuur, Domitilla; Kolbilla, David Zawumya; Ofosu, Anthony; Anderson, Frank W.; Marzano, David; Andreatta, Pamela (Simulation in healthcare, 2011)
Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Africa and Asia. Despite an UN Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality rates, no significant effect has resulted to date, in large part because women in these areas give birth in rural communities with poor access to definitive care. Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) provide care for delivering mothers; however, they are neither trained nor equipped to recognize or manage PPH as a life-threatening emergent condition. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate a low-cost, portable simulator for training TBAs and nurse midwives in the use of bimanual compression to manage PPH. Methods: Clinicians in USA and Ghana were consulted to develop the engineering specifications, including low cost, long lifetime, easy to use, portable, and high anatomic and procedural fidelity. Pugh charts were used to finalize the design from multiple concepts. The simulator was built and evaluated for validity by American and Ghanaian obstetricians, nurse midwives, midwifery students, and TBAs. The feasibility of the simulator for training illiterate learners was also assessed. Results: The simulator was evaluated to be an effective training platform with excellent fidelity and valid feedback mechanisms. It was demonstrated to be a feasible platform for training illiterate TBAs to perform bimanual compression. Conclusions: The low cost, portable simulator developed for this project has the potential to reduce maternal mortality from PPH in the developing world. Research is ongoing in this application.
openalex: W2085107834 mag: 2085107834
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Perceived home factors contributing to violent behaviour among public secondary school students in Western Province, Kenya - Poipoi, Moses W.; Agak, John; Kabuka, Eric K. (Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2011)
Violent behavior is not a new phenomenon in the contemporary educational system. It is manifested in the form of rioting, sexual violence, fighting and bullying. These destructive activities contribute to physical disabilities, drop out and poor academic performance among students. The purpose of the study was to establish the perceived home factors contributing to violent behavior among public secondary school students in Western Province, Kenya. The study was based on the Social Learning Theory by Bandura. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The study population was composed of 638 Principals, 6,354 teachers and 65,969 form two students. Questionnaire and in-depth interview guides were used to collect data from teachers and students. Face validity was established by giving the instruments to three experts in the area of Education. Qualitative data from interviews was transcribed and reported according to emerging themes while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as the frequency counts, means and percentages. Inferential statistics such as Mann-Whitney U test and t-test statistics were applied. Home factors contributing to violent behavior included : poor relationship between parents and children; manner of disciplining children at home; and low level of home supervision. The study recommends that: guidance and counseling be reinforced in schools in order to reduce cases of violent behavior; students with mental and psychological disorders should be referred to medical doctors and psychiatrists; and the school administration should control drug abuse among students.
openalex: W1562904301 mag: 1562904301
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Effects of Environmental Pollution (Auto-Exhaust) on the Micro-Morphology of Some Ornamental Plants from Sudan - Saadabi, Abdulmoniem M.A.; El-Amin, Al-Nur (Environmental Research Journal, 2011)
openalex: W2325158689 mag: 2325158689
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Practical diabetes knowledge of final-year medical students in Tripoli, Libya - Sagar, Ala-Eddin S. (Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 2011)
Objectives: To evaluate the practical knowledge of final year medical students as it relates to care of patients with diabetes. Methods: A convenient sample of 325 students (2006) from the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Fateh University, Tripoli, Libya was studied. An Arabic “Short Diabetes Knowledge Test” consisting of 24 multiple choice questions (14 general questions and 10 questions specific to insulin-treatment issues) was used. Results: The mean total score was 76.7% [18.4/24 (range 9-24)], 71.4% [10.0/14 (range 4-10)] for the general questions and 85% [8.5/10 (range 4-10)] for insulin-treatment related questions. The highest scores (>90% correct) were related to clinical management issues such as hypoglycemia, insulin-dosing, driving, and complications. Whereas, the lowest scores (<50% correct) were in four questions related to dietary education. Conclusions: This information should be helpful in planning the diabetes curriculum for medical students.
openalex: W2137969863 mag: 2137969863
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Epidemiological Survey of Schistosomiasis Due to Schistosoma haematobium in Some Primary Schools in the Town of Maroua, Far North Region Cameroon - Saotoing, P; Vroumsia, Toua; Njan, A.M.; Tchuenguem, Fernand N.F.; Messi, Jean (International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2011)
openalex: W2322894024 mag: 2322894024
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Education quality in post‐apartheid South African policy: balancing equity, diversity, rights and participation - Sayed, Yusuf; Ahmed, Rashid (Comparative Education, 2011)
Abstract In spite of numerous definitions of quality, consensus on what constitutes quality is less clear and contested. Using South Africa as a case study, this paper explores the current conceptual thinking and debates about education quality. Specifically the paper reviews selected South African policy texts to identify how some of the global dimensions of quality map onto South African policy discourse. The paper begins by reviewing some of the conceptual work in the area and concentrates on identifying and exploring some of the dimensions of quality. This is followed by a brief contextualisation of policy development in South Africa leading to an analysis of key issues and debates in discourses about quality present in selected education policy texts. The concluding section identifies, through the South African experience, some of the global challenges and ways forward. The paper notes the many challenges present in South Africa's attempts to balance equity, diversity, right and participation in delivering good quality education. This experience resonates with that of many other contexts. Acknowledgements A special thank you to Ms F. Peters, Ms C. Carels and Mrs. R. Klink for all their help in the completion of this manuscript. A big thank you to all the reviewers for their constructive feedback that helped tremendously in finalising the manuscript. Notes 1. The use of this term needs to be problematised. Other terms included in this category are ‘White’, ‘Black’, ‘African’ and so forth. We do not imply any fixed essentialised construction of identity. However, race remains, in the South African context, an important marker of inequality.
openalex: W2131895491 mag: 2131895491
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RAISING A GLOBAL CULTURAL AWARNESS THROUGH ENGLISH LITERATURE IN AN ALGERIAN CLASSROOM. - Serir, I. (Revue LAROS, 2011)
openalex: W3158013737 mag: 3158013737
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The gender and financing dimensions of higher education in Africa : a case study in the Zambian context - Seshamani, Venkatesh; Shalumba, Sylvia Mwamba (Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2011)
There is a sequential link between the financing of female higher education, human capital formation and human development. There is need for the adoption of a committed, sustained and proactive strategy to promote female higher education and finance is the key. The University of Zambia has for long been running its programs and activities with a level of gender insensitivity bordering on gender blindness. Some positive steps have been taken recently by the University management to redress this situation. But a lot more still remains to be done in terms of developing and promoting gender-responsive budgets, gender-sensitive leadership, gender monitoring institutions and gender-empathetic mindsets.
openalex: W578063888 mag: 578063888
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Empowering Head Start African American and Latino Families: Promoting Strengths-Based Parenting Characteristics Through Child Parent Relationship Training—An Evidence-Based Group Parenting Program - Sheely‐Moore, Angela I.; Ceballos, Peggy L. (NHSA dialog, 2011)
With the tendency of low-income African American and Latino children identified at-risk for school readiness and school success compared to their early-childhood counterparts, Head Start personnel are challenged to examine the role of family strengths in the promotion of academic success for these populations. This article provides a rationale for the use of an empirically supported, strengths-based parenting program, Child Parent Relationship Training (CPRT), when working with low-income Head Start African American and Latino families. An examination of the shared objectives of CPRT and key domains within the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework (2003) are also highlighted.
openalex: W2018842396 mag: 2018842396
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Seasonal prevalence and incidence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis and associated diarrhoea in children attending pre-school in Kafue, Zambia - Siwila, Joyce; Phiri, Isaac; Enemark, Heidi L.; Nchito, Mbiko; Olsen, Annette (Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2011)
Prevalence, incidence and seasonal variation of Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis were studied over a 12-month period in 100 children from four pre-schools in Kafue, Zambia. Questionnaire data and a single stool sample were collected monthly from each child. Samples were processed using a commercial kit (Meridian Diagnostics Inc., USA) and oo(cysts) visualised by immunofluorescence microscopy. Cryptosporidium was detected in 30.7% (241/786; 95% CI = 27.5-33.9) while G. duodenalis was detected in 29.0% (228/786; 95% CI = 25.8-32.2). A total of 86% experienced one or more episodes of cryptosporidiosis while 75% had giardiasis. Cumulative incidence per 100 children was 75.4 for Cryptosporidium and 49.0 for G. duodenalis. Both infections were significantly more common in the wet compared to the dry season (34.8%, 162/466 vs. 24.7%, 79/320, P = 0.003 and 35.2%, 164/466 vs. 20.0%, 64/320, P < 0.001, respectively). Thus, risk ratios (RR) were 1.41 (95% CI = 1.13-1.77) and 1.76 (95% CI = 1.38-2.27) for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, respectively. Diarrhoea was significantly associated with cryptosporidiosis (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.03-1.47; P = 0.029) but not with giardiasis (RR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.91-1.53; P = 0.26). We conclude that gastro-intestinal protozoal infections are highly prevalent among children attending pre-school in peri-urban Zambia highlighting the need for further studies of risk factors.
openalex: W2030159927 mag: 2030159927
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Which in‐ and out‐of‐school factors explain variations in learning across different socio‐economic groups? Findings from South Africa - Smith, Michèle C. (Comparative Education, 2011)
Previous studies on the role of the school in influencing attainment in South African schools have concluded that the inequalities which are known to exist in these are still largely due to the legacy of the Apartheid system. More recently, policy focus has been on narrowing the gap between the attainment of different socio‐economic groups by addressing the inequality in school resource levels and facilities. The work presented here investigates which pupil background, school context and school resource (human and physical) factors affect individual academic attainment by developing separate multilevel models for individual learners of similar socio‐economic status. This approach allows for the possibility that different in‐ and out‐of‐school factors combine to explain the differences in attained mathematics and reading scores of Grade 6 pupils participating in the SACMEQ II survey in 2000, and that this could be dependent on the socio‐economic status of the individual learner. It is argued that policy focus should be wider than just resourcing levels. The evidence points to the need to additionally target deprived, mainly rural, neighbourhoods and develop interventions and alternative strategies to overcome some of the acute social disadvantages that pupils, especially from the lowest socio‐economic status, bring with them into school. These include poor nutrition, lower fluency levels in the language of instruction used in schools and higher chances of living away from home in order to be schooled.
