Standard setting in the teaching and learning process in the Kenya school system

Standards are set at different levels to govern different requirements that collectively add up to the ingredients of quality education of a child. This study investigated whether or not there are quantitative standards of achievement for guiding teaching and learning in the school system in Kenya. It also investigated teachers’ perception of their pupils’ mastery of what they were taught in class. The findings were that such standards do not exist. Teachers use their previous year’s mean scores and compare themselves with neighbouring schools to judge how well they are performing in national examinations. Teachers reported that their pupils do not master what they are taught. The study recommends change of teaching approach from content coverage to content mastery (mastery learning) by setting a minimum proficiency level of between 50-74% (62.5% on average) as a criterion to aspire to during formative assessment

The donkey skin trade: a growing global problem

A crescente demanda por ejiao – uma gelatina produzida a partir da pele de jumento e usada na medicina tradicional chinesa – está colocando em risco as populações globais de jumentos e ameaçando a subsistência de milhões de pessoas que dependem delas em países de renda média e baixa. Centenas de milhares de jumentos são abatidos para obter suas peles e exportados anualmente, principalmente da África para a China. No entanto, o comércio está se espalhando pelo globo, inclusive para o Brasil. Este artigo destaca as péssimas condições de bem-estar para os jumentos apanhados no comércio legal e ilegal, bem como os efeitos sobre as pessoas vulneráveis e o potencial de propagação de doenças e riscos para a saúde humana.Growing demand for ejiao – gelatin produced from donkey skin and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine – is putting global donkey populations at risk and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people that depend on them in lower and middle-income countries. Hundreds of thousands of donkeys are slaughtered for their skins and exported annually, mostly from Africa to China. However, the trade is spreading across the globe, including Brazil. This article highlights the appalling welfare conditions for donkeys caught up in both the legal and illegal trade, as well as the effects on vulnerable people and the potential for disease spread and hazards to human health

Perceptions and uptake of health insurance for maternal care in rural Kenya: a cross sectional study

Introduction: In Kenya, maternal and child health accounts for a large proportion of the expenditures made towards healthcare. It is estimated that one in every five Kenyans has some form of health insurance. Availability of health insurance may protect families from catastrophic spending on health. The study intended to determine the factors affecting the uptake of health insurance among pregnant women in a rural Kenyan district. Methods: This was cross-sectional study that sampled 139 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at a level 5 hospital in a Kenyan district. The information was collected through a pretested interview schedule. Results: The median age of the study participants was 28 years. Out of the 139 respondents, 86(62%) planned to pay for their deliveries through insurance. There was a significant relationship between insurance uptake and marital status Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 6.4(1.4-28.8).Those with tertiary education were more likely to take up insurance AOR 5.1 (1.3-19.2). Knowing the benefits of insurance and the limits the insurance would settle in claims was associated with an increase in the uptake of insurance AOR 7.6(2.3-25.1), AOR 6.4(1.5-28.3) respectively. Monthly income and number of children did not affect insurance uptake. Conclusion: Being married, tertiary education and having some knowledge on how insurance premiums are paid are associated with uptake of medical insurance. Information generated from this study if utilized will bring a better understanding as to why insurance coverage may be low and may provide a basis for policy changes among the insurance companies to increase the uptake.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

The prevalence and economic importance of bovine fasciolosis in Kenya - an analysis of abattoir data

A retrospective study covering a period of 10 years (1990-1999) was carried out using post mortem meat inspection records at the Veterinary Department Headquarters at Kabete to determine the prevalence and economic importance of bovine fasciolosis in Kenya. Meat inspection records from abattoirs in 38 districts distributed over seven out of the eight provinces of Kenya were examined. Prevalence of fasciolosis was calculated as the number of cattle found to be infected with Fasciola, expressed as a percentage of the total number of cattle slaughtered. Using the average weight and market price of a bovine liver, the monetary loss occasioned by condemnation of Fasciola infected livers was calculated. A survey was also carried out at Dagoretti slaughterhouse complex in Nairobi to determine the relative occurrence of F. gigantica and F. hepatica in slaughtered cattle. Cattle slaughtered at Dagoretti slaughterhouse originate from all parts of the country. A total of 5 421 188 cattle were slaughtered in the seven provinces of Kenya during the 10-year period and 427 931 (8%) of these cattle were infected with Fasciola. The region with the highest prevalence of fasciolosis was Western Province (16%) followed, in descending order, by Eastern Province (11%), Nyanza Province (9%), Rift Valley Province (8%), Central Province (6%), Nairobi Province (4%) and Coast Province (3.5%). The total economic loss incurred by the country during the 10-year period as a result of condemnation of the infected livers was approximately US$2.6 million. The total annual economic losses during this period ranged from approximately US$0.2-0.3 million. The highest total economic losses for the 10-year period were recorded in Western Province (US$0.8 million) and Central Province (US$0.7 million). A total of 1 584 cattle originating from five provinces of Kenya were slaughtered at Dagoretti slaughterhouse over a period of two months of which 147 (9.3%) were infected with liver flukes. All the liver flukes obtained from the infected livers were identified as F. gigantica. It is concluded that fasciolosis is prevalent in cattle in all provinces of Kenya, that it causes great economic losses as a result of condemnation of infected livers, and that F. gigantica is the main species of liver flukes affecting cattle in Kenya. Local climatic factors, cattle trade, rustling and population numbers, and the presence of the snail intermediate hosts are probably the main factors influencing the incidence of the disease in the various regions of the country.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201

