Remarks Made at the TELECOM 95 Conference, 3 October 1995

This is a reprint of the address made by President Nelson Mandela at the TELECOM 95 Conference from October 3, 1995. In his remarks, he stressed the importance of new technologies for the development of the African continent, as well as the need for the expansion of communication and information networks. President Mandela also set forth his own set of principles designed to enable the full participation of both the developed countries and the developing countries in building a global information society

Availability and Utilisation of Science Laboratory Facilities on Science Teacher-Trainees’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science

This study assessed final-year science teacher-trainee perceptions of the impact of the availability and utilization of laboratory facilities on science students' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in science at Accra and Ada Colleges of Education. This research was motivated by an initial study that stated that the majority of junior high school science teachers were unable to teach science effectively so it was easier for students to understand. This research used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional descriptive survey design involving 62 intern teachers, 15 science tutors, and two school principals. The research instrument (tutor and teacher questionnaire) was declared suitable for use after a slight revision with the Validity and Reliability scores of 0.84 and 0.86. The research revealed that final-year science teacher candidates at the Accra College of Education were of the opinion that the availability and utilization of laboratory facilities had a moderate but neutral impact on PCK in science, in contrast to the results of research by science teachers at Ada College which stated that the availability and use of Laboratory facilities have a high and positive impact on PCK Science. It is recommended that science tutors engage science trainee teachers in efficient hands-on activities, and also focus on on-campus and off-campus practicums to develop the training of PCK science trainee teachers

Genomic prediction and genome wide association mapping of quality traits in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze)

Conventional tea breeding consisting of recurrent cycles of crossing, field evaluation and phenotypic selection is the main breeding technique for tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze). However, it is a time consuming process, that result in slow genetic gain. In order to accelerate tea breeding, the use of modern breeding methods is required. In this regard, genomic selection (GS) and genome wide association studies (GWAS) has been considered most promising for genetic improvement of complex traits. The main aim of our study was to investigate the applicability of GS and GWAS in tea breeding. A training population consisting of 103 tea genotypes located at two sites were genotyped using genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Twelve biochemical traits known to influence tea quality were evaluated using Nuclear Magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Hierarchical cluster and principle component analyses distinguished the 103 genotypes based on their biochemical properties. Additionally, specific biochemical compounds correlated with sensory properties; mouthfeel and taste correlated with ECG and EGCG, respectively. This implies that biochemical compounds could be used for selecting high quality teas objectively at the seedlings stage while the genotypes are still in the nursery, hence saving time. We also concluded that an optimized miniature process could be used for manufacturing different tea varieties into black tea, however technologies that could optimally control withering and fermentation steps for the different tea varieties developed in a breeding programme could be explored further. Using GWAS, we identified 64 significant SNP markers and candidate genes associated with the biochemical traits. The potential candidate genes identified included transferases, cytochrome P450 704C1 like proteins, E3 ubiquitin protein ligases, ATP dependent zinc metalloprotease and exopolygalacturonases. The candidate genes and the associated SNPs provide valuable resources for future studies to breed high quality tea varieties and to understand the genetic basis of tea quality at a chemical level, to complement the current sensory method of tea tasting. The identified SNP markers could be further fine mapped to evaluate their potential involvement in tea quality. Among the 2779 sequence tags, only 929 SNPs were mapped to each of the two published draft genomes. In addition,311 sequences had blast hits while 217 sequences were annotated and were assigned to biological processes, cellular component and molecular functions. We also compared the prediction accuracies of 5 GS models using a 5 fold cross validation approach. However, the performance of all the GS models were almost the same, with RRBLUP, BayesLASSO and BayesA performing slightly better than BayesB and BayesCπ. Traits with high GS accuracies were Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGG), Theanine, Epicatechin (EC), Epicatechin gallate (EGC) and theobromine, while those with low prediction accuracies were Gallocatechin (GC), catechin and Gallic acid (GA). We conclude that implementing GWAS and GS in tea breeding would help to improve the prediction accuracies and benefit from rapid genetic gains from selection of high quality teas

Low Community Participation in Sustaining Community Primary Schools in Kinkiizi West Constituency, Uganda

