PATTERNS OF CONTACT AND INVOLVEMENT BETWEEN ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR NON-RESIDENT FATHERS

This study examined the patterns of contact and involvement between adolescents and their non-resident fathers after divorce. The data were analysed to determine the role of Lamb, Pleck and Levine’s (1986) three constructs in the involvement of non-resident fathers, i.e. interaction, availability and responsibility. The results indicated that the majority of male and female adolescents reported continued direct and indirect contact with their fathers, regardless of paternal remarriage and the lapse of time since the divorce. Boys reported higher levels of communication and feelings of emotional closeness than girls. Overall, the study postulates that non-resident fathers play a less significant role in providing parental guidance to their children

Deficiences of practical eskom currently uses for setting out-of-step relays

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment; School of Electrical and Information Engineering; MSC DissertationIn the recent past the Eskom network operated out-of-step at three occasions. Eskom questions whether the out-of-step relays responded as they should have. This is based on the fact that not all the out-of-step relays operated during these events. This dissertation shows that shunts can make the impedance locus behave nonclassically to the extent that the present practices Eskom uses for out-of-step relaying become inappropriate for application at certain busbars of the network. This is illustrated by showing that when the characteristic of the relay at Hydra, situated on the Mpumalanga side of Hydra, is set using the classical approach, the mentioned relay will not detect swings that have their electrical centre south of Hydra. A modified two generator model is used to show the effect shunts have. The phrase “improved two generator model” refers to this model. The improved two generator model is derived to represent the section of the Eskom network that links Mpumalanga to the Western Cape

Developmental screening in South Africa : comparing the national developmental checklist to a standardized tool

Background: Worldwide, more than 200 million children in low- and middle-income countries have developmental delays and/or disabilities. In South Africa the only nationally implemented developmental 'screening' tool is integrated as part of 'The Road to Health Booklet (RTHB). Method: The study employed a comparative cross-sectional within-subject design to evaluate the accuracy of the RTHB developmental checklist against a standardized international tool i.e. the PEDS tools, consisting of the PEDS and PEDS: DM. A total of 201 participants were included through convenience sampling at primary health care facilities in Tshwane, South Africa. Results: Sensitivity of the RTHB developmental checklist is low, but specificity is high. The RTHB developmental checklist failed to identify more than half the infants at risk of delays or disorders. The nationally implemented developmental checklist is ineffective to identify at-risk infants. It should be adapted and validated or replaced in order to improve identification of at-risk infants

The challenges posed by COVID-19 to the BRICS education systems: Lessons to be learnt

It is considered an axiom that the national education system is expected to render a service during the real and ever-changing educational needs of a given nation. Typically, the primary functioning is characterised by the provisioning of an educationally determined pathway for each student according to their specific contexts. A real state of emergency arises when the national community is suddenly faced with dramatic challenges such as those posed by the external factors namely the global outbreak of COVID-19. In this situation, the unique challenge for individual national education systems was to address the educational needs of the students and the community with the pre-condition to safeguard their health in the face of the pandemic. The response of each education system had to prioritise the implementation of health protocols to safeguard all education stakeholders, along with the provision of quality education. The objective of this article was to explore the approaches and practices that the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) implemented during the time of the pandemic. To accomplish this objective, a systematic document analysis was conducted that ultimately allowed the identification of lessons to be learnt. The results show many similar approaches employed by the BRICS such as transitioning to online teaching, devoting funds to address emerging challenges and developing new teaching strategies. The article concludes with the lessons learnt from the nations under investigation