Perceptions and uptake of health insurance for maternal care in rural Kenya: a cross sectional study

Abstract Introduction: In Kenya, maternal and child health accounts for a large proportion of the expenditures made towards healthcare. It is estimate

An investigation of the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance in secondary schools in Nyeri district, Kenya

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance among students in Nyeri district, Kenya. The correlational study design was used. The study was carried out among form four students together with their teachers. The target population was 83,000 students and 600 teachers from the District. Eighty students from four schools and 12 teachers were randomly sampled. Three instruments prepared by the researchers were administered, that is, a Students’ Questionnaire, a Teachers’ and a Students’ Interview Schedules. The results showed that there is a statistically significant difference (P < 0.01, t = -3.736) between test anxiety levels before and after examinations. High anxiety is experienced before the examination in all subjects. It was also established that both girls and boys are equally affected by test anxiety. The results showed that teachers do not adequately help students cope with test anxiety. There was no significant relationship (r = 0.06) between test anxiety and academic performance. It was recommended that a curriculum that is inclusive of strategies of coping with test anxiety be developed.KEY WORDS: test, anxiety, academic performance, coping strategies, examinatio

A computation of implied volatility leveraging model-free option-implied information

This paper takes inspiration from recent model-free techniques for estimating the risk-free rate and dividend yield from European-style option prices. It proposes a methodology for computing implied volatility (IV) that integrates this option-derived information. Instead of relying on traditional inputs like treasury yields and historical dividend yields, our approach incorporates forward-looking estimates of the dividend-adjusted underlying asset price and the implied discount factor into the IV computation. This results in a simpler yet more informative adjustment that may prove useful in updating the computation of IV

Prevalence and Economic Importance of Fascioliasis in Cattle, Sheep and Goats in Kenya

A 10 year (1990-1999) retrospective study using post mortem records was carried out at Veterinary Department Headquarters Kabete to determine the prevalence and economic importance of fasciolosis in cattle, goats and sheep in Kenya. Records from abattoirs in 38 districts in 7 provinces of Kenya were examined. Fasciolosis prevalence was calculated. Using an average weight of (3kg) cattle and (0.5) sheep and goats and market price of approximately US $2.0 per Kg, the monetary loss occasioned by condemnation of Fasciola infected livers was calculated. Out of 5,421,188 cattle, 1,700,281 sheep and 2,062,828 goats slaughtered, 427,931 cattle (8$ 2.6million, US$61,995 and US$48,889 respectively. Fasciolosis is prevalent in cattle, sheep and goats in Kenya and a major cause of economic losses, as a result of condemnation of infected livers. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 27 2004: pp. 118-12

Relative Occurrence of Fasciola species in cattle, sheep and goats slaughtered at Dagoretti slaughterhouse in Kenya

A cross sectional survey was carried out in Nairobi\'s Dagoretti slaughter house, where routine postmortem meat inspection was done. All liver flukes detected in cattle, sheep and goats were collected and transported to laboratory for analysis to determine the relative occurrence of Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatic in slaughtered cattle, sheep, and goats by observing their size and morphology. The study showed that all the liver flukes collected in Dagoretti were F. gigantica. A total of 1584 cattle, 989sheep and 954 goats originating from five out of the 8 provinces of Kenya were slaughtered at Dagoretti slaughter house, over the study period. 147 (9.3%) cattle, 8 (0.8%) sheep, 4 (0.4%) goats were shown to harbor liver fluke infection. It was concluded that fascioliasis is prevalent in cattle, sheep and goats of Kenya. This may be a cause of great economic losses at slaughter as a result of condemnation of infected livers. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 27 2004: pp. 124-12