Corruption and Literacy in the Basic Education Schools in Onueke Education Zone of Ebonyi State

The paper focuses on Corruption and Literacy in the Basic Education in Onueke Education Zone of Ebonyi State. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A purposive sample was used to select a sample of 462 Basic Education Teachers (230 male and 232 females) in all the 56 schools in the Education Zone. A questionnaire titled Corruption and Basic Education Literacy Questionnaire (CLBEQ) was used. The instrument was validated by experts in the field and all the input they made were taken into consideration. The instrument was further subjected to reliability test in a test retest using 20 teachers that were outside the area of study. An index of 0.81 was obtained using Crombach Alpha method. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while Z-test was used to test the hypothesis. The findings indicated that corruption deeply affected literacy lives of pupils as there were no new provision of new buildings, human and material resources and non rehabilitation of the few existing ones and all these adversely affect literacy lives of pupils and teachers. It was also discovered that no significant difference existed in the responses of male and female teachers on how corruption adversely affected the lives of pupils. Based on the findings some of the recommendations were: 1. Peoples especially those in sensitive positions of higher authorities in handling fund meant for literacy should shun greed. 2. The government at all levels should Mount Massive campaign against corruption. Both government, non-governmental organizations and individuals should embark on provision of facilities, materials and funds to improve the education system and better the literacy lives of pupils and teachers for a better society. Key Words: Corruption, Literacy, Education, Facilities, Fund, Teachers DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-9-25 Publication date:March 31st 202

Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Social Media Utilization in Reading Comprehension among Undergraduates: A Case Study of Ebonyi State University

This study examined the issue of information and communication technology (ICT) and social media utilization in reading comprehension of textual materials among undergraduates in Ebonyi State University. Four research questions were posed to guide the study.  The population of the study comprised all the 100 level English language students from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts in Ebonyi State University. The target population was 300 students. Due the smallness of the population, the whole 300 respondents constituted the sample size for the study. A structured questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in the English department and Science department in the university. The instrument was also subjected to a reliability test which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.84 through the use of Cronbach Alpha. The statistical tool of simple percentages was used for analysis of data. Findings showed that majority of the students, (83.33%) use their mobile phones to access social media. The study also showed that majority of the students, 120 students, (40%) spend an average of 6-8 hours daily accessing social media while only 35, (11.66%) students spend less than an hour. Also, the study showed that most of the students, 95 constituting (31.66%) sample size use social media because it facilitates reading comprehension while the least 25 students, (8.33%) use it for entertainment purposes. Result also showed that the social media platform used by majority of the students, 150 students, (50%) was Whatsapp, followed by Facebook with 100 students, (33.33%), the least platform being Twitter and Telegram which only 5 students, (1.66%) use. Based on the findings, one of the recommendations was that the government should collaborate with the university community to organize constant training and workshops in computer and social media use for students so as to equip them to meet the demands of the computer age. Keywords: Whatsapp, Facebook, Social media, Utilization, Undergraduates, Reading, Comprehension DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-24-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Hypertensive disorders in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the ESC EORP PPCM Registry

Aims: Hypertensive disorders occur in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). How often hypertensive disorders co-exist, and to what extent they impact outcomes, is less clear. We describe differences in phenotype and outcomes in women with PPCM with and without hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: The European Society of Cardiology PPCM Registry enrolled women with PPCM from 2012-2018. Three groups were examined: 1) women without hypertension (‘PPCM-noHTN’); 2) women with hypertension but without pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-HTN’); 3) women with pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-PE’). Maternal (6-month) and neonatal outcomes were compared. Results: Of 735 women included, 452 (61.5%) had PPCM-noHTN, 99 (13.5%) had PPCM-HTN and 184 (25.0%) had PPCM-PE. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had more severe symptoms (NYHA IV in 44.4% and 29.9%, p<0.001), more frequent signs of heart failure (pulmonary rales in 70.7% and 55.4%, p=0.002), higher baseline LVEF (32.7% and 30.7%, p=0.005) and smaller left ventricular end diastolic diameter (57.4mm [±6.7] and 59.8mm [±8.1], p<0.001). There were no differences in the frequencies of death from any cause, re-hospitalization for any cause, stroke, or thromboembolic events. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had a greater likelihood of left ventricular recovery (LVEF≥50%) (adjusted OR 2.08 95% CI 1.21-3.57) and an adverse neonatal outcome (composite of termination, miscarriage, low birth weight or neonatal death) (adjusted OR 2.84 95% CI 1.66-4.87). Conclusion: Differences exist in phenotype, recovery of cardiac function and neonatal outcomes according to hypertensive status in women with PPCM