Age, Gender and Suicidal Ideation Following Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation in patients who were tested for HIV-infection and whether along with their HIV status, age and gender influenced their risk for suicidal ideation. The sample consisted of 189 patients who attended a voluntary HIV counseling and testing clinic (VCT) at a general state hospital in Durban, South Africa. Their mean age at baseline was 34.2 years, with an age range of between 16–79 years. Seropositivity, age and gender were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. The majority of these patients were in the younger age group, and young males had a 1.8 times higher risk for suicidal ideation than females. Although risk factors for seropositive-related suicidal ideation can be complex and multi-factorial, this study identified a young age and male gender as important high risk factors in the sample studied. It is recommended that all, but especially young male HIV-infected patients seen at a VCT clinic be screened for suicidal ideation and that early intervention to prevent subsequent suicides or suicidal attempts be included in pre- and post-test HIV counseling

Cognition and the Language of Learning in South Africa: A Grade 10 Economics Perspective

In South Africa an increasing number of learners are taught through the medium of English. Limited English proficiency (LEP) learners who enter classes where English is the language of learning, encounter serious problems in coping with their academic work. These learners have usually acquired informal, colloquial language or Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS), but lack Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). The primary aim of this article is to explore the language dilemma which Grade ten LEP learners\u27 experience. From these findings, recommendations are made concerning ways in which educators can support English language acquisition in the context of the learning areas for which they are responsible. In this study the focus is on LEP learners in the Economics classroom. Although Economics has its own language or terminology, concepts are explained in English by the educator, as it is the language of learning. The researcher is a lecturer in the methodology of Economics, and became aware of the language problems of LEP learners while evaluating his student educators in the school setting

Unobtrusive Health Screening on an Intelligent Toilet Seat

Home monitoring is a promising way to improve the quality of medical care in an ageing society. To circumvent the problem that especially demented patients may forget or be stressed by the use of medical devices at home, monitoring devices should be embedded in objects of daily life to check the patient’s health status whenever possible, without any interaction with the patient him/herself. This paper presents an intelligent toilet performing an unobtrusive health check when a person sits down. A variety of physical, electro-physical and urine parameters are analysed. This paper takes electrocardiogram and bioimpedance spectroscopy measurements and shows the practicability of measuring them on a toilet seat

Suicide prevention: A proposed national strategy for South Africa

Suicidal behaviour is an important public health problem globally and in Africa. A brief overview of the nature and severity of the problem is provided, but the primary aim of this paper is to identify priorities and prevention strategies for reducing suicidal behaviour in South Africa by discussing a framework for a proposed national prevention programme. South African suicide rates range from 11.5 per 100 000 to as high as 25 per 100 000 of the population, depending on sampling procedures and research methods. About 11% of all non-natural deaths are suicide related. On average 9.5% of non-natural deaths in young people are dueto suicide. It is a complex phenomenon and risk factors are, therefore, multifactorial and multidimensional. Some of the most important ones are identified and several priorities and prevention possibilities for reducing suicidal behaviour are recommended. The outline and structure for such a national suicide prevention programme is underpinned by research undertaken locally and internationally. It requires a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach that involves both health care and non-health care sectors and action at various levels utilising a framework based on a set of guiding principles and a range of strategies with specific objectives as a national priority within an interdisciplinary context

Non-racial schooling in selected Cape Town schools : language, attitudes and language learning

Bibliography: pages 111-118.This study examines some elements of the language environment, language learning processes, and language inter-actions between child and teacher, and child and child in the changing South African education system. As more classrooms become non-racial, new dimensions are arising in language use and in learning: classrooms are perforce multilingual as different language groups come together to receive instruction through the medium of English. What dynamic do these multilingual elements bring to the standard classroom? I focus on part of the Standard Six population of 5 Western Cape English medium schools. The schools are different in many respects and similar in others; some have more Black pupils than others. By using a variety of research methods, including questionnaires, worksheets, personal observation, interviews and essays, I explore the experiences and attitudes of pupils, teachers and principals. My object is to try to identify trends: to look for positive features arising out of present classrooms and to look for possible points of tension as well, in order to extract central features to analyse. These are highlighted, and cross-referenced with relevant international studies, as matters of interest for practitioners in the classroom and for education planners. The field is immense: the study essentially provides a broad-based platform for further research. I tried not to have any preconceptions about what I would find, so made it a comprehensive and far-ranging study. It uncovers important elements which teachers and schools may attend to, relatively easily, indicates the importance of development of one's Mother Tongue and exposes deeply-felt emotions about Language and identity. It asks questions about Bridging Programmes and about the language of the teacher in the classroom and in testing. I also ask about the future of English in this country, about feelings about learning Afrikaans and about learning Xhosa. The main target in the recommendations is the teacher, as the generator of learning opportunities in the classroom. I call for more specific communication between teacher and pupil and the evolution of child-specific language learning processes. It is every teacher in every classroom who needs to adjust consciously to the new classroom profiles. Differing patterns clearly emerge from the schools with different intake profiles. This suggests the need for further studies to examine these findings for generalisability. The situation in schools is both volatile and exciting, calling for concrete and imaginative attention to aspects emerging from the personal, perceptive and wide-ranging input of the sample studied in this research project

