A Comparative analysis of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and the African Draft Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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Quality, determinants and consequences of integrated reporting in South Africa

Integrated reporting (IR) is expected to be the next corporate reporting norm which combines the relevant financial and sustainability information in one report to meet the needs of capital providers. IR application all over the world has been largely voluntary while South Africa has introduced a mandatory apply or explain basis for firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Although numerous benefits have been attributed to IR, empirical evidence to support these assertions and establish a business case for the adoption of IR is desirable. The research examines the mandatory South African context for the quality of IR since its application in 2010. The factors influencing IR quality as well as the outcomes are examined to provide information to capital market regulators and governments considering the mandatory adoption of IR and to the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) in their promotion of IR.https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuposters/1020/thumbnail.jp

The Manfestation of the African-Centered Educational Philosophy in the Pedagogical Practices of an Elementary Education Science Teacher

The educational difficulties faced by African-American students in American public schools have led to a quest for authentic solutions. These solutions have included a call for pedagogical practices that recognize and infuse students\u27 culture into the learning environment. It is the case, however, that the acknowledgment of student culture is not evident in all classrooms, or in all disciplines. Many educators seem to misunderstand how to utilize student cultural identity to benefit student learning efficiently. The remedy might lie in providing more references for how student-centeredness for the African-American student can be implemented. This qualitative case study used an Afrocentric framework to link the discourse on culturally relevant teaching in mainstream schools with that of African-centered schools. Iexamined the practices of an elementary education science teacher in an African-centered school, and how she translated the African-centered curriculum into effective instructional methods, in a discipline as seemingly culture-neutral as science. The findings of this study are organized around the Afrocentric tenets of centrism, critical analysis and consciousness, and offer practical expressions of these tenets in the elementary science classroom. The findings suggest the importance of teacher mindset regarding centered pedagogical practices, and a need for teachers to prioritize their own knowledge and consciousness regarding the history and current scientific concerns relevant to people of African-descent. There is clearly a need for an acknowledgement of the foundational quality of socio-political science education at the elementary level. Doing so may help to reconcile some of the difficulties educators experience in addressing the socio-political aspects of elementary science. This study can contribute to the strengthening, empowering, and promoting of agency within educators of African-American students in all educational contexts

Alternative Dispute Resolution and its Implications for Women’s Access to Justice in Africa – Case-Study of Ghana

Western states have sought to globalise and popularise the practice of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a means of promoting access to justice in developing countries. In spite of the popularity of the practice, the issue as to whether and to what extent the benefits of the practice is spread evenly across gender lines with particular reference to Ghana and Africa in general has not been thoroughly examined. Tackling the issue from that angle, the paper contends that the introduction of ADR has no doubt helped women to obtain greater access to some form of justice. However, some of the inherent weaknesses located in the formal justice system remain embedded in the ADR process, thereby hindering women from reaping the full rewards of the ADR mechanism. Therefore, for ADR to promote qualitative justice for African women, the historical and cultural contexts informing gender biases in Africa have to be unearthed and dealt with. The paper concludes by proposing some solutions that may help women realise the maximum benefits in the use of ADR.Key words: Access to justice; Alternative dispute resolution; Women’s right

Understanding Determinants of Student Performance in K-12 Education System in Canada: A Behavioural Approach

This thesis examines the performance of 15-year-old students in Canadian public schools in the 2012 math examination organized by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The research aims to determine the level of influence three actors (the province, schools, and students) have on students’ performance in the 2012 PISA mathematics examinations. Due to the nested nature of the data, the three-level Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) method was used to address the research questions. The study found that of the three levels of influence, the strongest influence on math achievement (81%) is the individual students, followed by school (17%) and the province (2%). Among the variables at the individual level, gender and socioeconomic status of students are statistically significant. At the school level, parent expectations, school enrolment, class size, and teacher qualification variables were used. Parent expectations and school enrolment were found to impact student math achievement. The results from the study suggest that policies such as establishing parent engagement offices in schools, instituting gender equity programs and providing support for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are key in enhancing student learning in Canada

Factors affecting the success and failure of agribusinesses in the Accra and Kumasi Metropoles in Ghana : an empirical study

Ghana's agricultural sector remains a significant contributor to the economy. Moreover, agricultural entrepreneurs contribute positively to the economy of Ghana through job creation, tax revenues, and foreign exchange earnings. Nevertheless, in the agriculture sector, to wit, agricultural entrepreneurs are underperforming below their potential. This study sought to understand the factors that influence the success or failure of agribusinesses in the Accra and Kumasi Metropoles in Ghana. A qualitative method approach was employed to gather data from agricultural entrepreneurs in the study areas. Findings from this study showed that the success of agribusinesses in the study area is not necessarily based on the economic performance of the agribusiness, but rather on social factors -- that is, the human capital and personal qualities such as the technical skills, communication, and leadership skills of the entrepreneur, teamwork, customer relationship management skills and the attitudes of the employees such as commitment and discipline towards work. Meanwhile, this study associated the failure of agribusinesses primarily with economic factors, such as access to finance, adequate capital, and the pricing strategies of the business. Therefore, the study recommends that agribusinesses should consider the soft skills of candidates before hiring them to fill roles. Additionally, it is recommended that agribusinesses offer on-the-job training to improve the skills and knowledge of their employees. Furthermore, this study recommends that agribusinesses should take advantage of the Ghana Incentive-based Risk-sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL), to enhance their chances of receiving agricultural finance from commercial banking institutions.Includes bibliographical references

Nzema Proverbs and Sayings About Hard-Work, Perseverance and Self-Reliance

In many African socio-cultural setting, people cherish the incorporation of proverbs in discourse; partly because speakers use proverbs as a ‘vehicle’ to conveniently convey their messages to targeted audience. Since proverbs are concealed with a lot of didactics and wisdom, speakers often depend on them to advise people against vices, while most acceptable behaviours are encouraged through proverbs. Among the Nzema, proverbs permeate almost every communicative interaction. This paper presents a qualitative descriptive analysis of Nzema proverbial expressions that advocate the virtue and essence of hard work and perseverance. It aims at examining the role of the Nzema proverb in ‘empowering’ people to work hard and to highlight the implications for ensuring a peaceful society. The paper fetches data from both oral and documented sources, as well as the researchers’ intuitive knowledge as indigenous speakers of Nzema. It found that the Nzema detest people who entertain the spirit of laziness/idleness, since this could result in indigence and could sometimes compel people to indulge in several immoral acts. The Nzema rather believe that hard work and mobility could place people at the pinnacle of the pedestal with regard to achievements in life. The implication, as the discussions showcased, is that industriousness is a necessary tool for ensuring self-sufficiency; thereby promoting a peaceful, cohesive and harmonious traditional society among the Nzema. The paper, thus, calls on all categories of people to be hard-working, so as to live independently to avoid undesirable attitudes like robbery, envy, jealousy, and hatred etc. to ensure the prevalence of peace and societal co-existence at all times