openalex: W2092471075 mag: 2092471075
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What Africa Has to Teach the United States about Hospice and Palliative Care - Sorbo, Philip G. Di (Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2011)
Journal of Palliative MedicineVol. 14, No. 2 EditorialWhat Africa Has to Teach the United States about Hospice and Palliative CarePhilip G. Di SorboPhilip G. Di SorboSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:12 Feb 2011https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.9732AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited ByCost effectiveness in palliative care settingInternational Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 21, No. 2MECC Regional Initiative in Pediatric Palliative CareJournal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Vol. 34, No. Supplement 1Global Breast Cancer: The Lessons to Bring HomeInternational Journal of Breast Cancer, Vol. 2012Palliative care: what approaches are suitable in developing countries?28 June 2011 | British Journal of Haematology, Vol. 154, No. 6 Volume 14Issue 2Feb 2011 InformationCopyright 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Philip G. Di Sorbo.What Africa Has to Teach the United States about Hospice and Palliative Care.Journal of Palliative Medicine.Feb 2011.129-131.http://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.9732Published in Volume: 14 Issue 2: February 12, 2011PDF download
openalex: W2027495182 mag: 2027495182
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An Evaluation of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Libraries in Selected States in South- West Nigeria - Sote, Adetoun; Aramide, Kolawole Akinjide; Gbotoso, Ajibola (Library Philosophy and Practice, 2011)
This study evaluates the state of SUBEB libraries/Learning resource centres (LRCs) in three selected states of the South-West region on Nigeria. The study aimed at ascertaining the adequacy and relevance of learning resources, infrastructural facilities and services to the needs of teachers, pupils and other users of the library. Data for the study was collected with the aid of questionnaire administered on both the teachers and library staff as well as interview with both pupils and heads of SUBEB libraries. Also, the researcher visited some of the libraries to observe the collection and resources. The study revealed that most of the SUBEB libraries contain only print based materials as oppose to multimedia materials which now form the major components of school library media collection. However, the study revealed that the SUBEB libraries/LRCs collection and facilities are relevant and adequate to users needs, hence the frequent use of SUBEB libraries/LRCs by teachers. The study revealed government as major source of funding for SUBEB libraries/LRCs as revealed by the study. The study recommends the development of a multimedia collection as well as extension of opening hours beyond school hours in SUBEB libraries/LRCs to attract pupils to using the library. Also, it is recommended that there is need for public - private partnership to ensure adequate funding of SUBEB libraries/LRCs as government alone cannot fund the libraries. Proper evaluation of the SUBEB libraries should be seen as very important to ensure that the SUBEB libraries/LRCs are serving the purpose(s) for which they are established.
openalex: W2126578847 mag: 2126578847
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Effects of electrical stimulation on the acoustically evoked auditory-nerve response in guinea pigs with a high-frequency hearing loss - Stronks, H. Christiaan; Versnel, Huib; Prijs, Vera F.; Grolman, Wilko; Klis, Sjaak F.L. (Hearing Research, 2011)
Criteria for cochlear implantation keep expanding and people with substantial residual low-frequency hearing are considered candidates for implantation nowadays. Therefore, electro-acoustical stimulation in the same ear (EAS) is receiving increasing interest. We have investigated the effects of intracochlear electrical stimulation on acoustically evoked auditory-nerve activity, using a forward masking paradigm. The stimulation electrode was placed in the basal turn of the cochlea. Compound action potential (CAP) recordings were performed in guinea pigs with severe high-frequency hearing loss and in normal-hearing control animals. In normal-hearing animals, electrical stimulation generally suppressed CAPs, especially at high acoustic frequencies (8 and 16 kHz) and low sound levels. At low frequencies (0.5 and 1 kHz), suppression was observed only at high sound levels. In animals with a high-frequency hearing loss, suppression of CAPs at low frequencies was substantially less compared to control animals, even at high current levels and temporal overlap of acoustic and electric stimuli. Hence, effects of electrical stimulation substantially differed between normal-hearing animals and animals with a high-frequency hearing loss. These findings stress the need for a proper animal model when investigating EAS. We conclude that in case of high-frequency loss, the basal part of the cochlea can be stimulated electrically with little effect on responses to low-frequency acoustic stimuli.
openalex: W1999153675 mag: 1999153675
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A Post-Training Job Performance of Sandwich and Full-Time Nigeria Certificate in Education Graduates in Ogun State, Nigeria - Sunday, Akinwumi Femi; Idowu, Adeyanju Hammed (Pakistan journal of social sciences, 2011)
openalex: W2318167048 mag: 2318167048
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Not only climate change : mobility, vulnerability and social-economic transformations in environmentally fragile areas of Bolivia, Senegal and Tanzania - Tacoli, Cecilia (2011)
openalex: W2156933735 mag: 2156933735
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Comparison of Two Different Resistance Training Intensities on Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption in African American Women Who Are Overweight - Thornton, M; Rossi, Stephen J.; McMillan, Jim L. (The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011)
Thornton, MK, Rossi, SJ, and McMillan, JL. Comparison of two different resistance training intensities on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption in African American women who are overweight. J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 489-496, 2011-The purpose of this study was to compare a low- and high-intensity resistance exercise session of equal work on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Ten African American (AA) overweight women performed a no-exercise control (CN) session, 3 sets of 9 resistance training exercises, for 15 repetitions (reps) at 45% of their 8-repetition maximum (RM) during 1 session (LO) and for 8 reps at 85% of their 8-RM during another session (HI). For each session heart rate (HR), ventilation volume (VE), oxygen consumption (V̇o2), and respiratory exchange ratio, were collected continuously from 15 minutes pre exercise until 30 minutes post exercise. Blood lactate ([Lac]b) was collected pre, immediately post, 15 and 30 minutes post exercise. No significant differences were found between sessions for any pre-exercise measurements (p > 0.05). During exercise, there was no significant difference between the HI and LO sessions, as expected. The [Lac]b immediately post and 15-minute post were significantly higher in both HI and LO sessions compared with the CN session, however; no significant differences were found between the HI and LO sessions. Post-exercise HR for the HI session was significantly greater than the CN session (p = 0.006) but not different from the LO session. There were no significant differences in post-exercise V̇o2 between the HI and LO sessions. A trend was observed between exercise sessions with EPOC for HI (1.26 ± 0.567 L·O2) vs. LO (0.870 ± 0.394 L·O2) sessions. These data suggest that resistance training at either a low or high intensity with an equated work volume will produce similar exercise and post-exercise oxygen consumption for AA overweight women. Both of these resistance training programs were well tolerated and could be used for sedentary populations without a preconditioning program.
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Infrastructural Development and Quality Assurance in Nigerian Higher Education - Uche, Chineze; Okoli, Nkechi; Ahunanya, Stella (Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 2011)
The infrastructural facilities and physical environment give educational institutions their appropriate shape and atmosphere for teaching and learning. These facilities and the environment also portray the quality of the institutions in terms of their staff/students friendliness, attraction to outsiders, aesthetics, healthy, safety, currency and relevance. The infrastructural development in higher education is complex and cost intensive. Thus to ensure their quality and maintain global standards is very challenging. The infrastructural development in higher education involves provision of buildings, classrooms, hostels, staff quarters, workshops, laboratories, ICT centers, libraries, health centers and sports facilities. Provision of stimulating learning environment and safety is also a major consideration in infrastructural development. Maintenance, renewal and innovation are other determinants of the quality of the infrastructural development effort of the institutions that will attract the students, staff and foreigners to the institutions. Environmental beautification and sanitation give the aesthetic impression that guarantees the serenity and good climate for teaching, learning and research activities, healthy and secured lives in the school and its communities. Using infrastructural development quality indicators checklist, this study aimed at assessing the level of quality and how staff and students friendly the facilities in the four institutions of higher learning in River State of Nigeria are. This was considered in terms of their availability, adequacy, relevance, student friendliness, staff friendliness, maintenance, renewal and innovation culture and global competitiveness and acceptability. The findings indicate that the level of the quality of infrastructural development in the higher institutions is low: the available facilities are not enough, not maintained and not safe, not clean, not student centered. Thus the quality assurance of these facilities is not guaranteed as they cannot match global standards if nothing urgent is done to improve the quality. Recommendations were made based on these and other findings.
openalex: W1568791454 mag: 1568791454
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Romanticism and Gender Identity as Predictors of Sexual Behaviours among Undergraduate Students in a Nigerian University - Ugoji, F.N. (Journal of Social Sciences, 2011)
The study examined the effects of romanticism and gender identity on the occurrences of sexual behavior among 400 undergraduate students of Delta State University, Nigeria. Two valid scales were responded to by the participants. The Pearson correlation, Multiple Regression and t-test procedures were used to investigate the predictive capacity of the independent variables on the dependent variables. The result indicated that independent variables, when taken together and individually were effective predictors to the sexual behavior of undergraduate students. It was suggested that Sex Education is required with an in- depth understanding of the functionality of the romanticism and gender, to enable students become more knowledgeable, and understanding of their sex, gender, sexual health and sexual relationships and related issues for the adequate development of a proper sexual behavior.