Depression and suicidal behaviour

No Abstract. South African Family Practice Vol. 47(5) 2005: 61-6

Managing change - how educational leaders manage transformational change within a framework of control and constraints

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are many new developments in the field of schooling. Some of these developments - school based management, new curriculum developments and devolution of control to the school level have brought with it policy changes. Many educational leaders are struggling to keep pace with these changes that are taking place in the management of education. Others are struggling against the changes, while possibly not fully understanding the dynamics of these changes. In a time of rapid political and social change, the need for spelling out the concomitants of educational leadership has become both necessary and essential. Planned quality intervention by the state has completely underestimated the lack of managerial competencies among educational leaders. Quality in leadership is not a luxury item in educational transformation, changes in leadership are in fact central to instilling the democratic values and principles which underpin the new educational policies. There must also be a comprehensive strategy which addresses educational leadership as a school-wide intervention. There needs to be a more coordinated effort between provincial education departments and schools to bring their collective resources to bear on school quality change; but the process must be prioritised and co-ordinated by the state. This assignment seeks to establish what challenges and constraints educational leaders face in their attempts to effect transformation in South Africa. It details the daily strategies and plans used by educational leaders as they go about running their schools. Strategic opportunities in the policy field should be harnessed to drive education quality improvements. It is vital to link in-service development to policy implementation. Ultimately the monitoring and evaluation system in place must track the impact of the changes more carefully. This would allow departments to define future poiicies and programmes based on informed choices about which quality interventions make a difference. This is critical since the evidence shows that most changes have not always resulted in the planned leadership improvements. There is no reason for this trend to continue as this research shows that many schools have considerable advantages working in their favour: a relatively stable schooling infrastructure, a growing corps of qualified educational leaders and a policy environment in which there is optimism about change and transformation in the school sector.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is huidiglik vele nuwe ontwikkelinge in die onderwysstelsel. Sommige van die ontwikkelinge: skool - gebaseerde bestuur, nuwe kurrikulum ontwikkelinge en die afwenteling van bestuur na skoolvlak, het verskeie beleidsveranderinge meegebring. Vele onderwysleiers vind dit problematies om tred te hou met die veranderinge in die bestuur van opvoeding. Ander weer, toon 'n weerstand teen die veranderinge, moontlik omdat hulle nie die dinamika van die verandering verstaan nie. In 'n tyd van politieke en sosiale veranderinge, is dit belangrik en noodsaaklik om gepaardgaande verskynsels van onderwysleierskap na vore te bring. Beplande bevoegde toetredings van die staat het die tekorte aan bestuursbekwaamheid van onderwysleiers heeltemalonderskat. Bevoegdheid in leierskap kan nie geag word as 'n luukse item in onderwystransformasie nie. Veranderinge in leierskap is inderdaad sentraal tot die vaslegging van die demokratiese waardes en beginsels wat die nuwe onderwysbeleidsverklaringe ondersteun. Daar moet 'n allesomvattende strategie en -toetreding wees, wat onderwys leierskap as 'n skool aangeleentheid aanspreek. Daar word 'n skool gekoordineerde poging tussen provinsiale onderwysdepartemente en skole benodig om hulle kollektiewe hulpbronne toe te wy aan skoolkwaliteitsveranderinge, maar die proses moet deur die staat gekoordineer en goedgekeur word. Hierdie werkstuk poog om te bepaal watter uitdagings en beperkinge opvoedkundige leiers in die gesig staar in hul pogings om by te dra tot tranformasie in Suid-Afrika. Die strategieë en metodes wat deur opvoedkundige leiers gebruik, word in die daaglikse bestuur van instellings, word gespesifiseer. Dit is belangrik om onderwysontwikkeling aan beleidsimplementering te koppel. Die monitering en evalueringstelsels wat in plek is, moet noodwendig tred hou met die gevolge van die veranderinge. Dit sal toelaat dat departemente hul toekomstige beleide en programme, op ingeligte en kwaliteitstoetredings baseer, wat 'n verskil maak. Dit is krities, want bewyse dui aan dat veranderinge nie altyd in die beplande leierskapverbeteringe eindig nie. Daar is geen rede vir die veloop van gebeurtenisse nie, want die studie wys dat die skole aansienlike voordele in hul guns het: 'n betreklike stabiele skoolinfrastruktuur; 'n groeiende komponent van onderwysleiers, en 'n beleidsomgewing waarin daar optimisme oor veranderinge en transformasie in die opvoedingssektor is