Teaching Sexuality Education in Primary Schools in Tanzania: Challenges and Implications

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of school based sexuality education in promoting knowledge and skills relating to the prevention of pregnancy and HIV and AIDS. The rationale was that understanding how teachers and pupils experience sexuality education in schools could perhaps contribute to better ways of mitigating HIV/AIDS and pregnancies. In this regard, the study  focused on exploring the way in which sexuality education is provided in primary schools, explore teachers’ training on sexuality education provision, pupils’ source of sexuality education knowledge and challenges that affect the provision of  sexuality education. The study used mixed method design, where by both quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilized. The study population was drawn from a total of 120 teachers and 204 pupils. Data collection methods included, questionnaires and interviews. The research findings shows although sexuality education seem to be intergrated in subjects, pupils’ source of sexuality knowledge seem to be not from schools teaching and learning rather other sources out of schools. On the other hand there was evidence of inadequate training for teachers on how to teach and handle sexuality classes in primary schools. Furthermore pupils faces difficulties in learning sexualit topics due to different factors such as cultural barrier, religious beliefs and personal background, teachers with relevant teaching skills and learning facilities. The study recommend several approaches to improve sexuality education in schools which include training for teachers to improve the content and methodology for teaching sexuality education, providing teaching and learning facilities relevant for improving sexuality education teaching. It is concluded that an open discussions on sexuality education among parents, pupils, religious leaders and policy makers should be carried out so as to develop a guideline on what should be included in the syllabus for sexuality education topics and how the contents should be taught. The study therefore calls for other researchers to investigate the application of sexuality knowledge and skills to pupils in protecting them from sexual risks

Is it Not Now? : School Counselors’ Training in Tanzania Secondary Schools

Counseling is currently becoming a necessary service for  school learners in the developing world, this is due to fact that, the challenges facing learners in their learning process results into both internalizing and externalizing problems which affect student’s learning in terms of social, psychology and academic. This paper explores the status of school counselor’s training, knowledge and skills in Tanzania secondary schools. It attempt to assess school counselor’s perception towards the existing school counseling services and the degree of readiness to attend a counseling training in order to improve their counseling skills. The sample for the study included 62 school counselors from 16 secondary schools in Dar es salaam and the data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings indicate that, there is less training among school counselors in the studied secondary schools. It was also noted that, though some school counselors attended some trainings, their knowledge, skills and awareness to school counseling principles is very limited. However, school counselors’ perception towards counseling services in schools is good and their degree of readiness to attend counseling training is positive (M=1.39, SD= 0.554). It was therefore concluded that school counseling services need to be enhanced through provision of school counseling trainings to teachers who are appointed to serve as school counselors in various secondary schools. With the support from these findings, it is recommended that, seminars and workshops for raising awareness as well as long term trainings are important in order to make school counseling services effective. Therefore, future research can also observe the extent to which the counseling component is taught in teacher colleges and universities so as to test the rationale for appointing teachers to work as school counselors even without any specified training on counseling. Key words: School counselor, Training, Perception, Knowledg

Technologies and transformations:Traces from a collective research project

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is undergoing rapid and profound changes, moving from a predominantly manual to a more heavily mechanised form of production. The articles in this special issue collectively aim to understand these recent transformations and their impact on labour, productivity, taxation, health, and environment. They are the result of a collective research project carried out in the two largest mines of South Kivu Province by a multidisciplinary team of anthropologists, biologists, economists and medical doctors. In this introduction, we first of all present a deep reflection on the research process, including questions about power and ethics. We then reflect upon the empirical and theoretical contributions to emerge from the six papers that make up this special issue, which centre around the three major drivers of recent ASGM transformations: 1) technological innovation and adaptation, 2) capital investment and 3) socio-political reorganization. Finally, we highlight how humans and nature are transformed in the process

Determination of radioactivity in maize and mung beans grown in the neighborhood of Minjingu phosphate mine, Tanzania

Two staple foods (maize and mung beans) which were cultivated in Minjingu village, where there is phosphate deposit in Tanzania, were collected directly from the farms. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 228Th and 40K were determined in the maize and mung beans samples using γ ray spectrometry employing HPGe detector of relative efficiency of 51.0 %. The mean radioactivity level in the food samples were found to be 21.01 ± 0.8 Bq/kg (mung beans), 25.6 ± 0.7 Bq/kg (maize) for 226Ra, 62.6 ± 1.1 Bq/kg (mung beans), 72.9 ± 1.0 Bq/kg (maize) for 228Th and 542.9 ± 8.6 Bq/kg (mung beans), 434.6 ± 18.7 Bq/kg (maize) for 40K. The radioactivity content of the maize and mung beans from Minjingu village were higher than that of similar food samples collected from Bukombe district in Geita Region in Tanzania. The total annual effective dose for consumption of 226Ra and 228Th by adults was calculated to be 2.003 ± 0.044 mSv/year, which is higher than the annual dose limit of 1 mSv/year recommended by the ICRP for the general public. Hence a conclusion could be made that food crops cultivated at Minjingu village might expose the population to high radiation dose which might be detrimental to their health.Keywords: Radioactivity, annual effective dose, Minjingu Phosphate mine, High Background Radiation Are

The impact of training and development on employee job performance: a case of CUHAS Bugando Mwanza.

