Role of Teachers’ Quantity on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students

Sequel to a national personnel audit that was recently conducted on public and private education in Nigeria, there has been a growing debate on the immediate need to increase the academic staff strength in all secondary schools in the country. This debate has however taken a controversial trend as a large part of the educational chiefs in the country have stood on an opinion to ordinarily improving the working condition of the existing academic staff since, to them, teachers’ quantity has no direct impact on students’ academic achievement. This paper therefore investigated the role of teachers’ quantity on the academic achievement of secondary school students to determine whether small or excess teachers’ quantity have a direct significant influence on how students perform academically. Using a descriptive survey design, the study sampled 120 teachers from a population of 1,205 in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state, Nigeria. A researcher-designed questionnaire of Likert scale was used for the data collection and descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used for the data analysis. It was therefore concluded that most schools in the local government are underserved with teachers and that – that had created some sorts of low academic achievement among the secondary school students. Schools do not give a fair share of their revenue to improve staff strength in their schools. Also, schools that are characterized by a low number of teachers are faced by pressure, high workload, and overstress which invariably influence the poor academic achievement of students. Keywords: role, teachers’ quantity, academic achievement, secondary school, students DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-1-06 Publication date: January 31st 202

Prevalence of Intestinal Helminth Infections among School Children in Relation to Occupation of Parents and Toilets Facilities in Maru L. G. A. Zamfara State.

The Study was conducted to study the prevalence of soil transmitted helminth parasites among school age children in Maru L. G. A. Zamfara State. A total 600 hundred school children between the ages of 4- 14 years were examined for Intestinal helminth infections using formol ether concentration technique. A total of 152 (25.33%) were found to be infected with various species of intestinal helminth parasites. The study showed five common intestinal worms in the area. Ascaris lumbricoides has the highest prevalence of 32.23% followed by Enterobius vermicularis (21.05%), Trichuiris trichuira (20.39%), Hook worm (13.81%) and Taenia spp (12.50%). Mixed Infections (29.60%) with some species of parasites were also encountered. The studies shows a significant difference between infection and the occupation of parents (P < 0.05). The study also showed that there was a significant relationship between infection and the  type of toilet facilities used (P < 0.05). Data suggested that soil transmitted helminths are important public health problems hence actions is imperative against deficiencies in sanitary facilities, improper disposal of human faeces, insufficient supplies of potable water, poor personal hygiene and health education

Extadigits: an unusual presentation

Extra digit is a common congenital anomaly in our environment which usually affect the hands and occasionally the feet but very rarely both. A five months old male infant presented with accessory digits of the both hands and feet, with two extra digits on the left hand and one on the right hand, right foot and left foot. The extra digits were well developed, with normal range of motion, good capillary refill and intact sensation. General examination revealed an otherwise healthy child with no associated congenital malformations. The treatment modality used was surgical removal of the extra digits and reconstruction of any associated anomalies in the remaining ray such as longitudinal epiphyseal bracket. After the surgery the patients is no longer experience difficulty with fitting gloves and shoes as well as discrimination among peer groups in his future life

Distribution and abundance of freshwater snails in Warwade Dam, Dutse, Northern Nigeria

Preliminary investigation in August, 2017 reported the presence of Lymnaea natalensis, Bellamya unicolor, Melanoides tuberculata and Bulinus globosus in order of increasing abundance and distribution in Warwade dam, Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria. A follow up study was carried out from April to October, 2019 to reveal further details on the abundance and distribution of freshwater snails in relation to some physiochemical factors of the dam. Four sampling sites; human activity, vegetation cover, lentic and lotic were selected for the study along the bank of the dam. Freshwater snails were collected using long handled scoop net with mesh 0.2mm complemented by hand picking methods in the four sampling sites. Water samples from the sampling sites were analyzed in the laboratory using standard procedures. A total of 2,027 of freshwater snails belonging to ten species were identified. Bulinus globosus 12(0.6%) and Lymnaea natalensis 12(0.6%) had the lowest abundance and distribution while Melanoides tuberculata 1553(76.6%) had the highest. Snail abundance was highest in site characterized by human activities (670) followed by vegetation (482), lotic (442) and lentic (433) waters. Most of the physico-chemical factors measured appeared to favour the growth and survival of fresh water snails. pH (p = 0.01), water current (p = <0.01) and magnesium ion concentration (p = < 0.01) varied significantly across the four sites. Only calcium ion concentration was significantly associated with snail abundance (p = 0.04). Snail abundance showed weak positive relationship with water temperature, color, turbidity and concentration of magnesium ion. The dam habours about ten species of freshwater snails in different abundance and distribution with M. tuberculata being the most abundant throughout the period of investigation. The dominance of M. tuberculata over other species particularly those of medical and veterinary importance could have positive implication for their control in the dam

Prevalence of Trachoma in Niger State, North Central Nigeria: Results of 25 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Carried Out with the Global Trachoma Mapping Project.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of trachoma in each of the 25 local government areas (LGAs) of Niger State, Nigeria. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in each Niger State LGA between March and April 2014, as part of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP). GTMP protocols were used in planning and conduct of the surveys. Using probability proportional to size, 25 clusters were selected; in each of these clusters, 25 households were enrolled for the survey. All residents aged 1 year and older were examined by GTMP-certified graders for trachomatous inflammation - follicular (TF) and trichiasis using the World Health Organization simplified grading scheme. Additionally, we collected data on household water and sanitation facilities. RESULTS: Only one LGA (Kontagora) had TF prevalence in 1-9-year-olds above 10%; one other LGA (Rafi) had TF prevalence between 5.0 and 9.9%. Six LGAs need trichiasis surgical services provided to achieve a prevalence of <1 case of trichiasis per 1000 total population. The proportion of households with access to improved water sources ranged from 23 to 100%, while household-level access to improved latrines ranged from 8 to 100% across the LGAs. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of trachoma is relatively low in most of Niger State. There is a need for community-based trichiasis surgical services in a small number of LGAs. The trachoma elimination program could engage water and sanitation agencies to augment access to improved water and sanitation facilities, for human rights reasons. Kontagora and Rafi need community-based interventions to reduce the prevalence of active trachoma

Modelling the effect of applied voltage and frequency on electroluminescence in polymeric material

Electroluminescence method has been used by several researchers to observe the behaviour of an aged polymeric material. Electroluminescence is a phenomenon that occurs when the atoms of a material are being excited due to the application of and external high electrical stresses. The changes in the energy level of these excitation states can be used as an indicator for the initiation of electrical ageing. There are several factors that affect the behaviour of electroluminescence emission such as, among others, applied voltage, applied frequency, ageing of material and types of materials and gases used are discussed in this paper. A mathematical approach relating these factors and the intensity of electroluminescence is proposed through the aid of Dimensional Analysis method. A close relationship is obtained between experimental and simulation that suggests this mathematical approach can be utilized as a tool to predict electrical ageing of insulation material