Relevance Of Prior Academic Qualifications To Predicting The Academic Achievement Of Undergraduate Students: An Analysis Of Law Enrollees At Makerere University

Students who have excelled academically in the past are regarded as having a greater chance of performing successfully in subsequent examinations. However, this argument is being questioned with regard to enrollees onto the Bachelor of Laws at the School of Law of Makerere University in Uganda. This study sought to obtain an understanding of this issue using administrative data of 568 Bachelor’s of Law graduates of Makerere University during the period 2010-2012. A combined weighted score for the enrollees granted on admission to the program and their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) on graduation were adopted as measures of their prior academic qualifications and academic achievement, respectively. An assessment of the enrollees’ academic achievement is made using summary statistics. The bearing of prior academic qualifications on the academic achievement was investigated using a robust regression, controlling for student’s characteristics, gender, nationality, and year of enrollment. A median CGPA of 3.16 in the results points to a “lower second” class degree obtained by a considerable number of graduates in the program. In the multivariate assessment, high scores on entry to the program were significantly associated with high academic achievement (p < 0.01). These findings confirm enrollees’ prior academic qualifications as: 1) a predictor of academic achievement on the program and 2) thus, an indisputable measure for assessing the competence of candidates suitable for admission to the program

She’s a Survivor: Post-Operative Counseling and Its Importance to the Recovery of a Woman Victimized by Female Genital Mutilation

The prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation and the difficulty in preventing its practice call for a fresh way of resolving the problem. As the availability of medical professionals equipped with the ability to correct clitoral mutilation grows, there is also an increasing need for professionals that can help the victims after the reconstructive surgery. Post-operative therapy for victims that have opted to receive reconstructive surgery is necessary in order to fully recover. Furthermore, more research in this area is needed to support the findings of this review and will fill the physical and emotional gap exhibited in prior studies related to Female Genital Mutilation

Completion Of A Full Course Of Primary Schooling Among All Children Everywhere By 2015: A Case Of Sub-Saharan Africa

Achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remains a major challenge, particularly in developing countries. Specifically, achieving the target of completing a full course of primary schooling among all children, which is goal two, is a major challenge for Sub-Saharan Africa. Though literature consensually suggests that the goal will not be achieved by the 2015 target date, no estimates are provided to support these claims. This study seeks to envisage the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa by the target date using an Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. The investigation is based on data sourced from the World Bank publication of education indicators for the period 1970–2010. The data, comprising 41 observations, represent the total number of new entrants in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the theoretical entrance age to the last grade of primary education. Overall, an upward trend of completion estimates presented in the results shows that progress has been made in this regard. The success attained for the region following the adoption of the MDGs in 2000 demonstrates that the goal can be achieved. The sub-optimal predictions of the situation obtained in the results nevertheless indicate that the achievement certainly will not be realized by the 2015 target date

Exploring strategies broadcast media can use togenerate revenue from social media platforms: a case study of Galaxy FM in Uganda.

Globally, the manner in which people are communicating and interacting has changed mainly due to social media. This change has affectedtraditional media that is print and broadcast because part of the audiences have shifted to Social Media Platforms (SMPs) like Facebook (Meta), Twitter (X), WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and others where they get all the information. This shift has negatively impacted the revenue base of the traditional media because advertisers have also turned to SMPs to advertise their goods and services. The goal of this study, therefore, was to explore strategies broadcast media houses can use to generate revenue from the SMPs with Galaxy FM Radio in Uganda as the case study. The study took a qualitative approach, where the researcher made a systematic, factual and accurate description of the facts based on the interviews and questionnaires given to the 18 respondents. The study established that Galaxy FM uses seven SMPs namely Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok, where content in various formats is posted and various factors like type and format of the content, its length and language, the time when it is posted, copyright restrictions from platform owners are some of the determinants on how the audience interacts or engages with the content. The study established that although the online audience interacts with the content posted on the SMPs, challenges such as ignorance about their impact, especially among the managers of big corporate companies, the type of content posted, and lack of training continue to bar the radio station from generating revenue. The researcher also recommended strategies which could help Galaxy FM overcome this obstacle

Quality Of Education Outcomes: The Role Of The Graduate Management Admission Test

