Returns to Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Evidence from Zambia

The study seeks to investigate the returns to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Zambia using the 2014 Labour Force Survey (LFS). We adopt the modified Mincerian model and the fixed effects approach. We find that individuals who possessed TVET skills with certification, regardless of their gender or their place of residence, significantly earned more than their counterparts in wage employment without any TVET skills. We also find that males with vocational skills with certification significantly earned more than their female counterparts with the same TVET skills with certification, a sign of labour market discriminatory bias by employers. Moreover, we observe that individuals residing in rural areas with TVET skills with certification significantly earned more than their counterparts in urban areas with the same TVET skills with certification because employers may want to lure TVET graduates to relocate from urban areas to rural areas. However, individuals with TVET skills without certification did not significantly earn more than their colleagues in wage employment without TVET skills. In some cases, individuals with TVET training but without certification were observed to be worse off than their counterparts without TVET training in wage employment. Given the above evidence, it is imperative that the Zambian government significantly increases spending towards vocational training as well as invest in TVET infrastructure in order to improve TVET enrollment rates. This will enhance the employability of Zambians across the country and generate substantial returns to TVET skills. However, there is need for a deliberate policy that will ensure that females with the same vocational skills as their male counterparts earn the same returns. There is also need for deliberate awareness campaigns on the benefits of TVET training in order to reduce the stigma around TVET

The 4 per 1000 initiative.

Soil organic matter is at the nexus of global challenges: food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, soil security. The 4 per 1000 initiative, launched at the Climate COP21 within the Lima-Paris Action Agenda proposes to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to simultaneously address all these challenges. It directly addresses three sustainable development goals: SDG2 ?no hunger?, SDG13 ?Climate action?, and SDG15 ?Life on land? and indirectly concerns several others. The initiative targets agricultural soils in priority, which are often the most degraded soils and because of the high expected benefits in terms of soil fertility and hence of productivity. A range of agricultural practices are available that allow to increase SOC stocks while ensuring a resilient, productive and environmentally friendly agriculture, so that a large-scale deployment can be aimed at. Here, we review and discuss the main limits and criticisms addressed to the 4 per 1000 initiative

Improving validity of informed consent for biomedical research in Zambia using a laboratory exposure intervention.

BACKGROUND: Complex biomedical research can lead to disquiet in communities with limited exposure to scientific discussions, leading to rumours or to high drop-out rates. We set out to test an intervention designed to address apprehensions commonly encountered in a community where literacy is uncommon, and where complex biomedical research has been conducted for over a decade. We aimed to determine if it could improve the validity of consent. METHODS: Data were collected using focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations. We designed an intervention that exposed participants to a detailed demonstration of laboratory processes. Each group was interviewed twice in a day, before and after exposure to the intervention in order to assess changes in their views. RESULTS: Factors that motivated people to participate in invasive biomedical research included a desire to stay healthy because of the screening during the recruitment process, regular advice from doctors, free medical services, and trust in the researchers. Inhibiting factors were limited knowledge about samples taken from their bodies during endoscopic procedures, the impact of endoscopy on the function of internal organs, and concerns about the use of biomedical samples. The belief that blood can be used for Satanic practices also created insecurities about drawing of blood samples. Further inhibiting factors included a fear of being labelled as HIV positive if known to consult heath workers repeatedly, and gender inequality. Concerns about the use and storage of blood and tissue samples were overcome by a laboratory exposure intervention. CONCLUSION: Selecting a group of members from target community and engaging them in a laboratory exposure intervention could be a useful tool for enhancing specific aspects of consent for biomedical research. Further work is needed to determine the extent to which improved understanding permeates beyond the immediate group participating in the intervention

Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection in Infants - One Caribbean and Six Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2011-2015.

Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains an important public health issue in resource-limited settings. In 2015, 1.4 million children aged 50% decline. The most common challenges for access to testing for early infant diagnosis included difficulties in specimen transport, long turnaround time between specimen collection and receipt of results, and limitations in supply chain management. Further reductions in HIV mortality in children can be achieved through continued expansion and improvement of services for early infant diagnosis in PEPFAR-supported countries, including initiatives targeted to reach HIV-exposed infants, ensure access to programs for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and facilitate prompt linkage to treatment for children diagnosed with HIV infection

Returns to Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Evidence from Zambia

The study seeks to investigate the returns to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Zambia using the 2014 Labour Force Survey (LFS). We adopt the modified Mincerian model and the fixed effects approach. We find that individuals who possessed TVET skills with certification, regardless of their gender or their place of residence, significantly earned more than their counterparts in wage employment without any TVET skills. We also find that males with vocational skills with certification significantly earned more than their female counterparts with the same TVET skills with certification, a sign of labour market discriminatory bias by employers. Moreover, we observe that individuals residing in rural areas with TVET skills with certification significantly earned more than their counterparts in urban areas with the same TVET skills with certification because employers may want to lure TVET graduates to relocate from urban areas to rural areas. However, individuals with TVET skills without certification did not significantly earn more than their colleagues in wage employment without TVET skills. In some cases, individuals with TVET training but without certification were observed to be worse off than their counterparts without TVET training in wage employment. Given the above evidence, it is imperative that the Zambian government significantly increases spending towards vocational training as well as invest in TVET infrastructure in order to improve TVET enrollment rates. This will enhance the employability of Zambians across the country and generate substantial returns to TVET skills. However, there is need for a deliberate policy that will ensure that females with the same vocational skills as their male counterparts earn the same returns. There is also need for deliberate awareness campaigns on the benefits of TVET training in order to reduce the stigma around TVET

Lusting, learning and lasting in school: Sexual debut, school performance and dropout among adolescents in primary schools in Karonga district, northern Malawi

Age at sexual debut is known to have implications for future sexual behaviours and health outcomes, including HIV infection, early pregnancy and maternal mortality, but may also influence educational outcomes. Longitudinal data on schooling and sexual behaviour from a demographic surveillance site in Karonga district, northern Malawi, were analysed for 3153 respondents between the ages of 12 and 25 years to examine the association between sexual debut and primary school dropout, and the role of prior school performance. Time to dropout was modelled using the Fine and Gray survival model to account for the competing event of primary school completion. To deal with the time-varying nature of age at sexual debut and school performance, models were fitted using landmark analyses. Sexual debut was found to be associated with a five-fold increase in rate of subsequent dropout for girls and a two-fold increase in dropout rate for boys (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] of 5.27, CI 4.22–6.57, and 2.19, CI 1.77–2.7, respectively). For girls who were sexually active by age 16, only 16% ultimately completed primary schooling, compared with 70% aged 18 or older at sexual debut. Prior to sexual debut, girls had primary completion levels similar to those of boys. The association between sexual debut and school dropout could not be explained by prior poor school performance: the effect of sexual debut on dropout was as strong among those who were not behind in school as among those who were overage for their school grade. Girls who were sexually active were more likely to repeat a grade, with no effect being seen for boys. Pathways to dropout are complex and may differ for boys and girls. Interventions are needed to improve school progression so children complete primary school before sexual debut, and to improve sex education and contraception provision