#FeesMustFall2016: Perceived and measured effect on clinical medical students

Background. Medical students are under immense academic stress. Campus unrest can contribute to stress and influence academic performance, social behaviour, emotional stability and financial expenses.Objectives. To investigate the effects of #FeesMustFall2016 (#FMF2016) on the 2016 3rd-year (semester 6) clinical medical students at the University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, South Africa.Methods. In phase 1 of the project, anonymous questionnaires were completed by the clinical students who experienced physical test disruption during #FMF2016. Opinions regarding academic performance, financial expenses, behaviour changes and stress levels were gathered. The students also completed a formal post-traumatic stress screening assessment. In phase 2 of the project, the academic performance of these students was compared with that of students not affected by #FMF2016.Results. Of the target population of 138 students, 87.0% completed the questionnaires. Three-quarters of the respondents reported a negative effect on academic performance, and most did not believe that the delivering of lectures on Blackboard was a good way of training. Alcohol consumption increased in 31.9% of the students. Criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were met in 12.7% of students. Compared with previous and later cohorts of students there were no clear differences regarding marks, but there was a tendency towards poorer performance and more failures the next year.Conclusions. Semester 6 medical students at UFS reported that the #FMF2016 protests had a negative effect on academic, social, financial and stress aspects. PTSD was present in 12.7% of students compared with 7.8% in similar populations.

The Role of the Dayak People of Indonesia and the Philippines Menuv Tribe of the Keretungan Mountain in Ecological Conservation: The Natural and Indispensable Partners

Tulisan ini terinspirasi dari tulisan Janis B. Alcorn dan Antoinette G. Royos, Eds. Indigeneous Social Movements and Ecological Resilience: Lessons from the Dayak of Indonesia, Biodiversity Support Program in 2000 and the Idsesenggilaha of the Menuv Tribe in Mount Kalatungan, Bukidnon, ICCA. Tulisan ini dibuat untuk mendukung tujuan Perserikatan Bangsa-bangsa tentang hak dan kesejahteraan masyarakat adat, utamanya di Asia dan pada saat sama tulisan ini bertujuan untuk menggugah kesadaran kita dan memenuhi tanggungjawab kita untuk melindungi dan melestarikan lingkungan

Toward greater access and impact: Directions for a sociological understanding of Philippine higher education

In the Philippines and many other developing countries higher education has a special function, not only with regard to educating students for jobs but also with regard to partnerships for industry growth, research for national development and the formation of critical leaders in society. However, these aims are impeded by issues of access and the unclear impact of higher education and society on each other. In this conceptual study, the authors highlight four directions for a sociological analysis of Philippine higher education: students’ access to higher education, its organization and whether it promotes or impedes access, institutions’ responses to social, economic and technological changes, and their active influence on society. By reviewing and organizing different frameworks and empirical studies, the authors suggest ways of understanding higher education in the Philippines and how a sociological perspective can clarify postsecondary institutions’ role in promoting access for students and having a greater impact on society. Having this sociological consciousness can help administrators, instructors, students and industry leaders to be aware of how higher education in developing contexts can be leveraged for societal development