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Organic School Gardens in Ghana - Vos, Inge (2011)
The Organic School Garden Project has developed organic gardens in 24 schools in Ghana between January 2008 and December 2010. The gardens produce vegetables and fruits that are used in the pupils'meals. The organic gardens are also being used as demonstration fields for Farmer Field Schools (FFS), to train local farmers in organic farming practices.
openalex: W1604783786 mag: 1604783786
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Causes and Structural Effects of Student Absenteeism: A Case Study of Three South African Universities - Wadesango, Newman; Machingambi, Severino (Journal of Social Sciences, 2011)
The aim of the study was to investigate the extent of student absenteeism in selected universities in South Africa, explore the reasons why student absent themselves from classes and examine the implications of student absenteeism. The study adopted the mixed methodology and used a survey research design as the operational framework for data gathering. Data were collected by self administered questionnaires and interviews with one hundred and twenty-six students from three universities in South Africa. The study revealed that student absenteeism is rampant in the universities under study due to reasons such as: lack of subject interest, poor teaching strategies by lecturers, unfavourable learning environment, too much socialization, part-time jobs to augment meagre bursaries granted by various sponsors and poor relations with the lecturers. The study also found an inverse relationship between student absenteeism and course performance.
openalex: W2187320080 mag: 2187320080
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Education and Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Liberia - Williams, James H. (国際協力論集, 2011)
openalex: W1509514254 mag: 1509514254
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School quality, clustering and government subsidy in post-apartheid South Africa - Yamauchi, Futoshi (Economics of Education Review, 2011)
This paper examines a range of historical and geographic factors that determine the quality of public school education in post-apartheid South Africa. Empirical analysis shows, first, that population groups are still spatially segregated due to the legacy of apartheid, which implies that, given the positive correlation between school quality and school fees, quality education is concentrated in formerly white, coloured and Indian schools in areas where the majority is non-African. Second, school quality, measured by the learner–educator ratio, improves as school fee and government subsidy increase. In this sense, school fee can be decreased with an increase in government subsidy to maintain school quality. It is also shown that government subsidy is allocated to schools with lower quality and fees, increasing the number of subsidized teachers. To address the current imbalance, financial support to disadvantaged locales and schools should be strengthened further.
openalex: W1974721561 mag: 1974721561
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Effect of high frequency hearing loss on the temporal processing in the low frequency regions of guinea pigs - Yu, Xin; Wang, Jian; Feng, Yuanming; Yin, Shanshan (Chinese journal of otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery, 2011)
Objective To constitute the animal model of high frequency hearing loss and observer the temporal processing abilities of low frequency regions using prepulse inhibition of auditory startle response （gap-PPI）. Methods Ten guinea pigs were randomly grouped into two groups：the high frequency hearing loss group with six guinea pigs and the control group with four guinea pigs. The former group was exposed to 12 kHz tone at 110 dB SPL for 30 hours to establish the high frequency hearing loss above 8 kHz and the latter group received no stimuations. Before and two, four, six and eight weeks after noise exposure, gap- PPI and auditory brainstem response （ABR） were recorded in both groups. In the gap-PPI experiment, three different background noises as 0.5-2 kHz, 0.5-4 kHz and 0.5-8 kHz were applied to test the temporal gap. Results High frequency hearing loss above 8 kHz was shown two weeks after noise exposure. The averaged ABR thresholds of 16 kHz, 32 kHz and 48 kHz were elevated about 55 dB and shown statistical significance compared to those before exposure （P 0.05）. In the control group, the ABR thresholds remained stable during experiment. In the gap-PPI test, two weeks after noise exposure of 8 kHz, the experiment group showed attenuated inhibition ability and recovered gradually four weeks after noise exposure. No statistical differences of inhibition ability at time points of two, four , six and eight weeks after noise exposure of 4 kHz were detected when compared with that of pre-exposure. Under the backgroundnoise of 2 kHz, the inhibition ability attenuated and reached statistical significance at 6-8 weeks after noise exposure. Conclusion The high frequency hearing loss might induce an impairment of the temporal processing in the low frequency region. Key words: Hearing loss, high-frequency; Reflex, acoustic; Proactive inhibition; Guinea pigs
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Management and risk factors for maternal morbidity of eclampsia in a Moroccan teaching hospital - Zarrouki, Youssef; Boutbaoucht, M.; Waggagui, Y El; Adib, Gemma; Younous, S. (Critical Care, 2011)
Eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, it remains a frequent condition in our context. The aim of this study is to measure the incidence of eclampsia, its risk factors associated with adverse maternal outcome and to identify its most common presentations in our practice.
openalex: W2022785542 mag: 2022785542
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Transport Augmentation Through the Blood-Inner Ear Barriers of Guinea Pigs Treated With 3-Nitropropionic Acid and Patients With Acute Hearing Loss, Visualized With 3.0 T MRI - Zou, Jing; Lv, Meng; Zhang, Ya; Zheng, Guiliang; Chen, Donghui; Chen, Shiyue; Zheng, Hongliang (Otology & Neurotology, 2011)
To visualize the permeability changes in the blood-inner ear barriers of guinea pigs with acute mitochondria dysfunction and in patients with acute hearing loss using contrast agent-enhanced MRI.An animal model of acute mitochondria dysfunction-induced hearing loss was created by introducing 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) intratympanically in guinea pigs. Vestibular disorder and hearing loss were evaluated. An MRI was performed at 2 h after either intravenous (IV) or intratympanic administration of dimeglumine gadopentetate (Gd-DTPA), using 3D fast-recovery fast spin-echo (FRFSE) and 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. The inner ears of patients with acute hearing loss were imaged using a 3D-FLAIR sequence with a 3 T MRI machine at 2 h post-IV injection with Gd-DTPA at a routine dosage.Guinea pigs treated with 3-NP showed severe hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. MR imaging with a 3D-FLAIR sequence at 2 h post-IV injection of Gd-DTPA was an optimal method for visualizing transport augmentation through the blood-inner ear barriers. Apoptosis appeared in the stria vascularis and Reissner's membrane of cochleae treated with 3NP. Similar MRI changes were observed in patients with SSHL and Ménière's disease 2 h post-IV injection with Gd-DTPA using the 3D-FLAIR sequence.Variations of Gd-DTPA transport through the blood-inner ear barriers induced by mitochondria toxin was visualized in guinea pigs using a clinical 3.0 T machine. IV injection of Gd-DTPA with 2 h of waiting time and imaging with 3D-FLAIR are optimal methods. The MRI observation of the inner ear in the animal model was translatable to patients with acute hearing loss, using an IV injection of Gd-DTPA at the routine dosage.
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Guest speech: Learn from the plays of children living in nature: the girls and boys of the African rainforests - 亀井, 伸孝 (2011)
openalex: W2588319715 mag: 2588319715
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The impact of parental education on infant mortality in Gaza strip, Palestine - Abuqamar, Mazen; Coomans, Danny; Louckx, Freddy (Journal of public health and epidemiology, 2011)
A society's infant mortality rate is considered an important indicator of its health status. Maternal education has been accepted almost unanimously as a major socio-economic factor in infant mortality. In addition, it is one of the few measures of health status for which data are widely available in most countries. Many research studies have been done on this topic, but never in Palestine. This study was carried out in 2008 with the objective of determining the relationship between educational level of parents and infant mortality in the Gaza Strip. Face to face interviews were carried out on 550 mothers of infants (275 dead infants and 275 live births) in the Gaza Strip. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to identify the relationship between health behavioral factors and infant mortality. The result of this study showed that the families with lower educational level had a much higher risk of infant mortality. There was a positive statistical association between parental education and survival of infants. The findings underscore the importance of explicit attention to health education. Key words: Parental education, social factor, infant mortality, Gaza strip.
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Has Education (Human Capital) Contributed to the Economic Growth of Nigeria - Adawo, M.A. (Journal of economics and international finance, 2011)
Education, generally believed, contributes to the growth of an economy through acquisition of training and skills. For over 160 years, Nigeria had embarked on implementation of education policies affecting primary school, secondary school and tertiary institutions. This study used an econometric model to examine the contributions of primary education, secondary education and tertiary education to economic growth of Nigeria. These variables were proxied by school enrolments at various levels. Other variables included physical capital formation, health measured through total expenditure on health. In all primary school input, physical capital formation and health were found to contribute to growth. Secondary school input and tertiary institutions were found to dampen growth. Among others, this paper recommends that there should be adjustment in admission process in favour of core science and technical oriented course. The paper also recommends that schools should be adequately funded. Key words: Education, econometric model, economic growth, Nigeria.
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Dermatophytoses in rural school children associated with livestock keeping in Plateau State, Nigeria - Chukwu, I. D.; Chukwu, Onyinyechi; Chuku, Aleruchi; Israel, Barde; Enweani, B. I.; Lamorde, D. A. G. (Journal of Yeast and Fungal Research, 2011)
This article describes a study undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of dermatophytoses among one hundred and ten children between the ages of 3 to 14 years in rural primary school children of BarkinLadi Local Government Area, in association with the family livestock keeping, family hygiene level, environmental conditions of the schools and identify interventions to improve environmental health. Out of the number sampled, 108 (98.2%) were positive for fungal infections and 2 (1.8%) were negative was found to be highly significant at 5 and 10% level of probability at (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05). Of these 108 fungal isolates, 91(84.3%) were dermatophytes while 17 (15.7%) were non-dermatophytes. Among the pupils investigated, 56.5% fungal isolates were from males while 43.5% from females. From the site of fungal infections on the body of the pupils screened, 90 (83.4%) were from the head (hair) which is significant at 5 and 10% level of probability at (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05) compared to, 13 (12%) from the body trunks and 5 (4.6%) from the face. The dermatophytes isolates were; Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 26 (24%), Trichophyton violaceum, 11 (10.2%) Microsporum audouinii 10 (9.3%), Trichophyton verrucosum 8 (7.4%), Microsporum ferrugineum 8 (7.4%), Microsporum canis 7 (6%), Trichophyton tonsurans 6(5.5%), Trichophyton concentricum 4 (3.7%), Trichophyton schoenleinii 3 (2.8%) and Trichophyton megninii 2 (1.9%) and Trichophyton rubrum 6 (5.5%). The non-dermatophytes were; Aspergillus fumigatus 4 (3.7%), Mucor species 3 (2.8%), Penicillium species 2 (1.9%), Aspergillus niger 2(1.9%), Aspergillus flavus 2(1.9%), Candida albicans 2 (1.9%), Trichoderma species 1 (0.9%) and Alternaria species 1 (0.9%). The results showed the role of family hygiene standards and environmental sanitary quality in dermatophytoses among rural primary school children.
