Competencies Required by Primary School Supervisors: Basis for a Sustainable Universal Basic Education Programme

The study was a descriptive survey design aimed at identifying thecompetencies supervisors of instruction require for a sustainable Universal Basic Education in primary schools in Anambra State. One research question and one null hypothesis guided the study. The study was carried out in Onitsha Education Zone, specifically, in all the Public Primary Schools in the three Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) in the Zone. 105 Head teachers and 51 Supervisors from the Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the LGEAs formed the population of the study. The instrument used was a questionnaire that comprised two parts. Part A sought information on personal data of respondents. Part B elicited information on the competencies instruction supervisors require for effective supervision. Mean, Percentage and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions and t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 levels of significance. Based on the findings, recommendations were made

Secondary School Administration in Anambra State Today: Challenges and the Way Forward

The study, a descriptive survey research design was used to identify the challenges that impede secondary school administration today in Anambra State. The population of the study was all the 259 public secondary school principals in the state. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. A 20-item questionnaire was used for data collection. Analysis was done using mean scores and t-test. Data analysis revealed that principals are challenged by poor knowledge of public accountability and poor knowledge of Information Communication Technology (ICT among others. It was recommended that government should increase the principals’  responsibility for educational accountability to enable them administer their schools efficiently and effectively and achieve the predetermined goals

Baby Factories : Exploitation of Women in Southern Nigeria

Despite the writings of feminist thinkers and efforts of other advocates of feminism to change the dominant narratives on women, exploitation of women is a fact that has remained endemic in various parts of the world, and particularly in Africa. Nigeria is one of those countries in Africa where women are largely exposed to varying degrees of exploitation. This paper examines the development and proliferation of baby-selling centers in southern Nigeria and its impacts on and implication for women in Nigeria. It demonstrates how an attempt to give protection to unwed pregnant girls has metamorphosed into “baby harvesting” and selling through the notorious “baby factories,” where young women are held captive and used like industrial machines for baby production. The babies produced through this process were often sold illegally to adoptive parent(s) in dire need of them. In some other instances, they were used for child labour or trafficked for prostitution, ritual purposes, or organ harvesting. The paper argues that the hideous phenomenon of baby factories—which has high patronage in southern parts of Nigeria—does not only exploit and debase the status of women, but that the nature of its operation foreshadows a future danger for women in southern Nigeria regions

Maintaining Discipline and Orderliness in Secondary Education System for National Development

This study, a descriptive survey research design investigated startegies for maintaining discipline and orderliness in secondary schools in awkaEducation zone, Anambra State. Population was all the 68 principals and2085 teachers in secondary schools in Awka Education zone. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The researcher constructed questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was validated and the reliability co-efficient of 0.83 was obtained using PearsonProduct Moment Correlation Co-efficient. Data collected were analysed and tested using means, standard deviation and t-test respectively. The result revealed that all the strategies investigated were suitable for maintaining discipline and order and that neither principals nor teachers differ in their Mean Rating on the possible startegies for maintaining discipline and orderliness. It was recommended among others that principals, teachers and parents should be worthy models for the students and that government should post military personnel to help principals restore and maintain discipline in schools

Comparison of Serum Concentrations of Total Cholesterol and Total Lipid in Different Groups of Female Tuberculosis Patients

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most dangerous tropical diseases that complicates HIV infection in Nigeria to date. Over two million Nigerians are known to be infected with TB and many more are at risk of the infection. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol and total lipid of 117 female TB patients attending chest clinic at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku, Enugu State, Nigeria and 38 female residents of University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus who had no history of tuberculosis by the time blood was collected (FTBF) were spectrophotometrically evaluated. The 117 female TB patients were made up of twenty seven (27) TB patients not yet on any form of TB drugs (FTBP), 60 TB patients being treated with a combination of normal complements of TB drugs (FTBD) and 30 confirmed female TB-treated persons (FTBT). Results obtained revealed that the mean serum total cholesterol and total lipid concentrations of the FTBP were 136.66 ± 17.32 mg/dl and 4.5 ± 0.88g/l respectively and FTBD (142.22±28.77 mg/dl and 4.6±0.95 g/l respectively) were significantly lower (

Gender, Popularity, Social Competence and Academic Achievement of In-School Adolescents in Nigeria

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship that exists among popularity, social competence and academic achievement of in-school adolescents based on gender. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study, and the study used correlational research design. A total Sample of 400 (SS 11) students were selected from Umuahia Education zone in Nigeria for the study. Mean, Standard deviation and Simple Linear Regression were used in answering the research questions while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in testing the hypotheses stated at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the study showed that relationship between senior secondary school students’ popularity and academic achievement based on gender is low and there is low relationship between senior secondary school students’ social competence and academic achievement based on gender. There is no significant relationship between senior secondary school students’ social competence and academic achievement based on gender. Again there is the indication that significant relationship does not exist between senior secondary school students’ popularity and academic achievement based on gender. Key words: popularity, social competence, adolescence, gender, academic achievemen

Proxy Means Test (PMT) analysis of poverty in Oyo State

This study attempts an assessment of the effectiveness of the proxy means test (PMT) procedure in achieving better targeting of the poor in Oyo State, Nigeria. This is because proper identification and corresponding targeting of the poor is still a challenge in poverty analysis in Africa. The PMT method was therefore used to estimate household expenditures, corresponding poverty statuses of the households, inclusion and exclusion rates using data from the National Living Standard Survey (NLLS) for the five poverty lines considered. The PMT method gave higher percentages of the poor compared to the conventional method for all the five poverty lines. The implication of this finding is that the PMT method could indeed be used alternatively for improved targeting of the poor, especially in Oyo State.Keywords: Poverty, Proxy Means Test (PMT), Poverty lines, Oyo State, Afric

Censored Foster Greer Thorbecke (FGT) indexes in poverty analysis in Nigeria

This study is an attempt to assess the prospects of censoring in one-dimensional poverty analysis in Nigeria. The conventional method involves truncation of the non-poor households and this often leads to measurement error. Censoring instead of truncation was considered using data from the Nigeria General Household Survey (NGHS) Panel Survey. The estimated poverty indices obtained via censoring gave higher precision estimates compared to the indices obtained traditionally. This finding implies that censoring could reduce the problem of measurement error involved in the traditional poverty analytical procedures.Keywords: Censoring, Measurement error. One-dimensional, Poverty analysis, Poverty indice

Traditional medicines as a mechanism for driving research innovation in Africa

The outcomes from recent high profile deliberations concerning African health research and economic development all point towards the need for a mechanism to support health innovation on the continent. The mission of the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI), is to promote and sustain African-led health product innovation to address African public health needs through the assembly of research networks, and building of capacity to support human and economic development. ANDI is widely viewed as the vehicle to implementing some of these recommendations. There is tremendous opportunity for Africa, to leverage the expertise in natural products and traditional medicines in support of this objective to kick-start innovation. This report highlights key recommendations that have emerged through expert forums convened by ANDI on the challenges, opportunities and prospects for investing in this important area of research