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of training and development on staff performance: the case of CUHAS Bugando Mwanza. The study employed a cross-sectional design to measure the specific entity of interest. A total of 80 individuals were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire and interview guided questions. Research has shown that CUHAS staff are more likely to attend training and development programs that have contributed to skills development and increased performance. In addition, the results have shown that training and periodic employee development programs contribute positively to the growth rate of motivation and thus encourage a spirit of collaboration that contributes directly to increased productivity. In addition, the results show that training closes the gap between job requirements and the skills required to perform the tasks specified in the job requirements and thus increase performance. In general, the findings of the study indicate that role training and development that may be needed to improve staff performance through the development of skills are needed for employees to perform their duties. Finally training enhances employee performance by influencing positively job satisfaction by enhancing staff/supervisor/customer relationships at work; the employee’s ability to use their own initiatives and skills at work; opportunities for pay and promotion; and by influencing the work activities. The study recommends that training should be conducted time to time to ensure that employees have the necessary engagement to change processes, innovation; better performance and job enthusiasm for enhanced employee and organizational performance. Keywords: Training, Development, employee performance and skill

Impact of farmer field schools on agricultural productivity and poverty in East Africa

Farmer field schools (FFSs) are a popular education and extension approach worldwide. Such schools use experiential learning and a group approach to facilitate farmers in making decisions, solving problems, and learning new techniques. However, there is limited or conflicting evidence as to their effect on productivity and poverty, especially in East Africa. This study is unique in that it uses a longitudinal impact evaluation (difference in difference approach) with quasi-experimental methods (propensity score matching and covariate matching) together with qualitative approaches to provide rigorous evidence to policymakers and other stakeholders on an FFS project in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The study provides evidence on participation in FFSs and on the effects of FFSs on various outcomes. The study found that younger farmers who belong to other groups, such as savings and credit groups, tended to participate in field schools. Females made up 50 percent of FFS membership. Reasons for not joining an FFS included lack of time and information. FFSs were shown to be especially beneficial to women, people with low literacy levels, and farmers with medium-size land holdings. FFS participants had significant differences in outcomes with respect to value of crops produced per acre, livestock value gain per capita, and agricultural income per capita. FFSs had a greater impact on crop productivity for those in the middle land area (land poverty) tercile. Participation in FFSs increased income by 61 percent when pooling the three countries. FFSs improved income and productivity overall, but differences were seen at the country level. Participation in FFSs led to increased production, productivity, and income in nearly all cases: Kenya, Tanzania, and at the project level (all three countries combined). The most significant change was seen in Kenya for crops (80 percent increase) and in Tanzania for agricultural income (more than 100 percent increase). A lack of significant increases in Uganda was likely due to Uganda’s National Agricultural Advisory Services. When disaggregating by gender, however, female-headed households benefited significantly more than male-headed households in Uganda.farmer field schools, agricultural productivity, adoption, extension services,

The Influence of School Climate on Secondary Schools’ Performance in Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania

This study assessed the climate of eight secondary schools in Mvomero district, Morogoro. It also examined the relationship and influence between school climate and students’ academic achievement. The study employed quantitative approach within ex post facto research design using three climate questionnaires for secondary schools. A random sample of 160 teachers was drawn, however, only 74 teachers responded to the research tools. The study revealed that the climates of all secondary schools were non-conducive or negative. In determining the relationship, the subtest of intimate teachers’ behaviour indicated a significant strong positive correlation (r = 0.821, p < 0.05) with division II and (r = 0.868, p < 0.01) with division III. However, the frustrated teachers’ behaviour subtest was significantly negatively correlated (r = - 0.779, p < 0.05) with division IV. The subtest of institutional integrity indicated a strong correlation (r = 0.887, p < 0.05) with division IV, while initiating structure showed a strong positive correlations (r = 0.824, p < .05) with division I. Lastly, the subtests of headmaster/mistress influence and academic emphasis both indicated a strong significant (r = 0.848 and r = 0.860, p <0.05) correlation with division I and II, respectively. In testing whether the school climate predicts school performance, the study indicated that some of the variance in division categories can be explained by school climate. Surprisingly, all school climates did not significantly correlate with division categories. However, on using the beta weighting, there were noticeable effects (weak to strong) of independent variables on dependent variables. This study showed that, students’ academic achievement is related and influenced by the school climate. Therefore, school climates need to be conducive or positive as necessary for the survival and well-being of such schools