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Non-Sexual Transmission of Trichomonas vaginalis in Adolescent Girls Attending School in Ndola, Zambia - Crucitti, Tania; Jespers, Vicky; Mulenga, Chanda; Khondowe, Shepherd; Vandepitte, J; Buvé, Anne (PLOS ONE, 2011)
Objectives To identify risk factors for trichomoniasis among young women in Ndola, Zambia. Method The study was a cross-sectional study among adolescent girls aged 13-16 years in Ndola, Zambia. Study participants were recruited from schools in selected administrative areas that represented the different socio-economic strata in town. Consenting participants were interviewed about their socio-demographic characteristics; sexual behaviour; and hygiene practices. Self-administered vaginal swabs were tested for Trichomonas vaginalis. HSV-2 antibodies were determined on serum to validate the self-reported sexual activity. Results A total of 460 girls participated in the study. The overall prevalence of trichomoniasis was 27.1%, 33.9% among girls who reported that they had ever had sex and 24.7% among virgins. In multivariate analysis the only statistically significant risk factor for trichomoniasis was inconsistent use of soap. For the virgins, none of the risk factors was significantly associated with trichomoniasis, but the association with use of soap (not always versus always) and type of toilet used (pit latrine/bush versus flush toilet) was of borderline significance. Conclusion We found a high prevalence of trichomoniasis in girls in Ndola who reported that they had never had sex. We postulate that the high prevalence of trichomoniasis in virgins in Ndola is due to non-sexual transmission of trichomoniasis via shared bathing water and inconsistent use of soap.
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Perceived Threats and Latino Immigrant Attitudes: How White and African American College Students Respond to News Coverage of Latino Immigrants - Fujioka, Yuki (Howard Journal of Communications, 2011)
A survey of 326 White and African American college respondents examined the relationship among perceptions of news coverage of Latino immigrants, perceived threats, and attitudes toward Latino immigrants. Perceived negative news images of Latino immigrants were associated with greater perceived threats, which were related to White and African American respondents' negative immigrant attitudes. Negative news perception also predicted unfavorable Latino immigrant attitudes. The study also suggested that perceived accuracy of negative immigrant news affected perceived threats. There was no racial difference in these response patterns. Findings are discussed in light of intergroup threat and social identity theory.
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Assessing the effects of industrial unrest on Ghana health service: A case study of nurses at Korle-Bu teaching hospital - Gyamfi, Gerald Dapaah (International Journal of Nursing, 2011)
This paper assessed the effects of industrial unrest from the perspectives of a cross-section of fifty nurses and patients at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra, Ghana in West Africa, spanning the period of 2004 to 2008. The deductive study was based on descriptive analyses of statistical data gathered from the data subjects, who were randomly selected. The study revealed that strikes by the nurses in Ghana sent signals to the international community about workers’ unrest in Ghana and increased the national and household expenditure. It also revealed that when the nurses went on strike the health of the patients deteriorated which brought about reduction in the revenue generation of the economy of Ghana. The study recommended that to reduce the frequency of nurses industrial unrests and its impact on Ghana, the Government should take steps to reduce the high wage disparity among the health workers, educate the nurses on the repercussions of their strike actions on patients, put in place crises interventions committee at the hospitals and provide special rewards for the night services of nurses. Key words: Strike action, ADHA, KBTH
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A comparative study of primary school pupils' social skills amongst nine nations: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, UK and Spain - Kato, Hideo; Tanaka, Mutsuko; Higuchi, Eri; Komura, Yoko; Huang, Yuandong; Sabit, Kutluk; Okamatsu, Ryuich; Magari, Haruo (教育学論集, 2011)
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An assesment of the teaching effectiveness of prevocational subjects teachers in Ogun State Nigeria - Kiadese, Adeola (Vocational and Technical Education, 2011)
This study investigated the teaching effectiveness of prevocational subject teachers using descriptive survey research design. A total of 205 teachers selected through purposive and simple random sampling technique participated in the study. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. A validated instrument titled 'Teaching effectiveness scale' was used for data collection. The t-test of significance and simple percentage were the major statistical tools employed in the data analysis. Findings from the study revealed; a relatively low teaching effectiveness among prevocational subject teachers. It was recommended among others, that government and agency responsible for teacher development should put in place an action plan to enhance the capacity of teachers in the use of ICT-driven pedagogy, modern classroom practices and assessment techniques; while the technical teacher training scheme should be resuscitated. This will position the country towards the realization of vision 2020 through prevocational education. Key words: Teaching, effectiveness, descriptive survey, research design.
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Views of parents on the inclusion of children with special needs in physical education in Masvingo, Zimbabwe - Mudekunye, Jenet; Ndamba, Gamuchirai Tsitsi (Journal of African Studies, 2011)
The aim of this study was to investigate the views of parents on the inclusion of children with special needs (CSN) in physical education at primary school level in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. A survey involving parents was conducted with the questionnaire used as a data collection instrument. The questionnaire was administered to 40 parents of both the children without disabilities and those whose children had exceptionalities. The study was conducted at four primary schools in Masvingo urban. The findings reveal that more parents prefer and advocate for inclusion in physical education while others favour separate placement. Noted differences could be interpreted in terms of situational, attitudinal and cultural reasons. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture should work towards full involvement of parents in the provision of adapted facilities and equipment for physical education in an inclusive set up. Key words: Physical education, inclusion, separate placement, children with special needs, parental support.
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Assessing the Effects of Climate Change on Irrigation Water Requirement for Corn in Zimbabwe - Nkomozepi, Temba; Chung, Soo Young (Han'gug nong'gong haghoe nonmunjib, 2011)
기후변화는 피할 수 없으며 다음 세기에도 계속될 것이다. 이는 생태계와 토지와 물과 같은 자연자원의 이용에도 영향을 미칠 것이다. 연구 결과에 의하면 아프리카는 낮은 경제수준과 지역적 다양성으로 인하여 기후변화에 가장 취약한 지역 중의 하나이다. 짐바브웨는 한계농지가 황폐화가 되는 등 농업분야가 특히 기후변화에 취약하다. 본 논문에서는 짐바브웨의 주요 옥수수 재배지역에 대하여 기후변화가 옥수수의 필요수량에 미치는 영향을 공간적 및 시간적으로 분석하였다. 미래 기후예측은 HadCM3 전지구 모형 결과에 change factor를 곱하여 추정하였다. 배출가스 시나리오는 A2b 및 B2a를 선정하였고, 시간대는 2020s, 2050s 및 2080s 각각 30년간에 대하여 분석하였다. 기준작물 증발산량은 Penman-Monteith 공식으로, 순관개량은 CROPWAT 모형을 이용하여 구하였다. 순관개량의 공간적인 분석은 GIS를 이용하였다. 분석 결과 대상지역은 강우량이 감소하고 관개의 필요성이 크게 증가할 것으로 나타났다. 2080s의 필요수량은 기준년도 (1961-1990)에 비하여 93 내지 115 % 증가할 것으로 예측되었다. 이 증가는 기온의 증가와 강우량의 감소에 기인한다. 대상 지역에 대한 기후변화 대응 전략 수립과 영향 저감대책에 대한 추가적인 연구가 필요하다고 하겠다.
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Soil micro-arthropods in a secondary rainforest, Rivers State, Nigeria: Ecosystem health indicators of oil pollution - Okiwelu, S. N.; Tambeke, Gbarakoro; Adetola, Badejo (Journal of ecology and the natural environment, 2011)
Comparisons were made of the species richness and densities of soil micro-arthropods- (mites, collembolans) from a relatively undisturbed secondary forest and a nearby area, where there had been an oil spill, approximately 1 year before the commencement of the 2 year study, May, 2007 to April, 2009. Soil samples were taken monthly with an 8.5 cm diameter bucket-type auger. Extraction was by the Berlese-Tullgren funnel. Identification was undertaken with the aid of standard keys and comparisons were made with type specimens. Mean Total Hydrocarbon (THC) values were 630 mg/kg (43.0 to 1000.0) and 10 mg/kg at the polluted and undisturbed habitats respectively. Among the mites, Cryptostigmata (Oribatids) were dominant in both undisturbed (69.85%) and polluted (74.25%) habitats; the least abundant were the prostigmates. Within the oribatids, Scheloribates spp., Galumnidae spp., Parallonothrus nigeriensis and Bichythermamia nigeriana were collected from both habitat types. In contrast, Mixacarus sp., Aunecticarus sp., Atropacarus sp., Bellidae sp., Cephalidae sp., Oppia sp., Basilobellidae sp., Epilohmaunia sp., Mesoplophora sp., Aecheogozettes magnus and Northrus lasebikani were restricted to the undisturbed habitat. In the Mesostigmata, only Parasiticidae sp. and Rhodacaridae sp. were found in both habitat types; Polyaspidae sp., Uropodidae sp. and Asca sp. were restricted to the undisturbed habitat. The Prostigmata, Bellidae sp. were collected from undisturbed and polluted habitats. Among Collembolans, Cryptophagous and Paranolla were found in both habitat types while Hypogastina, was restricted to the undisturbed habitat. Abundance and densities of mites and collembolans were respectively significantly reduced in the polluted habitat (p < 0.05; df = 9; F = 20.5; p < 0.05; df = 9; F = 30.08). These findings are discussed within the context of the use of monitor (tolerant) and indicator (sensitive) species in bio-monitoring and assessment of oil pollution. Key words: Soil mites, collembolans, oil pollution, densities, monitor/indicator species, rainforest, Nigeria.
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Knowledge Levels and Perceived Effect of Climate Change on Extension Delivery in North West Province, South Africa - Oladele, O. I. (Journal of agricultural & food information, 2011)
A simple random sampling technique was used to select 20% of the extension officers in North West Province, South Africa. Data on knowledge levels and perceived effect of climate change on extension delivery were collected and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, and multiple regression analysis. The results show that a wide range of knowledge levels exists on climate change issues related to causes, effect, vulnerability, and mitigation and that extension officers will have to address new skill requirements for farmers, the need for specialized extension services, and changing and diversified livelihoods. The results have several implications for training and educating extension officers on climate change issues.
