The impact of education in shaping lives: reflections of young people with disabilities in Ghana

There is increasing recognition on the importance of focusing on people with disabilities in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a nuanced appreciation of the lives of young people with disabilities in a Ghanaian context, this paper draws on research conducted with young people with disabilities and their significant others in order to understand their educational journeys, employment prospects and perceptions of those around them. In addition to collecting primary data, the latest policy documents related to disability, education and employment are reviewed and statistical analysis undertaken based on the Housing and Population Census 2010. Our research highlights the barriers facing those with disability in accessing quality education. While education was recognised as paramount to leading a better life and participants noted benefits beyond employment such as gaining self-sufficiency and social benefits, unequal educational opportunities underpin some of the reasons for the widening of gaps between those with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts. Furthermore, while education was seen as important for gaining employment, this was not the case in reality, as young people faced difficulties due to both physical and attitudinal barriers limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation in their communities. The paper concludes by noting that systematic changes in the policy arena are needed to enable youth with disabilities to take their rightful place in mainstream society.This is the accepted author manuscript. The final version is available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603116.2015.1018343

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Inhibits Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation and Invasion into Human Epithelial Cells

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus HD100 is a predatory bacterium that attacks many Gram-negative human pathogens. A serious drawback of this strain, however, is its ineffectiveness against Gram-positive strains, such as the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Here we demonstrate that the extracellular proteases produced by a host-independent B. bacteriovorus (HIB) effectively degrade/inhibit the formation of S. aureus biofilms and reduce its virulence. A 10% addition of HIB supernatant caused a 75% or greater reduction in S. aureus biofilm formation as well as 75% dispersal of pre-formed biofilms. LC-MS-MS analyses identified various B. bacteriovorus proteases within the supernatant, including the serine proteases Bd2269 and Bd2321. Tests with AEBSF confirmed that serine proteases were active in the supernatant and that they impacted S. aureus biofilm formation. The supernatant also possessed a slight DNAse activity. Furthermore, treatment of planktonic S. aureus with the supernatant diminished its ability to invade MCF-10a epithelial cells by 5-fold but did not affect the MCF-10a viability. In conclusion, this study illustrates the hitherto unknown ability of B. bacteriovorus to disperse Gram-positive pathogenic biofilms and mitigate their virulence.open6

Gendered experiences in teaching: an exploration into the participation and needs of female teachers in deprived rural areas of Ghana

Research in Ghana suggests that very few female teachers accept and stay in teaching posts in rural deprived areas. This article is based on a study conducted across six districts in three diverse geographic zones of Ghana with the lowest percentage of female teachers. The article provides evidence as to why the Government of Ghana has found it difficult to post female teachers to rural areas and the challenges which female teachers face once serving in these areas. The article also explores the strategies which could be used to attract more teachers to these areas and provides a framework for investigating the nature of posting women and the implications for the girl child.RésuméDes recherches menées au Ghana laissent croire que très peu d’enseignantes acceptent d’exercer ou de vivre dans les régions rurales défavorisées du pays. Cet article est le fruit d’une étude menée dans six districts situés dans trois zones géographiques différentes du Ghana qui ont le plus bas pourcentage d’enseignantes. L'article propose des preuves pour expliquer pourquoi les autorités ghanéennes ont souvent du mal à affecter des enseignantes en zone rurale et souligne aussi les difficultés auxquelles font face des enseignantes dans ces régions défavorisées. L'article explore également les stratégies à adopter pour attirer davantage d’enseignantes dans ces régions tout en proposant un cadre conceptuel pour l’analyse de la spécificité de l’affectation des femmes et de ses implications pour la formation des petites filles

Education, culture and development in Northern Ghana Micro realities and macro context; implications for policy and practice

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN031556 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo