The Gambia\u27s Training Manual on Multi-Grade Teaching

This training guide—and its companion; The Gambia’s Handbook on Multi-Grade Teaching—went through a process of development that was uniquely participatory and highly interactive. It was developed under the leadership of project LIRE and the Technical Working Group in The Gambia (TWG). This manual was further enriched with inputs and contributions from education officials and teachers involved in the LIRE multi-grade program. TWG members were drawn from key stakeholders from within and outside the Ministry of Education. Members are seasoned curriculum developers and planners with years of experience in curriculum and materials development

The Gambia\u27s Teachers\u27 Handbook on Multi-Grade Teaching

This handbook is designed to be used as a continual resource for the multi-grade teacher. The multi-grade teacher can refer to it at any specific point in time to learn ways and methods of applying certain skills or techniques and to gain knowledge on a particular topic. For example, a teacher planning a lesson could refer to it for specific guidance on how to do so using the samples in this guide. It gives information on how to adapt the syllabus, organize schemes of work, among others. The handbook also provides examples that the teacher can use and reflection points at the end of each unit. Some units in this guide have examples created by multi-grade teachers who were traomed at the time the handbook was created

Innovative Way of Transferring Education and Training Facilities in Namibia. The Adult Skills Development for Self_Emplyments (ASDSE) Project

This paper investigates new ways to transfer entrepreneurial education to previously disadvantaged individuals. It analyses the case of the ASDSE project, implemented in the form of partnership between the Namibian Government, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and a commercial bank. The main concept was to train the District Learner Officials already in the field for the National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN), and at a later stage to assign them to the tasks of selecting, training and monitoring the entrepreneurs. Since the launch of this project 330 loans amounting to N$770,000 (US$ 150,000)were disbursed to unemployed and underemployed Namibians, 70% of which are women, the majority being heads of households. Previously, to receive the loan, each entrepreneur had to receive extensive training on basic entrepreneurial skills. It is encouraging to note that to date, thanks to the constant follow-up of the entrepreneurs, the repayment rate by entrepreneurs is 98% with only 2% defaultsNamibia, micro credit, SMME

Prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among young people in the Gambia

Introduction: Tobacco consumption, and consequent morbidity and mortality, are expected to grow most markedly over coming decades in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Preventing tobacco experimentation and uptake among young people in LMICs is therefore vital. However, data on smoking in these countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, remain sparse. Method: We used two-stage cluster random sampling to select students in upper and senior secondary schools throughout The Gambia, and a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on their tobacco use, risk factors, and demographic details. Results: Of 10,392 eligible students, 10,289 (99%; 55% girls and 44% boys, age 12-20 years) participated. The prevalence of ever smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes was 16.7% (25.7% boys and 9.4% girls) and current (past 30 days) smoking 4.5% (7.9% boys and 1.5% girls). Smoking was more common among students attending private schools (OR1.69, 95% CI 1.29-2.22), of Christian) or other faiths compared to Muslims, living with parents (OR1.39, 95% CI 1.06-1.81), who had smoking allowed in their homes (OR1.67, 95% CI 1.30-2.13), with family members who smoked or had one or more friends who smoked. Most (55.6%) smokers want to stop, but only 22% received any stop smoking support. Ever smoking of shisha, at 8.1%, was unexpectedly high, and relatively prevalent among girls (11.4% of boys and 5.4% of girls). Conclusions: Tobacco use is common among young people in the Gambia. Shisha smoking is also common in this population, and in relative terms especially among girls. Further work is required to determine whether this is a problem local to The Gambia, or reflects a wider pattern of tobacco use in sub-Saharan Africa

