Barriers of Achieving Communicative Competence in English Language through the Existing Policy: Time to Research for a New Parameter

We live in an age where English is a Lingua-Franca. Consequently, English language learning is a mandatory part of the education system of our country. Hence, students are taught English language according to communicative Language Teaching method in secondary, higher secondary and tertiary level with a view to make them proficient in communicative English. However, the frustrating fact is that they are not achieving the expected communicative competence. This is because teachers are in a never-ending dilemma about what to do; whether to stick to the policy or to go with the flow. This paper aims at exploring the problems the teachers face while teaching English language especially in achieving students’ oral communicative skills. And therefore, it digs out the gaps in the policies and practices that hinder them to develop the expected English proficiency by following the existing education policy. The study has been conducted on 30 teachers from different institutions. The data has been collectedthrough direct fieldwork observation, and interview. In addition, a few recommendations are provided on the basis of the results. This study will hopefully help teachers and policy makers to find some new parameters to increase the quality of English language education aiming at attaining communicative competence

Building back better children's surgical services toward universal health coverage: Perspectives from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe

IntroductionThis article is part of the Research Topic ‘Health Systems Recovery in the Context of COVID-19 and Protracted Conflict’. Children's surgical services are crucial, yet underappreciated, for children's health and must be sufficiently addressed to make and sustain progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Despite their considerable burden and socioeconomic cost, surgical diseases have been relatively neglected in favor of communicable diseases living up to their inauspicious moniker: ‘the neglected stepchild of global health'. This article aims to raise awareness around children's surgical diseases and offers perspectives from two prototypical LMICs on strengthening surgical services in the context of health systems recovery following the COVID-19 experience to make and sustain progress toward UHC.ApproachWe used a focused literature review supplemented by the perspectives of local experts and the 6-components framework for surgical systems planning to present two case studies of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The lived experiences of the authors are used to describe the impact of COVID-19 on respective surgical systems and offer perspectives on building back the health system and recovering essential health services for sustainability and resilience.FindingsWe found that limited high-level policy and planning instruments, an overburdened and under-resourced health and allied workforce, underdeveloped surgical infrastructure (from key utilities to essential medical products), lack of locally generated research, and the specter of prohibitively high out-of-pocket costs for children's surgery are common challenges in both countries that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.DiscussionContinued chronic underinvestment and inattention to children's surgical diseases coupled with the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten progress toward key global health objectives. Urgent attention and investment in the context of health systems recovery is needed from policy to practice levels to improve infrastructure; attract, retain and train the surgical and allied health workforce; and improve service delivery access with equity considerations to meet the 2030 Lancet Commission goals, and make and sustain progress toward UHC and the SDGs

The 'welfare of the child' in Shari'a law: an analysis of child custody law and practices in Bangladesh from a feminist perspective

The paper seeks to draw attention to some of the recent cases relating to child custody law in Bangladesh where, deviating from orthodox Shari’a rules, courts have looked to ‘the welfare’ of the child in determining which parent shall have custody. In studying the recent ‘welfare of child’ standard that has been advanced by the courts in Bangladesh, the paper aims to explore its implications for Muslim women from a feminist perspective

Recognition of "difference" in Shari'a: a feminist scrutiny through the lens of substantive equality

The paper looks at the works of notable Islamic feminists to examine whether Islam can be reconciled with a substantive approach to gender equality. Located within contemporary feminist debates related to gender equality, it considers the Qur’anic verses related to two controversial areas of Shari’a law, namely, duty of obedience and polygamy, to explore how Islamic scriptures perceive ‘difference’ and its implications for substantive equality-based legal reforms in a Muslim society

Personal status laws in Morocco and Tunisia: A comparative exploration of the possibilities for equality-enhancing reform in Bangladesh

This paper focuses on successful reform strategies invoked in parts of the Muslim world to address issues of gender inequality in the context of Islamic personal law. It traces the development of personal status laws in Tunisia and Morocco, exploring the models they offer in initiating equality-enhancing reforms in Bangladesh, where a secular and equality-based reform approach conflicts with Islamic-based conservatism. Recent landmark family law reforms in Morocco show the possibility of achieving ‘women-friendly’ reforms within an Islamic legal framework. Moreover, the Tunisian Personal Status Code, with its successive reforms, shows that a gender equality-based model of personal law can be successfully integrated into the Muslim way of life. This study examines the response of Muslim societies to equality-based reforms and differences in approach in initiating them. The paper maps these sometimes competing approaches, locating them within contemporary feminist debates related to gender equality in the East and West

Personal laws of Bangladesh : a gender study in light of the equality-approach of the constitution

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in Indian Population: Findings from a Nationally Representative Study of 698,286 Participants

This study aims to determine and compare the prevalence and correlates of obesity and abdominal obesity in India among participants aged 18–54 years. Data were acquired from the nationally representative National Family Health Survey 2019–21. Age and sex standardized descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity, and multivariable multilevel logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with these conditions. Gender-specific analyses were also conducted. The sample weight was adjusted throughout. The final sample size for this study was 698,286. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was 13.85% and 57.71%, respectively. Older age, being female, increased educational status and increased wealth index, being married at any point, and residing in an urban area all increased the odds of both obesity and abdominal obesity. Being a resident of the North zone and having a current alcohol intake increased the odds of abdominal obesity. On the other hand, being a resident of the South zone of India increased the odds of obesity. Targeting these high-risk groups can be a strategy for public health promotion programs

Colon cancer and colorectal cancer: Prevention and treatment by potential natural products

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGColon cancer affects both men and women and is the world’s second most significant cause of cancer-related mortality. Colon cancer death rates have risen worldwide due to the current food habit and lifestyle, which include a lot of meat, alcohol, and not enough physical exercise. As a result, novel, less harmful pharmacological treatments for colon cancer are needed now more than ever before. Colorectal cancer (CRC) affects a significant portion of the world’s population. Chemotherapy’s limits, as demonstrated by side effects and resistance in CRC patients, are now being sought after despite recent breakthroughs that have improved patient care and survival. Numerous chemical compounds present in medicinal herbs have shown anti-tumor and anti-apoptotic properties against various cancers, including CRC, in animal experiments. These chemicals, which come from several phytochemical families, activate several signaling pathways. This article discusses research on the anti-CRC benefits of many plants conducted in vitro, as well as the phytochemical components of plants that may play a role in the study. Researchers are also looking into the impact of these compounds on various pathways involved in cancer signaling. According to this review, anti-CRC compounds may be generated from medicinal plants. That’s why we’re looking at how natural items can help treat cancer while lowering the risk of developing it

Obesity and abdominal obesity in Indian population:findings from a nationally representative study of 698,286 participants

Abstract This study aims to determine and compare the prevalence and correlates of obesity and abdominal obesity in India among participants aged 18–54 years. Data were acquired from the nationally representative National Family Health Survey 2019–21. Age and sex standardized descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity, and multivariable multilevel logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with these conditions. Gender-specific analyses were also conducted. The sample weight was adjusted throughout. The final sample size for this study was 698,286. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was 13.85% and 57.71%, respectively. Older age, being female, increased educational status and increased wealth index, being married at any point, and residing in an urban area all increased the odds of both obesity and abdominal obesity. Being a resident of the North zone and having a current alcohol intake increased the odds of abdominal obesity. On the other hand, being a resident of the South zone of India increased the odds of obesity. Targeting these high-risk groups can be a strategy for public health promotion programs