Cultural Influences on Academic Performance in Fiji: A Case Study in the Nadroga/Navosa Province

At an upper level of education, especially Forms 5, 6 and 7 of secondary school and in tertiary institutions, Indo-Fijian students often perform better than their ethnic Fijian counterparts. This pattern of ethnic difference in academic performance is a long standing one, lasting over 70 years. However, both ethnic groups have been participants in the same educational system in Fiji. Educational policies have been implemented to reduce this difference. This present case study argues that there are cultural differences of values, beliefs and practices with respect to educational achievement among Indo-Fijians and ethnic Fijians. The achievement ethic of the two ethnic groups differs. Indo-Fijian culture respects and values education highly. Generally speaking, educating children has been always the top priority of Indo-Fijian culture. They believe that education changes people for the better, and the only way to “success” is through education. Thus, Indo- Fijian parents believe that helping children to strive for academic excellence is one of the most important tasks for them. The priority attached by such parents to educational success is one of the strongest forces behind academic success. By contrast, ethnic Fijian culture encourages children to have a strong sense of loyalty to their community and of becoming good members of their koro (i.e., village). Indeed, one’s total commitment to communal activities and cultural requirements is of vital importance. Although ethnic Fijian parents generally understand the importance of their children’s education and wish to support their education, ethnic Fijian communal demands are enormous in terms of time and labour. The pressure to maintain their moral and social obligations within the community tends to make ethnic Fijians spend a large amount of time, energy and money on functions such as ceremonial events and church activities, at the possible expense of providing for the formal education of their children. These demands mean that parents are often absent from home, and unable to supervise children’s homework. Ethnic Fijian children, upper secondary schoolers, feel strong pressure from their peers within their koro to conform to social activities, such as attending church, playing sports such as rugby and volleyball, and hanging around in the koro and town. Besides, the layout of the typical ethnic Fijian home is a more difficult environment than Indo-Fijian households for children’s study, largely due to the limited space to study independently. The socio-cultural background of ethnic Fijians, especially their home environment including family values and priorities, is one of the major barriers to their children’s educational progress. In addition, school leadership, teachers’ expectations, colonial policies and legacies, e.g., land tenure issues, play important roles in affecting differences in the academic performance of these two ethnic groups. Consequently, the educational achievement differences between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians are revealed substantially during the secondary and tertiary educational institutions

The effect of urbanization on ant abundance and diversity

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of continuous and discontinuous growth hormone treatment in Noonan's syndrome (NS) on linear growth and bone maturation. Thirty-seven children with NS aged between 5.4 and 17.5 y were treated with growth hormone (GH) in a dose of 0.15 IU kg)(-1) per day; 23 of these children were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups in a 3 y partly controlled prospective multicentre study. Group A (n = 8) immediately started GH treatment and after 2 y discontinued GH treatment for 1 y; group B (n = 15) served as a control group during the first year and started GH treatment after 1 y. After the 3 y study period, 17 out of the 23 children continued GH treatment. An additional 14 children (group C) were treated according to the same protocol, but without discontinuation of GH treatment. The effect of GH treatment for up to 3 y was evaluated in terms of gain in height standard deviation score (H-SDS) for calendar age and for bone age. Gain in H-SDS over the first year was significantly higher in the GH treatment group (+0.5) than in the non-treated group (+0.0); mean bone maturation was significantly faster in the GH treatment group (1.2 vs 0.5 y/y). Discontinuation in group A in the third study year resulted in catch-down growth (mean deltaH-SDS -0.2). Over 3 y of GH treatment, mean AH-SDS for calendar age was not significantly different between discontinuous (A: +0.8) and continuous treatment (B: +0.8; C: +1.2). Mean gain in H-SDS for bone age in the 3 groups (+0.2, 0.0. +0.3) was minimal after 3 y of GH treatment. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the gain in H-SDS CA in Noonan's syndrome during long-term GH treatment. However, the accelerating effect of GH on bone maturation seemed to compromise the final height prognosis

Should the food industry resign from the health department too?

Furore over links between Assistant Minister for Health Fiona Nash’s office and industry continues today with revelations that her former chief of staff is connected to the alcohol, as well as the food industry. Alastair Furnival resigned last Friday over his role in shutting down a website about the health star rating food labelling system and it’s now been revealed that he played a key role in cancelling the funding of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. Furnival is co-owner of a lobbying firm that has represented major food companies opposed to the new front-of-pack labelling system. According to Fairfax, he and his wife also co-own a company, which, in turn, owns another that lobbied for the alcohol industry in 2012. Such conflicts of interest place question marks over an individual’s capacity to judge a situation, perform a duty or make a decision in a fair and impartial manner. But what if a public institution, such as the Department of Health itself, has conflicted interests? Furnival’s conflict of interest is worrying and should be thoroughly scrutinised. But the influence of the food and alcohol industries at the institutional-level precedes Furnival and will continue despite his resignation.Rock Ethics Institute at the Pennsylvania State University and the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University

Kindergeneeskunde in beweging

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Onderzoek naar de invloed van moedermelk op de ontwikkeling van immuniteit tegen staphylococcen

Contains fulltext : mmubn000001_238663558.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Promotores : S. Bonting en J. van der Veen96 p

Treatment of mitochondrial myopathies

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Maligne hyperthermie als complicatie van anesthesie: aanleg is erfelijk

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Mitochondrial energy metabolism.

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Spinal muscular atrophy combined with congenital heart disease: a report of two cases

Contains fulltext : 23013___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access