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How law students utilize information resources: A case study of the University of Benin, Benin City. - Ossai, Ngozi Blessing (International Journal of Library and Information Science, 2011)
This is a case study of how undergraduate law students of University of Benin, Benin City make use of information resources. The objective of the study is to understand how male and female law undergraduate students acquire their information, the resources employed and to what purpose information is sought. The researcher adopted a descriptive survey technique. The sample consisted of 230 undergraduate law students randomly selected from the first to fifth year of study. Their information seeking activities were tested to discover how undergraduate law students utilize information resources. The study found that there is only a slight difference in how male and female undergraduate law students use information resources and that the need to compliment lecture notes rank highest in the information need of the students. The study recommends formal training in the use of information resources will significantly improve the pattern of both information use and search. Key words: Information resources, law, students, University, Nigeria.
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Social work education in Canada, England and South Africa: A critical comparison of undergraduate programmes - Spolander, Gary; Pullen-Sansfaçon, Annie; Brown, Marion; Engelbrecht, Lambert K. (International Social Work, 2011)
Globalized labour mobility has led to questions regarding the degree to which social work education in one country can be applicable to practice in another. This paper examines social work education programmes and practice contexts in South Africa, England and Canada as examples through which to examine this question.
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Experiences and Perceptions of Deaf Students in a South African Sign Language Class - Störbeck, Claudine; Henning, Elizabeth (2011)
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ECD policies in South Africa What about children with disabilities - Störbeck, Claudine; Moodley, Selvarani (Journal of African Studies, 2011)
The importance of the young child in South African policy has been recognised through the inclusion of early childhood development (ECD) planning in documents relating to the National Departments of Health, Education and Social Development. However, despite the inclusion of the ECD sector in these three key departments there has been no indication of how policy will be implemented, nor how the young child with disabilities in particular will be served effectively. And although South Africa is recognised as having progressive and comprehensive policies in place to ensure the rights of people with disabilities, it is also acknowledged that not having a specific budget for children with disabilities means that the needs of these children may be neglected (Department of Social Development, 2009). Due to this gap in service provision HI HOPES (which stands for Home Intervention Hearing and language Opportunities Parent Education Services), a non-governmental, non-profit programme providing free support services to families of infants with a hearing loss, was launched. This article engages with the current South African ECD landscape and tracks HI HOPES’ first steps towards the implementation of ECD policy and its attempt at improving the status of infants and young children with disabilities within governmental policies and procedures. Key words: Infants, hearing loss, family support, early childhood policies, disability, child development.
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Contraceptive knowledge and usage amongst female secondary school students in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria - Tayo, Adetokunbo; Akinola, Oluwarotimi Ireti; Babatunde, Abiola S.; Adewunmi, Adeniyi Abiodun; Osinusi, Dele; Shittu, Lukeman (Journal of public health and epidemiology, 2011)
The high maternal mortality and morbidity rate in Nigeria is a major concern for every stakeholder in the health sector and unsafe abortion is a major cause. As a remedy, it was suggested that active efforts to promote sexuality education and contraceptive use should be intensified among Nigerian adolescents. In this regard, we studied the level of contraceptive knowledge and use among adolescents in three secondary schools in Lagos between January to March 2010. Results showed that 5% of 1155 students with knowledge of contraception are users, 85% of sexually active respondents were non-users while condom is the most common contraceptive method used. Also, nearly 45% of respondents obtained knowledge about contraception from their parents. We believe that there is a need for aggressive advocacy on adolescent reproductive health (ARH) before initiation of sexual activity and dissemination of information on family planning methods among the teenage. Key words: Contraceptive knowledge and usage, sexual behaviour, adolescent, Nigeria.
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TSUNAMI RESONANCE IN THE PALMA DE MAJORCA BAY AND HARBOUR INDUCED BY THE 2003 BOUMERDES-ZEMMOURI ALGERIAN EARTHQUAKE (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN) - Vela, Jordi; Pérez, Begoña; González, Mauricio; Díaz, Luis Jesús Otero; Olabarrieta, Maitane; Canals, Miquel; Casamor, J. L. (Proceedings of ... Conference on Coastal Engineering, 2011)
During the tsunami of May 2003 in the Balearic Islands, generated by the Algerian earthquake, most of the damage and economic losses occurred inside the harbours, due to high frequency oscillations of relatively large amplitude, combined effect of the tsunami and local resonances. It can be said in fact that this was the more important effect at the islands, where no important inundations is known to have occurred outside the harbours, showing up that even tsunamis with low amplitudes can cause serious damages due to resonance effects. Several tide gauges recorded the seismic-generated tsunami, so comparison of simulations and observations became possible, and made this event a very interesting case for modeling experiments. The main objectives of this work is to understand how was the energy transformation of the tsunami from the source area to the Palma de Mallorca bay and harbour, and to verify if a resonance phenomenon was induced in the harbour.
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Facilities offered by the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) distance learning centre towards learners' academic goal-an evaluation - Adegbile, J. A.; Oyekanmi, J. O. (Educational Research Review, 2011)
Distance learners in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria unlike other distance learners of different parts of the world are faced with various educational, social and psychological problems associated with the code of distance learning. The facilities offered by the University of Ibadan distance learning centre towards the users’ multifarious needs are not sufficient. The level of adequacy of facilities provided by the University should be equal to meeting the needs; otherwise, the objectives of the programme stand the risk of becoming a dismal failure. This study therefore, attempts to assess the level of adequacy of facilities provided by the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre for its potential learners to meet their needs. The survey used stratified sampling techniques on the data collected from 1120 subjects among the five participating Faculties of the University – Education, Arts, the social Science, Science, and the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and employed multiple regression and simple percentage analysis. Three research questions were posed for the study. Distance Learners’ Questionnaire (DLQ) with (r=0.91) was the instrument used for data collection. Findings revealed that, most of the facilities are available but inadequately provided for learners’ use. It is therefore recommended that, the University of Ibadan, being the premier University in Nigeria, should endeavour to provide its distance learners with latest information infrastructure in order to increase and enhance the programme efficiency that takes care of learners’ needs. Key words: Facilities, distance learning, learner’s academic goal, evaluation
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Teacher Education and Training for Africa in the 21st Century: What Form Should It Take? - Boaduo, Nana Adu-Pipim; Milondzo, Khazamula Samson; Gumbi, Daphne (Educational Research Review, 2011)
No nation can develop beyond the quality of its education system, which depends on the quality of teachers. Much of what teachers need to know to be successful is invisible to lay observers leading to the view that teaching requires little formal study. On the contrary, teachers seek answers to questions to enable them help students learn. They learn about literature and appropriate technology, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, evaluation and measurement. What they offer remains a secret and their key to success is a mystery. This paper argues that 21st century teachers requires new initiatives in their preparation to adequately meet the new challenges and that we would need stronger, all inclusive globalised teacher education, training curricula and global teachers council to strengthen the teaching profession for easy mobility of teachers in the 21st century. Key words: Foundations of teacher education, traditional teacher education programmes, supervision, globalisation, global teachers’ council, global teacher-training curricula, theoretical bases of education, practical education.
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Hydrological Response to Climate Change: Hydrological Modeling to Assess Climate Change Impact in the Upper Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia, A Case study at the Gilgel Abay River Basin - Dile, Yihun T. (2011)
We all are aware that climate change is evident and will cause adverse impacts on the social and natural systems of all nations; however, its impact will hit developing countries the worst and the ...
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Child labor and school attendance in Kenya - Moyi, Peter (2011)
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest incidence of child labor in the world and estimates show that it continues to grow. This paper examines the causes and magnitude of child labor in Kenya. Unlike previous studies that examined child labor as only an economic activity, this paper includes household chores. Including household chores is important because majority of child labor takes place within the household. The paper finds that socioeconomic status and structure of the household have a strong effect on child labor. Also, a large proportion of working children attend school. If the consequence of working is to hinder educational attainment, then policymakers need to focus to this dimension of educational inequality: Between students who combine work and school and those who do not. Key words: Kenya, child labor, school attendance, sub-Saharan Africa.
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Do School Incentives and Accountability Measures Improve Skills in the Middle East and North Africa? The Cases of Jordan and Tunisia - Shafiq, M. Najeeb (Review of Middle East economics and finance (Print), 2011)
There is general agreement that skill-enhancing school reforms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are necessary for economic, political and social reasons.Using student-level data from Jordan and Tunisia, this study assesses the relationship between skills and the following school incentive and accountability measures: pedagogical autonomy, school competition, freedom to hire and fire teachers, publicly posting data, and parent involvement in school affairs.Quantile regression analyses of mathematics, science, and reading skills of 15-year-old students suggest that students in schools with incentive and accountability measures do not have higher skills than students in school without the measures; this suggests that schools with incentive and accountability measures are no more efficient than other schools that have not adopted the measures.In terms of equity, the reforms are not associated with higher skills for the less skilled; a notable exception is parent involvement in Tunisia, which is associated with higher science and reading skills among low-skilled students.The main policy implication is that school incentive-and accountability-based reform should not be pursued until researchers have identified the effective design properties of each incentive and accountability measure.
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Training, New Equipment and Job Creation: A Firm-level Analysis using Moroccan Data - Achy, Lahcen; Sekkat, Khalid (The European Journal of Development Research, 2011)
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Sudan - Multidonor Rehabilitation Education Project : P097962 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 08 - Gebru, Getahun (2011)
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A qualitative assessment of the acceptability and potential demand for medical abortion among university students in Durban, South Africa - Gresh, Ashley; Maharaj, Pranitha (The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 2011)
Objectives To assess the acceptability of medical abortion as a method for pregnancy termination among young South African women, and further investigate the potential demand for medical abortion.Methods Qualitative study based on in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted with 20 sexually active, female university students in Durban, South Africa.Results The findings suggest that there is a demand for medical abortion among this sample of young women. Most of them find medical abortion an acceptable method, and would choose it if they were faced with an unwanted pregnancy. Some of the positive aspects of medical abortion raised were: increased privacy; avoidance of surgery; and sense of greater control. Some of the negative aspects of medical abortion were: fear of adverse side effects; high cost; follow-up visits; and potential psychological stress. While the majority of women find this method acceptable, there were reservations and concerns about introducing it into the public sector such as misuse and abuse of the medication by clients and providers.Conclusion Medical abortion should be introduced into the public sector in South Africa, and this method be made affordable, accessible, and available for women.