This study explored low community participation in sustaining community primary schools in Kinkiizi Constituency, Uganda. A qualitative study, framed within an interpretivist paradigm, drawn on a multiple case study design was used to identify the causes of low community participation in community primary school sustainability in Kinkiizi West constituency, Uganda. Two community primary schools, namely; Karangara and Buhoma community primary schools were purposively chosen as cases of study. The data was generated using FGDs, interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select 28 participants who are community members (parents and non-parents), community leaders, head teachers, and the District Education Officer. Findings revealed that low community participation is due to; poor socio-economic conditions, low value for education, poor school management, poor school-community relationship, closure of schools by government plus weather, and topography. These findings are of great importance to the Ministry of Education, teachers, communities, parents, and students. It will guide policy formulation that improves the levels of community participation and sustainability of community schools in Uganda

State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19

This report documents the impact of one year of Covid-19 in India, on jobs, incomes, inequality, and poverty. It also examines the effectiveness of policy measures that have thus far been undertaken to offer relief and support. Finally, it offers some policy suggestions for the near and medium-term future.When the pandemic hit, the Indian economy was already in the most prolonged slowdown in recent decades. On top of this, there were legacy problems such as a slow rate of job creation and lack of political commitment to improving working conditions which trapped a large section of the workforce without access to any employment security or social protection.Our analysis shows that the pandemic has further increased informality and led to a severe decline in earnings for the majority of workers resulting in a sudden increase in poverty. Women and younger workers have been disproportionately affected. Households have coped by reducing food intake, borrowing, and selling assets. Government relief has helped avoid the most severe forms of distress, but the reach of support measures is incomplete, leaving out some of the most vulnerable workers and households. We find that additional government support is urgently needed now for two reasons - compensating for the losses sustained during the first year and anticipating the impact of the second wave

Children's daily travel to school in Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa: geography and school choice in the Birth to Twenty cohort study

This paper has two aims: to explore approaches to the measurement of children’s daily travel to school in a context of limited geospatial data availability, and to provide data regarding school choice and distance travelled to school in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper makes use of data from the Birth to Twenty cohort study (n=1428) to explore three different approaches to estimating school choice and travel to school. Firstly, straight-line distance between home and school is calculated. Secondly, census geography is used to determine whether a child's home and school fall in the same area. Thirdly, distance data are used to determine whether a child attends the nearest school. Each of these approaches highlights a different aspect of mobility, and all provide valuable data. Overall, primary school aged children in Soweto-Johannesburg are shown to be travelling substantial distances to school on a daily basis. Over a third travel more than 3km, one-way, to school, 60% attend schools outside of the suburb in which they live, and only 18% attend their nearest school. These data provide evidence for high levels of school choice in Johannesburg-Soweto, and that families and children are making substantial investments in pursuit of high quality educational opportunities. Additionally, these data suggest that two patterns of school choice are evident: one pattern involving travel of substantial distances and requiring a higher level of financial investment, and a second pattern, involving choice between more local schools, requiring less travel and a more limited financial investment

Necessary fictions: indigenous claims and the humanity of rights

Indigenous right insistently challenges the surpassing arrogations of sovereign right. In so doing, it affirms dimensions of being-together denied or stunted in sovereign modes of political formation. This force of Indigenous right is amplified here through legal and literary instantiations. These, in turn, uncover the continuously created and fictional quality of rights, revealing them to be necessary fictions

State of working India 2021 : one year of Covid-19

This report documents the impact of one year of Covid-19 in India, on jobs, incomes, inequality, and poverty. It also examines the effectiveness of policy measures that have thus far been undertaken to offer relief and support. Finally, it offers some policy suggestions for the near and medium-term future. When the pandemic hit, the Indian economy was already in the most prolonged slowdown in recent decades. On top of this, there were legacy problems such as a slow rate of job creation and lack of political commitment to improving working conditions which trapped a large section of the workforce without access to any employment security or social protectio

Education for Sustainable Development and retention: unravelling a research agenda

This paper considers the question of what education for sustainable development (ESD) research might signify when linked to the concept of “retention”, and how this relation (ESD and retention) might be researched. It considers two different perspectives on retention, as revealed through educational research trajectories, drawing on existing research and case studies. Firstly, it discusses an ESD research agenda that documents retention by focusing on the issue of keeping children in schools. This research agenda is typical of the existing discourses surrounding Education for All (EFA). It then discusses a related ESD research agenda that focuses more on the pedagogical and curricular aspects of retention, as this provides for a deeper understanding of how ESD can contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning within a wider EFA retention agenda