The Diffusion of Modern technologies in Namibia

Keywords: Namibia, Regional Development, Innovation Systems, Planning During the last decade, globalisation and modern technologies have engendered as much challenges as opportunities for economies of many states in several respects. This is especially true for less developed countries such as Namibia. With the rapid introduction of new modern technologies and speedy disposal of the old ones; many nation states face a spatial change. Hypothetically, they respond differently to this challenge. Innovation diffusion implies the questions: by what criteria and for whom? Moreover, diffusion suggests a process of making new technologies adopted or made available over a wide geographically defined area. If indeed, there is a diffusion of innovations in Namibia, how is it taking place? In the age of globalisation, is it global forces that are ‘shipping’ new technologies to Namibia? Could it be that innovations are closely tied to the education system and the country’s multicultural set-up? Or, is it people/companies on the move who carry innovations with? And, what is unique about Namibia, regarding this process? This paper is an attempt to discuss the processes of technology and innovation adoptions in the sectors of agriculture, fisheries and mining in Namibia – in the context of regional and local development. The main research questions focus on: Which factors promotes innovations and which ones impedes innovations, and how does local conditions change, accordingly developing an economy from a resource-based to an information society? This work seeks to develop a theory that considers regional and local development as an output of interacting local actors - a kind of ‘Reflective causation’ of development. According to this approach, the spatiality of innovation adoption and the process of transformation are primarily induced by a network of internal forces motivated by history. In this context, history not from a nationalist perspective but from a spatial viewpoint, forms the basis of a nation’s identity and models a country’s economic development. In addition to an earlier hypothesis, other factors: market strategy, demand conditions, structural elements and global forces do not halt development, they broaden and amplify the spatiality of development. The data, which forms the basis of my analysis, will be drawn from key informant interviews from June to September 2002 in the Republic of Namibia.

Education Sector COVID-19 Response Plan and Its Implication on Inclusive Education in the Gambia

During the early hours of 2020, COVID -19 terrorized the world by forcing many countries to close their borders and restrict internal movement by imposing a state of national emergency which was geared toward lockdowns for months in some areas for years. The Gambia was not an exception to this trajectory and one of the sectors heavily stroked by this lockdown was education. As a result, “the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE)” designed a Response framework to curb learning loss across the country. This study aimed to analyse the policy and describe the implication it has on inclusive education. The qualitative research method was used imploring the interpretive approach in the analysis. Despite the nobility and ambitiousness of the policy, the findings from the analysis revealed that the policy had a serious blind spot in the area of inclusion because many children are left out because of their inability to access the mediums where lessons are delivered. Many households in rural Gambia did not have a stable electricity supply or even own a television or radio set, therefore it was impossible for children in these communities to benefit from the program. In addition, children with special needs are also excluded particularly does who are visually or hearing impaired

LEARNING DISABILITIES DIAGNOSTIC PROTOCOL A PREREQUISITE FOR BASIC EDUCATION IN CAMEROON; HEAD TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE

Learning disabilities is one of the hidden disabilities that affect one or more of the processes people use in learning and developing oral language, reading, writing, mathematics, social skills, executive functions, memory, and motor skills. Being a disability that is not readily observable because there are no outward signs, many pupils with this condition are often misunderstood or overlooked. Some instructors and administrators suspect that pupils’ who claim to have learning disabilities are faking it, playing the system, or lack the intelligence needed to succeed. The need for a diagnostic procedure for the identification of these conditions is but a necessity. Being a qualitative study the researcher used the phenomenology design and sampled 10 headteachers as participants in the study. The researcher with the aid of an interview guide conducted interviews with all 10 headteachers from ten government-owned primary schools in the North West and South-West regions of Cameroon. The results showed that seven categories of learning disabilities were these schools as recognized by the teachers and headteachers they include reading, attention, mathematical, spelling, comprehensive, memory and writing problems. Numerous challenges abound as headteachers struggle with the practice of identifying learning disabilities.  As such, the ministry of basic education in Cameroon should establish a protocol of assessment wherein the steps of identification are presaged clearly alongside the various professionals to coordinate the process and actually conduct early identification and assessment of children with special needs.&nbsp