Workplace Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (Hiv/Aids) policy and impact on knowledge levels: A study of private companies in the Western Region

The urgent need for the HIV/AIDS pandemic to be tackled at the workplace cannot be overemphasized given the internal and external impacts it has on businesses. This led to the formulation of the National HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy to be replicated by companies especially the privatesector which is the engine of growth. A sample of 155 private companies (five with HIV/AIDS workplace policy and 150 without the policy) in the Western Region was selected for comparative analysis through interviews using the purposive, cluster and simple random sampling techniques.The results indicated that the knowledge levels of managers of private companies on HIV/AIDS issues and their appreciation of the impact of the pandemic would influence the quantum of resources to be committed to reduce the prevalence rate. Thus, the formulation and implementation of HIV/AIDS workplace policies could lead to an increase in the knowledge levelsof both workers and managers and it is hoped that in the long run, it would result in a reduction in the prevalence levels

Assessment of the role of private schools in the development of education in Ghana. A study of the Kumasi Metropolis

Increased demand by the people and the limited resources available to the government have made it difficult for the government alone to finance education provision in the country. It has therefore become increasingly necessary for the private sector to get involved in the provision of educational facilities in the country. This study sought to capture the contribution that the private sector is making to supplement the efforts of the government to improve the basic education system in the country. It established that private schools are contributing greatly to the development of education in the Kumasi Metropolis and by implication, the country. These include the fact that, private schools outnumber public schools from the Primary to the Senior Secondary level, they enroll more pupils and students, they also employ more teachers, most significantly more untrained female teachers, and they perform better in examinations than the public schools. The above not withstanding, private schools, like public schools, have their own problems which include inadequate funds, poor infrastructure and high number of untrained teachers. Among the recommendations are that the government should make it possible for the private schools to benefit from the GETFund to enable them to address their financial problems; that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should establish more public basic schools to help expand their coverage; and that the Ministry of Education should put in place mechanisms for the effective supervision of public basic schools to help improve their academic performance and thus make them more attractive. Journal of Science and Technology Vol.24(2) 2004: 54-7

Assessment of the factors affecting the standard of education in junior secondary schools in the Kassena-Nankana district in the upper east region of Ghana

Positive relationships have been found to exist between factors like family size, parents\' educational levels, parents\' occupational statuses, ability of parents to pay school fees, and the concern parents show in their children\'s education and academic performance. This research tried to find out whether the above findings hold good in the Kassena-Nankana district by examining the relationship between the above named factors and pupils\' performance in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). Personal interviews using questionnaires was the main research instrument. A total sample size of 14 Junior Secondary Schools, around 140 households and some officials of the district education directorate was used. The selection was done through random sampling.The study revealed that in the district, positive relationships exist between the above named factors and pupil\'s academic performance. There is therefore the need for the government and all other interested parties to take pragmatic steps to put mechanisms in place in order to remove all the problems relating to the above factors in the district. It is hoped that this will help raise the academic performance of pupils vis-à-vis the standard of education in the district and the country as a whole. Keywords: district, standard, education, academic performance Journal Of Science And Technology Vol. 25 (1) 2005: 43-5