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Learning from business support in Africa - Irwin, David (Management research review, 2011)
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review approaches to providing support to entrepreneurs adopted by four business support organisations, originally created with similar objectives, in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Cameroon to examine entrepreneurial heterogeneity in Africa and the hypothesis that local solutions are required to support entrepreneurs effectively. Design/methodology/approach An empirical review of each business support organisation's approach, including a stakeholder analysis was undertaken. Findings Although the trusts were established to achieve broadly similar objectives, all have followed a different path, apparently in response to the need to provide support in different ways. All are successful, demonstrating the importance of this approach. All learn from each other, adopting and, importantly, adapting successful programmes. Research limitations/implications The research whilst systematically covering stakeholders was limited to gathering qualitative perceptions of the organisations and their successes. Further research, based on systematic performance measurement by the trusts, and with appropriate control groups, could provide further insights. Practical implications The study is relevant to policy makers, particularly in donors and multi‐lateral institutions, considering how further to encourage and support small business development. It should encourage the designers of new programmes to spend more time ensuring that they understand how the needs of local entrepreneurs can best be addressed. Originality/value The study is unique in being able to use four business support organisations, in four countries, all with a common core sponsor and similar values, to make comparisons of supporting entrepreneurs. The paper makes a contribution towards demonstrating that there is little homogeneity amongst entrepreneurs in Africa and those entrepreneurs therefore require assistance tailored to meet their particular culture.
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Gender and climate change-induced conflict in pastoral communities: Case study of Turkana in northwestern Kenya - Omolo, Nancy (African journal on conflict resolution, 2011)
Clitmate change-induced conflict is a major global threat to human security and the environment.It has been projected that there is going to be an increase in climate changes resulting in increased droughts and floods in northern Kenya.Climate change impacts will be differently distributed among different regions, ages, income groups, occupations and gender.People living in poverty are more vulnerable to environmental changes.In relation to these concerns, this article discusses the following issues: climate change, pastoralism and conflicts, gender issues in Turkana, and the future of pastoralism in relation to changing climate conditions.Specifically, the first section looks at the impacts of climate change on pastoralism and the livelihoods of pastoralists, and at the types of climate change-induced conflicts in Turkana.The next section focuses on the impact of climate change-induced conflict on women and men's livelihoods, including discussion of the roles and participation in decision making.Finally, the future of pastoralism in relation to changing climate is discussed.The focus will be on scenarios of the past and future projections of rainfall patterns in Turkana, * Nancy A. Omolo is a climate change consultant in Kenya and a Ph.D. candidate at the
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Oral health knowledge, attitude and practices among Nigerian primary school teachers - Ehizele, AO; Chiwuzie, J; Ofili, AN (International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2011)
A multi-disciplinary approach is needed for effective dental education of children. Teachers can be used as oral health educators but only if they have a good knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health. This study's main objective was to compare the oral health knowledge, attitude and practices of public and private primary school teachers and to determine the proportion of teachers presently involved with oral health education of school children.The study was carried out on 320 private and 320 public school teachers in Benin-City, Nigeria, using self-administered questionnaire.The result revealed that the teachers involved in this study generally had positive attitude to oral health. Many of the two groups of primary school teachers had poor oral health practices. Only 42.4% of the respondents have ever been to the dentist for routine dental checkup or treatment. About 87.6% of teachers still use potentially traumatic materials for interdental cleaning and 60% of teachers consume regularly various forms of refined sugar. Over 90% of the two groups of teachers are presently involved in teaching their pupils basic oral health education although they have a poor knowledge of the aetiology of the two most common oral diseases. The teachers' major source of oral health information is the dentist.Similar pattern of incomplete oral health knowledge, inappropriate oral practices but positive oral health attitude was observed among the two groups of the studied teachers. This observation suggests that the primary school teachers can serve as oral health educators after organized training to heighten their oral health knowledge and perfect their oral practices.
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The inadequacies of “Science for All” and the necessity and nature of a socially transformative curriculum approach for african American science education - Mutegi, Jomo W. (Journal of research in science teaching (Print), 2011)
Abstract “Science for All” is a mantra that has guided science education reform and practice for the past 20 years or so. Unfortunately, after 20 years of “Science for All” guided policy, research, professional development, and curricula African Americans continue to participate in the scientific enterprise in numbers that are staggeringly low. What is more, if current reform efforts were to realize the goal of “Science for All,” it remains uncertain that African American students would be well‐served. This article challenges the idea that the type of science education advocated under the “Science for All” movement is good for African American students. It argues that African American students are uniquely situated historically and socially and would benefit greatly from a socially transformative approach to science education curricula designed to help them meet their unique sociohistorical needs. The article compares the curriculum approach presented by current reform against a socially transformative curriculum approach. It concludes with a description of research that could support the curricular approach advocated. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 301–316, 2011
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Relationship of knowledge of psychosocial issues about cancer with psychic distress and adjustment among breast cancer clinic attendees in a Nigerian teaching hospital - OHAERI, Beatrice; Ofi, Abosede B.; Campbell, Oona M. R. (Psycho-Oncology, 2011)
Abstract Objectives : The diagnosis of breast cancer prompts emotional reactions, which predispose to psychosocial problems and poor adjustment. Assessment of the psychosocial issues could help articulation of specific interventions. There is paucity of data on psychosocial issues in breast cancer from Nigeria. We assessed knowledge of psychosocial issues about breast cancer and its association with psychic distress and adjustment among women attending a Nigerian teaching hospital. Methods : We used a descriptive survey design to assess 63 consecutive clinic attendees (mean age: 49.9, SD: 10.5) who met the eligibility criteria. Data were obtained using the following: a 15‐item self‐report validated psychosocial needs questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12) and 10‐item adjustment scale. Results : Majority (63.4%) indicated they did not know much about the nature of breast cancer. The greatest area of worry was related to fear of death (81.0%). Knowledge about management of breast cancer was significantly inversely correlated with psychic distress ( p <0.03). High psychic distress was significantly related to psychosocial concerns ( p <0.01), and inversely correlated with adjustment ( p <0.001).The most important predictor of psychic distress and adjustment was their fear about how people reacted to them. Conclusions : The findings support previous reports indicating that psychosocial concerns are associated with psychic distress and poor adjustment in breast cancer. Accordingly, a regular psycho‐oncology service should include counseling on improved prognosis in cancer with early patronage of modern treatments, to allay fear of death; while public health education on social stigma should address fear of negative reactions from people. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Sudan - Basic Education Project : P112096 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 03 - Ninan, Elizabeth (2011)
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Sexual partner types and related sexual health risk among out-of-school adolescents in rural south-west Uganda - Nobelius, Ann-Maree; Kalina, Bessie; Pool, Robert; Whitworth, Jimmy; Chesters, Janice Evelyn; Power, Robert (AIDS Care, 2011)
Abstract This paper defines the range of sexual partners chosen by out-of-school adolescents from Masaka District in rural south-west Uganda, and implications for sexual and reproductive health discussed. Data are drawn from a sexual health needs assessment using applied anthropological techniques with 31 adolescents, their parents, guardians and community leaders. Data were analysed using inductive thematic methods. Out-of-school adolescents are exposed to risk both stable and casual sexual relationships. Young men and women want a stable relationship with one reliable partner. Young men seek a “steady” relationship with younger schoolgirls; some also seek multiple “casual” relationships with young women easily convinced with gifts. Young women accept “permanent” partnerships with traders or transport workers one–three years older than themselves; some accept “casual” relationship with age mates, others have “casual” relationships with older men. All relationships involve the exchange of gifts and money. Older partners, or “sugar daddies”, are valued, despite the knowledge they are more likely to be HIV positive, because they offer greater financial rewards than age mates. Though far less common, some older women seek relationships with younger men, but are treated with suspicion by young men, who believe they are seeking to “infect” them “maliciously” with AIDS. The community sees these relationships as a source of AIDS in adolescents, and condemn older men, whom they believe to be “killing” the younger generation. Both young men and women are exposure to sexual health risk in their primary partnerships; young men in partnerships with schoolgirls who have concurrent partnerships with older men, unlikely to use condoms and young women with partners who work, and have casual relationships in urban trading centres. Health promotion encouraging partnership with age mates, discouraging sex with older partners and 100% condom use before marriage are most appropriate for out-of-school adolescents in this context.
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Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors: Examining Human Papillomavirus-Related Gender Differences Among African American College Students - Bynum, Shalanda A.; Brandt, Heather M.; Friedman, Daniela B.; Annang, Lucy; Tanner, Andrea (Journal of American college health, 2011)
Abstract Objective: Given recent approval for administration of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to men, it is important to assess the HPV-related perspectives of men and women. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in HPV knowledge, beliefs, and vaccine acceptance among college students attending 3 historically black colleges/universities in the Southeast. Participants and Methods: A nonprobability sample of 575 students completed a self-report questionnaire. Results: Males were significantly less likely to have heard of HPV, scored lower in HPV knowledge, were less likely to perceive HPV health outcomes as severe and that there was a benefit to vaccinate, reported fewer cues for vaccine acceptance, and perceived more barriers to vaccination compared to females (all p < .05). Conclusions: The gender disparities demonstrated in this study highlight the need to increase HPV-related communication/education to include men and to extend HPV research to a broader segment of the college population.