A GATE-based Monte Carlo simulation of a dual-layer pixelized gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (GSO) detector performance and response for micro PET scanner

The purpose of this study was to simulate the GSO detector of a micro PET using GATE simulation platform. The performance and responses of the simulated GSO detector assembly were evaluated by comparing the simulated data to the experimental and XCOM data to validate the simulation platform and procedure. Based on NEMA NU-4 2008 protocols, the performance of GSO detector in terms of sensitivity was simulated and compared to the experimental data. Similarly, the GSO detector response to photons interaction was simulated and compared against the XCOM data for absorbed intensity ratio in the GSO detector and survived intensity ratio in Pb blocks. Results showed that simulated and experimental sensitivities agreed well with R2 of 0.995 and two overlapping bands at 95% confidence. An agreement with R2 of 0.972 and 0.973 as well as with overlapping bands at 95% confidence was obtained in simulated and XCOM data for absorbed and survived intensity ratio in the GSO detector and Pb blocks, respectively. The observed agreements demonstrate the accuracy of the simulation method to mimic the behaviour of the GSO detector. The validated GATE algorithm for micro PET scanner is therefore recommended for simulation and optimisation of collimator design in further studies. Keywords: GATE simulation, Experimental data, XCOM data, GSO detector, micro PET. &nbsp

Détection automatisée du réseau routier en forêt boréale par télédétection

Les routes forestières sont essentielles pour l’aménagement forestier durable, il est important pour les gestionnaires des forêts de détenir l’information adéquate du réseau routier dans leur prise de décision. Ce projet a permis d’évaluer l’apport de trois approches orientées objets d’extraction du réseau routier en forêt boréale à partir de; 1) LiDAR aéroporté à 1 mètre de résolution spatiale; 2) l’image satellitaire Sentinel-2 à 10 mètres de résolution et 3) la fusion de deux sources de données précédentes. Le but étant non seulement d’estimer la contribution individuelle de chaque donnée, mais aussi de compléter les informations morphologiques sur les routes forestières afin de mettre à jour les bases de données géographiques disponibles, à partir d’un processus de détection automatique par télédétection. En effet, les bases de données disponibles sont sujettes des incohérences dues aux problèmes liés à la structuration des données reflétant la réalité de terrain ainsi que des limitations sur le géoréférencement qui affectent la prise de décision sur l’ensemble du territoire forestier. Avec l’essor de la technologie de produits de télédétection et de systèmes d’information géographique, nous proposons dans cette étude, une approche de classification automatique basée sur les objets pour l’identification et la caractérisation automatique des chemins en forêt boréale. La segmentation multirésolution a été appliquée aux trois approches sur trois zones d’étude situés au Québec. Les objets linéaires détectés ont été construits de manière itérative en objets linéaires routes par utilisation supplémentaire de la segmentation basée sur la différence spectrale. Les objets linéaires routes ont ainsi été classifiés en réseau routier à partir d’un jeu de règles, définissant ainsi le processus de la classification orientée objet. Les données des composantes morphologiques des routes (largeur de l’emprise et pente longitudinale) ont été extraites du réseau routier pour servir de caractérisation automatique des chemins forestiers. Cette approche méthodologique minimise les incohérences d’informations retrouvées dans les outils cartographiques actuellement disponibles (Routard) et contribue à la documentation sur la morphologie (qualité de l’information sur la géométrie) des données routières disponibles. Les résultats montrent pour les trois zones d’étude que l’approche utilisant la fusion de données Sentinel-2 et LiDAR améliore considérablement les performances de la précision globale (88%) quant à la détection de réseau routier par rapport à l’approche basée sur Sentinel-2 (70%) et celle basée sur LiDAR (63%). Les résultats obtenus sont présentés sous la forme d’une couche vectorielle dans une base de données d’information géographique pour un territoire d’étude

Formalizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining : A grand challenge of the Minamata Convention

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the world's largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions and releases. These have devastating consequences for miners' health and the environment. Most of the >20 million ASGM miners worldwide are not officially recognized, registered, regulated, or protected by state laws. Formalization-the process of organizing, registering, and reforming ASGM-is mandated by the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Previous attempts to reduce mercury emissions from ASGM have largely failed. Our perspective argues that signatories to the Convention will only succeed in reducing ASGM mercury emissions and releases with comprehensive bottom-up formalization approaches centered around working with miners, and significant external funding from consumers, large mining corporations, and governments. The approximate global 5-year cost of this approach could be US$355 million (upper and lower estimate bounds: US$213-742 million) if scaled per country, or US$808 million (US$248 million-US$2.17 billion) if scaled per miner.Peer reviewe