Evidence on educational strategies to address child labour in India and Bangladesh: Scoping paper summaries

The ILO estimates that India and Bangladesh are home to the majority of child labourers in South Asia. A new research initiative led by the UNICEF Office of Research–Innocenti, “Evidence on Educational Strategies to Address Child Labour in South Asia,” aims to identify effective educational strategies to address child labour in these two countries. Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), this research is part of the broader FCDO ‘Asia Regional Child Labour Programme,’ which will run through 2023. To kick-start the project, an inception workshop was held in New Delhi in November 2019 to explore current evidence and inform future direction for research on educational strategies with the potential for reducing child labour in India and Bangladesh. Papers submitted by workshop presenters addressed a variety of topics related to the child labour and education landscape in both countries. Taken together, these pieces represent a valuable contribution to take stock of the knowledge base on child labour and education patterns, as well as on educational strategies with the potential to address child labour in India and Bangladesh. The papers also represent an important starting point for practitioners and researchers looking to identify knowledge gaps and future research opportunities on this topic. While specific to India and Bangladesh, the papers can provide useful linkages to the broader South Asian or global contexts. This Compendium presents a curated selection of the workshop papers, updated to include the potential implications of COVID-19 for schooling and child labour

A Rare Type of Uterine Rupture Following Over-the-Counter Use of Misoprostol in Second Trimester Abortion

The use of misoprostol in the second trimester by a woman with a uterine scar may lead to severe contractions and uterine rupture. We report a 24-year-old pregnant female patient who presented at the Emergency Department at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, India, in 2020 with haemorrhagic shock. She was at 16 weeks of gestation and had taken over the counter misoprostol for inducing an abortion. A quick initial resuscitation and urgent laparotomy were performed. An irreparable circumferentially avulsed uterus suspended only by round ligaments was noted. Haemostasis required internal artery ligation and immediate total hysterectomy. The patient was doing well upon follow-up six months after the surgery. Proper and supervised use of misoprostol in the appropriate dosage can avoid life-threatening consequences of uterine rupture. Keywords: Uterine Rupture; Misoprostol; Induced Abortion; Hysterectomy; Case Report; India

Understanding the Profile, Motivations and Current Status of Academic Graduates through Open and Distance Schooling in India

In India, Open and Distance Learning for secondary and higher secondary level is mainly provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Secondary education in India pertains to class 9 and 10 catering to the age group of 15 to 16. Similarly, higher secondary education refers to class 11 and 12 catering to the age group of 17 to 18. Based on research supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) this paper discusses the results from a telephone survey of close to 1000 learners who were enrolled with NIOS and completed secondary and higher secondary education during 2008-2012 in selected states. It emerged that nearly 81 per cent of respondents were gainfully employed and NIOS helped them look for better jobs, widen their job search, and gain more stable (permanent) and secure (government) jobs. NIOS has successfully enabled a good proportion of learners to continue with their higher education. Flexibility offered by open schooling is the main motivation to join NIOS; individuals facing various constraints in accessing regular secondary education have opted for this option. It appears that two different kinds of learners join NIOS at these two levels; the secondary level seems to have a bigger representation from lower socio-economic strata. The role of open schooling in reducing the gender gap at secondary level of schooling remains mixed

Understanding the Profile, Motivations and Current Status of Academic Graduates through Open and Distance Schooling in India

In India, Open and Distance Learning for secondary and higher secondary level is mainly provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Secondary education in India pertains to class 9 and 10 catering to the age group of 15 to 16. Similarly, higher secondary education refers to class 11 and 12 catering to the age group of 17 to 18. Based on research supported by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) this paper discusses the results from a telephone survey of close to 1000 learners who were enrolled with NIOS and completed secondary and higher secondary education during 2008-2012 in selected states. It emerged that nearly 81 per cent of respondents were gainfully employed and NIOS helped them look for better jobs, widen their job search, and gain more stable (permanent) and secure (government) jobs. NIOS has successfully enabled a good proportion of learners to continue with their higher education. Flexibility offered by open schooling is the main motivation to join NIOS; individuals facing various constraints in accessing regular secondary education have opted for this option. It appears that two different kinds of learners join NIOS at these two levels; the secondary level seems to have a bigger representation from lower socio-economic strata. The role of open schooling in reducing the gender gap at secondary level of schooling remains mixed

Comparison of Hepatitis C Virus Genotyping by 5′ Noncoding Region- and Core-Based Reverse Transcriptase PCR Assay with Sequencing and Use of the Assay for Determining Subtype Distribution in India

Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences of the 5′ noncoding regions (5′NCR) of 149 samples from hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-positive chronic carriers representing northern, southern, eastern, and western India showed that type 3 and type 1 are the predominant genotypes circulating in India, with an overall prevalence of 53.69 and 38.25%, respectively. Type 4 viruses (6.04%) were seen only in southern India. Sequence analysis of the core region of 51 of the above isolates enabled us to classify them further into subtypes as 1b (number of isolates [n] = 10), 1a (n = 6), 3a (n = 9), 3g (n = 14), 3f (n = 1), and 4d (n = 3). Three new subtypes were identified for the first time and designated as 3i (n = 5), 3j (n = 2), and 6l (n = 1). Sequencing the 5′NCR could differentiate HCV types, whereas classification at the level of subtype was possible with sequence analysis of the core region