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Ex Ante Evaluation of Drought‐Tolerant Varieties in Eastern and Central Africa - Kostandini, Genti; Mills, Bradford F.; Mykerezi, Elton (Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2011)
Abstract This study presents a model to estimate potential benefits of drought‐tolerant varieties of maize, sorghum and millet in Kenya, Uganda and the Amhara region of Ethiopia. In addition to the benefits from mean yield increases, the model takes into account risk benefits associated with yield‐stabilising varieties. Ex ante estimates provided for different drought zones and for different household types within drought zones of each country suggest that drought resistance generates substantial benefits from both mean yield improvements and yield variance reductions for both consumers and small, medium and large producers.
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Education for All (Efa): Reaching Nomadic Communities in Wajir, Kenya - Abdi, Abdi Ibrahim (2011)
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Ulster University partners with Egyptian university for student exchanges - Al-Ghazawy, Ola (Nature Middle East, 2011)
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Teaching controversial issues and teacher education in England and South Africa - Chikoko, Vitallis; Gilmour, James David; Harber, Clive; Serf, Jeff (Journal of Education for Teaching, 2011)
This paper argues the importance in and for a democratic state and society of discussing controversial issues in education. In particular it analyses two national educational contexts, that of England and South Africa. It considers both whether they provide a suitable framework for teaching controversial issues in school classrooms and if they prepare teachers to be able to organise discussions of controversial issues in schools. The paper then examines interview data on teaching controversial issues with university tutors and student teachers in four universities, two in England and two in South Africa. The data suggest that there are still serious obstacles in both countries to teaching controversial issues in schools and in preparing teacher education students to teach about controversial issues.
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The Relation of Diabetes, Impaired Fasting Blood Glucose, and Insulin Resistance to Left Ventricular Structure and Function in African Americans - Fox, Ervin R.; Sarpong, Daniel F.; Cook, Joe C.; Samdarshi, Tandaw E.; Nagarajarao, Harsha S.; Liebson, Philip R.; Sims, Mario; Howard, George; Garrison, Robert J.; Taylor, Herman A. (Diabetes Care, 2011)
OBJECTIVE We assessed the relation of diabetes and insulin resistance (IR) on left ventricular (LV) structure and function in African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Among those receiving echocardiograms in cycle 1 of the Jackson Heart Study, we assessed the sex-specific relation of fasting blood glucose (FBG), diabetes, and IR to LV structure and function, adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medications, and BMI. RESULTS Among 2,399 participants, LV mass index (Pwomen = 0.0002 and Pmen = 0.02), posterior wall thickness (Pwomen = 0.01 and Pmen = 0.05), and interventricular septal wall thickness (Pwomen = 0.01) were related to FBG categories. Among those with normal FBG and no diabetes, concentric remodeling and low ejection fraction in women and LV mass index and posterior wall thickness in men were related to IR. CONCLUSIONS In the largest study of its kind in a community-based cohort of African Americans, we found a relation of FBG category and IR to LV structure and function.
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Discrimination, Religious Coping, and Tobacco Use Among White, African American, and Mexican American Vocational School Students - Horton, Karissa D.; Loukas, Alexandra (Journal of Religion & Health, 2011)
This study examined whether religious coping moderates the impact of racial/ethnic discrimination on current (past 30 day) cigarette and cigar/cigarillo use among a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 984 technical/vocational school students (47.1% women; mean age = 25 years). Results indicate that discrimination increased the likelihood of current cigarette use among African American students and current cigar/cigarillo use among white and African American students. Positive religious coping decreased the likelihood of cigarette and cigar/cigarillo smoking for white students only. Negative religious coping increased the likelihood of cigarette use for white students and cigar/cigarillo use for white and African American students. Two 2-way interactions indicate that positive and negative religious coping moderate the discrimination–cigarette smoking relationship for African American and Mexican American students, respectively.
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CHAPTER — Recruitment: Bronx, New York, January to February 5CHAPTER — Training: February to March 1947, Mt. Carmel, Palestine (2011)
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Benin - Education For All-Fast Track Initiative Program : P110576 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 07 - Gbaye, Hyacinthe (2011)
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Benin - Education For All-Fast Track Initiative Program : P110576 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 07 - Gbaye, Yacinthe (2011)
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Who Wants to be a Surgeon? A Survey of Medical Students at the University of Nairobi, Kenya - Mwachaka, Philip Maseghe; Mbugua, Evelyn; Mwachaka, Philip Maseghe (The Annals of african surgery, 2011)
Background: In Sub Saharan Africa, surgical conditions account for a significant disease burden. Surgical workforce is however inadequate, and thus strategies such as attracting medical students to surgical specialties could avert the situation. This study determined the proportion of students interested in pursuing surgical career and factors that influence choice of this specialty. Methodology Four hundred and fifty medical students, from first to fifth year of study at the University of Nairobi, were each issued a self administered questionnaire designed to assess their specialty preferences, and factors influencing these choices. Results: The response rate was 385/450(85.6%). Surgery was the most popular specialty with 105(27.3%) students. Majority, 6 (57%), of those who preferred surgery were in the preclinical years. Male students had a two-fold likelihood of selecting a surgical career compared to females. Significant factors that attracted students to surgery instead of non surgical careers were prestige of the specialty (p
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Availability and Utilization of Classroom Computers Across Urban and Rural Schools in Southwestern Nigeria - Aduwa-Ogiegbaen, Sam. E. O.; Iyamu, Ede O. S. (2011)
The purpose of this study was to determine the availability and use of classroom computers in urban and rural schools in Southwestern Nigeria. Since it is nearly a universal agreement that, when properly utilized, computers hold a great deal of promise to improve teaching and learning, it is pertinent to ascertain the availability of computer facilities and their use by teachers in secondary school in urban and rural schools in Southwestern Nigeria. Data for the study was collected through a structured questionnaire which was administered to 540 (300 male and 240m female) teachers in the schools. The result indicated that the urban schools were better equipped with computers than the rural schools. Also, it was found that the female teachers utilized computer facilities in their instructional activities than the male teachers. Recommendations were made as to how the situation can be improved in terms of computer supply and usage in the schools.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Technological Adaptability in the Ethiopian Education System - Bitew, Getnet (2011)
Ethiopia has been using live “plasma” TV as a major mode of instructional delivery in the government secondary schools since 2004/2005 academic year. Since then, some improvements have been observed in terms of students’ listening skill. However, many students, teachers and parents argued that students are becoming mere listeners of the TV. They were not active in the learning process due to the large amount of instructional time taken by the live transmission. The “plasma” TV was also too fast to understand, pre-programmed, non-rewindable, and non-repeatable in character. This mode of instructional delivery should be assessed in terms of, among other criteria, its appropriateness (benefit for students’ learning); level of sophistication for the students (with respect to their language skill, etc); cost effectiveness; and availability and technical quality. Unfortunately, the current “plasma” TV was not effective in light of the above criteria. This study indicates that the “plasma” TV lessons shall be distributed on CDs to every school and teacher, and used as a supplementary instructional aid. The current “plasma” mode of instruction shall not continue in the way it is if we are genuinely intending to help our students develop their creativity, problem solving and critical skills. Teachers and students should get enough instructional time in the classrooms for discussion.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Students spark Tunisian uprising - Bougaada, Toufik (Nature Middle East, 2011)
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E-Learning and E-Management in Tunisian Universities - Braham, Rafik; Belcadhi, Lilia Cheniti; Chebaane, Narjess T.; Khemaja, Maha (2011)
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2007 Leadership and Human Resources Training in Rwanda - Braye, Rubye; Evans, Eric J. (2011)
This chapter originated as a reflection of the communication between U.S. facilitators and a Rwandan host as they ecollaborated in planning international leadership and human resources training for Rwandan leaders. The authors maintain that electronic collaboration or e-collaboration is a viable practice for use in effective communication with persons in developing nations. It can be used as a way to reduce the cost of providing support and services. For this action research project, facilitators accepted an invitation to train, collaborated to complete all planning via the Internet, and traveled to do the work successfully addressing all of the substantive requirements. In preparing this chapter, the authors have shared pre, during, and post work considerations hoping to make a case for increased use of e-collaboration in establishing effective work relationships and improved international communication. The chapter includes substantial details for context and the issues that necessitated the training. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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International Collaboration for Technology Enhanced Education in Rwanda - Breen, Paul P. (2011)
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AVU's Experience in Increasing Access to Quality Higher Education through e-Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa - Diallo, Bakary; Traoré, S.; Fernandes, Therrezinha (2011)
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Collaborative Partnerships and the Application of ICTs in Secondary Education in South Africa - Evoh, Chijioke J. (2011)
The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of collaborative partnership involving the private sector, government, and community groups in the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for expanding access to and improving the quality of secondary education in South Africa. Based on the operations and projects of Mindset Learn channel in secondary schools in South Africa, the study explores the enabling factors for the innovative improvement of secondary schooling with ICTs. On the other hand, the study also focused on the challenges facing Mindset Learn innovative approach to secondary education as well as the prospects of the sustaining this model of educational development in South Africa and other countries in Africa. Qualitative data collection methods were used to gather data from key informants. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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ICT in Education Development in Africa - Evoh, Chijioke J. (2011)
This study presents the rationale for policy and institutional frameworks in the development of ICT in secondary education in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As the adoption of modern ICTs slowly gain momentum, various stakeholders in education have recognized the importance of leveraging these technological tools for the improvement of teaching and learning. To a large extent, the application of modern ICTs in education remains uncoordinated in many countries. This study identifies the institutional framework as the dominant approach to ICT in education policy process in the region. This involves the participation of broad-based interest groups in the policy process. Using South Africa as a case study, the study presents elements of ICT in education policy as well as policy lessons that would enable African countries use ICTs for productive educational outcomes.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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The Adoption and Sustainability of Technology-Enhanced Education in Higher Institutions of Learning in Africa - Evoh, Chijioke J. (2011)
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Egypt, Arab Republic of - Second Pollution Abatement Project : P090073 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 09 - Hamed, Maged Mahmoud (2011)
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ICT-Enabled Education in Africa - Isaacs, Shafika (2011)
This essay prompts critical thinking on the way ICT-enabled education programs in Africa have been conceptualized and implemented. It reflects mainly on the experiences of the African SchoolNet movement over the past decade. It highlights important lessons and demonstrates the beneficial effects of technology-enhanced learning programs on African learners and teachers who have had the privilege of being included in SchoolNet initiatives. However, it also shows that the accumulated interventions and programs to date remain insignificant in scale to catalyze a resounding shift toward resolving the crisis in Africa’s education systems; it makes the case for integrated system-wide, locally led approaches that soberly takes account of the challenges imposed by globalization. The chapter traces the historical evolution of frameworks to promote African inclusion in the information society, and allusions are specifically made to the emergence of the NEPAD eSchools, and the Global eSchools and Communities Initiative of the UN ICT Task Force, which hold the potential for advancing the frontiers of learning in Africa. Here, the author emphasizes, however, that these new initiatives need to draw on the accumulated learning and experience of the SchoolNet movement over the past 10 years in Africa to succeed. Finally, the chapter raises the dearth of evidence-based research made in Africa by Africans who would verify or refute the case for stronger investment in ICTs for education. It then proffers suggestions on areas for further research.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
openalex: W4252559189
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ICT-Enabled Education in Africa - Isaacs, Shafika (2011)
This essay prompts critical thinking on the way ICT-enabled education programs in Africa have been conceptualized and implemented. It reflects mainly on the experiences of the African SchoolNet movement over the past decade. It highlights important lessons and demonstrates the beneficial effects of technology-enhanced learning programs on African learners and teachers who have had the privilege of being included in SchoolNet initiatives. However, it also shows that the accumulated interventions and programs to date remain insignificant in scale to catalyze a resounding shift toward resolving the crisis in Africa’s education systems; it makes the case for integrated system-wide, locally led approaches that soberly takes account of the challenges imposed by globalization. The chapter traces the historical evolution of frameworks to promote African inclusion in the information society, and allusions are specifically made to the emergence of the NEPAD eSchools, and the Global eSchools and Communities Initiative of the UN ICT Task Force, which hold the potential for advancing the frontiers of learning in Africa. Here, the author emphasizes, however, that these new initiatives need to draw on the accumulated learning and experience of the SchoolNet movement over the past 10 years in Africa to succeed. Finally, the chapter raises the dearth of evidence-based research made in Africa by Africans who would verify or refute the case for stronger investment in ICTs for education. It then proffers suggestions on areas for further research. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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The Role of Virtual Organizations in Post-Graduate Education in Egypt - Kamel, Sherif (2011)
Learning, education and training using traditional class methods and/or emerging online techniques are all leading to improved ways to investing in people, leveraging their capacities and reaching out to remote masses while cutting down on cost, time and efforts. Thus, the role of virtual organizations and virtual teams is rapidly spreading worldwide in the related aspects to learning and human resources development. This has led to the establishment of a large number of regional and global learning consortiums and networks aiming to provide quality knowledge and information dissemination vehicles to an ever-growing community of seekers that is online, active and eager to increasingly learn more. However, most of the publications address the theoretical foundations of virtual organizations; as for the actual practices, they are not extensively reported in the literature. This case addresses the experience of Egypt’s Regional IT Institute in the field of education and training. Today, the learning process is becoming a vital factor in business and socioeconomic growth where the role of information and communication technology is having a growing and an innovative impact. The Regional IT Institute was established in 1992 targeting the formulation of partnerships and strategic alliances to jointly deliver degree (academic) and non-degree (executive) programs for the local community capitalizing on the enabled processes and techniques of virtual organizations. The case provides many lessons to be replicated that demonstrate the opportunity to expand in exchanging the wealth of knowledge across societies using a hybrid of forms for virtual organizations and virtual teams.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Distance Education and ICT-Supported Learning in Lesotho - Khoro, Angelina (2011)
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are regarded as a major contributor to the transforming of distance learning. The researcher assumed that education practitioners in developing countries like Lesotho, have limited, or no access at all to ICT for supporting instruction, since they still rely heavily on print and tutor/learner meetings as their distance mode of course delivery. The study assessed the feasibility of introducing ICT-mediated education for tutors and learners on a Distance Education Programme in Lesotho. The paper specifically focused on issues relating to the place of ICT in teaching and learning at a distance, ICT policy initiatives and challenges of infrastructure, human resource capacity, and cost as they affect provision of, and access to computer-mediated learning. Interventions critical to alleviating the situation are also discussed. Policy-makers and distance education practitioners require this type of feedback to be able to effect meaningful improvements in ODL programmes.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Africa Education Perspectives on Culture and E-Learning Convergence - Kinuthia, Wanjira (2011)
Culture affects individuals’ responses to learning and instruction. It also influences the acceptance, use, and impact of e-learning environments because instructional approaches are entrenched in a context of beliefs, expectations, and values within the context of its application. Advances in e-learning are prompting a debate as to whether or not the tools and technologies are culturally neutral, inclusive, and representative. The aim of this chapter is to provide a background for understanding the links between cultural content and context and e-learning. The discussion relates instruction to technology in the face of dynamic socio-cultural issues and changing instructional systems. In doing so, challenges and exemplars from the African perspective are presented.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Preparing African Higher Education Faculty in Technology - Kinuthia, Wanjira (2011)
One of the most difficult challenges facing African higher education institutions (HEIs) is the successful resolution of the inherent tension that underlines efficient and effective utilization of existing resources on one hand and intensified demand for more and better education on the other (Okuni, 2001; Sawyerr, 2004). Although the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance participation in African HEIs has been widely recognized, its transformational capacity has barely been reached because of limited infrastructure, technological capacity, funding and sustainability of resources, and human resources and expertise. Poor infrastructure and weak regulatory policies and frameworks have resulted in inadequate access to affordable telephones, broadcasting, computers, and the Internet (Johnson, 2002). Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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E-Mail as a Teaching Supplement in Tunisia - Louadi, Mohamed El (2011)
Learning and knowledge dissemination using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is becoming increasingly prevalent in schools and universities around the world. Most institutions of higher learning now invest heavily in technologies such as the web and e-mail for students, staff, and faculty. ICT use is set to rise in emerging countries eager to move towards an “information society” where learning and knowledge are accessible to all. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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ICTs and Distance Education in Nigeria - Ololube, Nwachukwu Prince; Ubogu, Andrew Egba (2011)
Advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have posed complex problem for colleges and universities in Nigeria especially in their distance education programs (Ololube, 2006). Improving the quality of education through the diversification of contents and methods and promoting experimentation, innovation, the diffusion and sharing of information and best practices as well as policy dialogue are UNESCO’s strategic objectives in education (UNESCO, 2002, 2005). As such, information and communication technologies (ICTs) literacy rate have become key tools that have a revolutionary impact on how we see the world and how we live in it. This phenomenon has given birth to the contemporary and advances in our ways of life. ICTs are having a revolutionary impact on educational methodology. However, this revolution is not widespread and needs to be strengthened to reach a large percentage of the population through distance education. In a complex society, many factors affect distance education. Hence an interdisciplinary and integrated approach is very necessary to ensure the successful development of Nigeria’s economy and society (Mac-Ikemenjima, 2005). Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Facial Social Risks in IT Development in South Africa - Learning from Scandinavia - Scheepers, Helana; Mathiassen, Lars (2011)
South Africa is undergoing a number of changes, which has an effect on every aspect of society from the workplace to everyday life. South Africans need to reflect on this situation and determine how to proceed. The purpose of this article is to consider the development and implementation of information technology, one particular problem area, in this broader context. The article draws an analogy between the trade unionist systems development tradition in Scandinavia and the possible application it might have in South Africa. The article describes the situation in South Africa, presents the trade unionist approach to systems development, and describes the underlying principles that have been identified by Scandinavian researchers. It then evaluates these principles from a South African perspective and discusses the possible uses they might have in the South African situation.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
openalex: W4250881987
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Facial Social Risks in IT Development in South Africa - Learning from Scandinavia - Scheepers, Helana; Mathiassen, Lars (2011)
South Africa is undergoing a number of changes, which has an effect on every aspect of society from the workplace to everyday life. South Africans need to reflect on this situation and determine how to proceed. The purpose of this article is to consider the development and implementation of information technology, one particular problem area, in this broader context. The article draws an analogy between the trade unionist systems development tradition in Scandinavia and the possible application it might have in South Africa. The article describes the situation in South Africa, presents the trade unionist approach to systems development, and describes the underlying principles that have been identified by Scandinavian researchers. It then evaluates these principles from a South African perspective and discusses the possible uses they might have in the South African situation.
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Perspectives on Blended Open Distance Education Learning and Teaching in a South African Context - Singh, Shawren; Liang, Hsuan Lorraine (2011)
In this chapter, we will discuss the blended learning approach that has been adopted by the University of South Africa (an open and distance learning tertiary education institute). We will discuss our perspectives on using these blended learning approaches and tools in order to facilitate our teaching. We will then provide a comparison on the advantages and disadvantages of some of the blended approaches we have used. We will also discuss the future trends of the use of blended approaches in the context of open distance education and learning. Lastly, we will conclude this chapter by providing our perspectives on the blended learning and teaching approaches adopted by the University of South Africa.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
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Keywords: openalex:import

Schools-Based Community Networking in Uganda - Stern, Daniel (2011)
Our NGO, Uconnect1, is distributing hundreds of refurbished computers to dozens of mostly rural primary and secondary schools in Uganda, training teachers and students to set up their own computer labs, assisting them in getting connected to the Internet and guiding them to open their schools’ labs to the parents and local community after hours on a fee-paying basis. We have attempted to develop each aspect of the project’s operations in such a way that it is sustainable, scalable and reproducible. This article will describe strategies we have used in our quest to make the Internet available to the widest number of people, and point out bottlenecks that challenge us to overcome. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.
openalex: W4238356600
Keywords: openalex:import