Although the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is considered by leading business institutions worldwide as a predictor of success in graduate programs, an issue of contention is whether the introduction of the examination enhances the quality of education outcomes. This study sought to obtain an understanding of this issue, focusing on Masters in Business Administration (MBA) students at the College of Business and Management Science (CoBAMS), Makerere University. The academic achievement of MBA enrollees and their candidature status (i.e., whether candidates progressed normally or not) at the end of their first year of master’s studies were adopted as measures of education outcomes. The investigations are based on administrative data of 216 enrollees in the MBA program at CoBAMS in the 2010 and 2011 enrollment cohorts. Unlike the 2010 enrollees, those in the 2011 cohort were admitted to the program on the basis of their GMAT scores. In the analysis, differentials in the candidature status and academic achievement of enrollees before and after the introduction of the GMAT were investigated using the Pearson chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis test statistics, respectively. The results revealed that students who were not admitted to the MBA program on the basis of the GMAT had better education outcomes. This finding diminishes the relevance of the examination in determining the academic competence of candidates suitable for admission. Though the results affirm the bachelor degree achievement as a predictor of success in the MBA program, varying conclusions compared to literature are reached with regard to education outcomes obtained by whether or not the GMAT requirement is waived

Teacher Competence And The Academic Achievement Of Sixth Grade Students In Uganda

The study investigates the influence of teacher competence on the academic achievement of sixth grade students in Uganda. The investigation is based on data sourced from the 2009 Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) survey comprising 5,148 records of sixth grade students enrolled in primary schools in Uganda. The percentage scores of students and teachers in reading and numeracy tests were adopted as measures of academic achievement and competence, respectively. The analysis was carried out using a multiple linear regression clustered by six geographical regions in Uganda eastern, western, southern, northern, southwestern, and northeastern. In addition to teacher competency, students academic achievement in the various disciplines was modeled by the student characteristics of age, sex, rural-urban residence, class repetition status (any class), and length of pre-primary education. The results showed students high academic achievement in reading and numeracy was significantly associated with high teacher competency in the same disciplines. However, this generalization may not hold for all students in all countries because of variations in learner characteristics and the learning environment. Nevertheless, the findings suggest the need to strengthen teacher competence as a measure to enhance students academic achievement in formal education

Examination Phase Of The Masters Thesis: A Plausible Cause Of Delayed Completion Of Graduate Studies At Makerere University, Uganda

This paper investigates the influence of the examination stage of student theses on the completion time of graduate studies at Makerere University, Uganda. The assessment is based on the administrative data of 504 Masters degree students in the 2000 to 2008 enrollment cohorts at the School of Education, Makerere University. The total elapsed time from submission of a thesis for evaluation to a viva voce was adopted as a measure of the examination period. Additionally, the period from viva voce to submission of the final thesis was investigated. The analysis included frequency distribution, summary statistics, and a Pearson Chi-square test. A median examination period of 11 months (range, 155), in the results, is a lengthy one when compared to the two-year stipulated duration of Masters studies at the University. Subsequently, the fact that about six in every ten students (59.9%) submits a final thesis beyond a months period after a viva points to further delays in the review process of students reports. No significant variations in the submission period were observed by student characteristics. In sum, the findings underscore the need to strengthen administrative support systems, particularly aspects related to the review process of students reports, to ensure students timely completion of graduate programs

Scholarly Productivity In Developing Countries: An Analysis Of Levels And Patterns Among Doctoral Holders In Uganda

Doctoral holders are considered to be key actors in the creation of innovation and knowledge. However, this generalization may not hold true for doctoral holders in all countries. This study sought to assess the scholarly productivity of these highly qualified individuals in Uganda. The investigation is based on data sourced from the 2012 Careers and Productivity of Doctoral Holders (CDH) Survey conducted in the country. The data adopted comprise a total of 534 records of doctoral holders who were 70 years or younger by 2010 and living permanently or domiciled in Uganda. Journal Article(s) and book(s) (co)authored were adopted in this study as measures of productivity of a doctoral holder. The status and pattern of (co)authored journal article(s) and/or book(s) were assessed by doctoral holder characteristics using the Pearson Chi-square Test and Complementary Log-log regression. The number of (co)authored journal articles and books (including book chapters and monographs) was assessed by doctoral holder characteristics using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Poisson regression. In the results, the proportion of doctoral holders (29.2%) who had (co)authored journal article(s) and/or book(s) by the time of the study points to low scholarly productivity of these highly qualified individuals in the country. Though doctoral graduates of other African universities and those from international universities were more likely to have (co)authored article(s) and/or book(s), the number of (co)authored articles was significantly higher among graduates of Ugandan institutions. Further, the number of (co)authored articles was significantly higher among the males and doctoral holders who graduated before 2000. However, no significant variations in the number of (co)authored books were noted among doctoral holder characteristics. Nevertheless, the low scholarly productivity of doctoral holders in Uganda is certainly a mirror reflection of the situation in many developing countries