CHALLENGES IN THE USE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

The study examined the challenges in the use and management of existing knowledge in public secondary schools in Rivers State. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting 184 principals used for the study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire named index of secondary school leadership knowledge management questionnaire (ISSLMQ) that was completed by the respondents. The questionnaire was structured by the researcher and validated by educational management specialists. The findings revealed that principals encounter challenges in the use and management of existing knowledge in the management of schools. It was also revealed that there are no differences in the challenges encountered by male and female principals in the use of KM. The implication of the findings is that principals must overcome these challenges to realize effective school leadership.  The study recommends that school principals should be trained on the use and management of KM for decision making and that knowledge management clubs be formed by teachers and principals as a way to tap existing knowledge that will be used for decision making in the future. Keywords: Challenges, Knowledge management, Secondary school management, Nigeria

Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teacher Education for Capacity Building.

Education is the key that unlocks the development of any nation but Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration into teacher education is the key to equipping and producing professional development backing for teachers. This necessitates the inclusion of ICT in the National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004). Meaning that with the integration of ICT in teacher education, Nigeria, will be able to produce the human resources that will build her economy as to measure up with other developed nations. The onus of this paper therefore, is to discuss the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teacher education for capacity building. Areas of concern are integration of ICT in teacher education for capacity building, modalities for ICT integration, challenges of ICT in teacher education, and approaches to ICT integration. The paper concludes and recommends that to build human resources that will build the nation, ICT must be integrated into teacher education and ICT education should be a compulsory subject or course for all students in teacher training institutions

Town And Gown Relationship: A Synergy For National Development In Nigeria

Town and gown relationship is beneficial to both the university and community. Cordial relationship of the university and its community results in peace, stability, security and progress. Whereas the community benefits from the university in terms of economic gains, social and community services, the community provides the university with the needed peace and security to operate. This paper attempts to explore critical areas of collaboration and linkages between the duo. The paper discovers that town and gown have of recent become increasingly connected in common use of facilities such as electricity, telephone, transportation and road network. In order to sustain this synergy the paper recommends that university programmes and policies should be planned according to the needs of their communities, a forum for friends of the university should be established, and that for universities to accomplish their missions, adequate funding should be provided

Acidosis: The Prime Determinant of Depressed Sensorium in Diabetic Ketoacidosis

OBJECTIVE — The etiology of altered sensorium in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) remains unclear. Therefore, we sought to determine the origin of depressed consciousness in DKA. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — We analyzed retrospectively clinical and biochemical data of DKA patients admitted in a community teaching hospital. RESULTS — We recorded 216 cases, 21 % of which occurred in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Mean serum osmolality and pH were 304 31.6 mOsm/kg and 7.14 0.15, respectively. Acidosis emerged as the prime determinant of altered sensorium, but hyperosmolarity played a synergistic role in patients with severe acidosis to precipitate depressed sensorium (odds ratio 2.87). Combination of severe acidosis and hyperosmolarity predicted altered consciousness with 61 % sensitivity and 87 % specificity. Mortality occurred in 0.9 % of the cases. CONCLUSIONS — Acidosis was independently associated with altered sensorium, but hy-perosmolarity and serum “ketone ” levels were not. Combination of hyperosmolarity and acidosis predicted altered sensorium with good sensitivity and specificity. Diabetes Care 33:1837–1839, 2010 D iabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is fre-quently associated with alteredmental status, which is correlated with the severity of the disease and prog-nosis (1). However, the etiology of de-pressed sensorium in DKA remains uncertain and controversial (2,3). Puta-tive factors in the pathogenesis of diabetic ketoacidotic coma include cerebral hypo-perfusion due to circulatory collapse and cerebral thrombosis (4), reduced cerebral glucose and oxygen utilization (1,5), aci-dosis (6,7), hyperosmolarity (8,9), and direct toxic effect of ketone bodies (2). Cerebral edema remains an important precipitant of altered consciousness in DKA, especially in children. Different studies have yielded con-flicting results regarding the role of these etiologic factors in the pathogenesis of al-tered mentation in patients with DKA. Hence, the origin of clouded sensorium in DKA remains to be fully elucidated. We undertook to study the etiology of de-pressed consciousness in patients admit-ted with DKA at the Regional Medica

Aetiological considerations in 96 consecutive cases of ascites

Background: Ascites is always a feature of an underlying disease, whose cause is unknown at presentation most of the time. Its initial treatment therefore will be empirical and dependent on the most frequent and common causes in the environment. Aim: To evaluate a cohort of patients with ascites to determine the common causes in in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). Methods: We undertook a clinical evaluation of 96 consecutive cases seen at the UPTH, over a three-year period, using a combination of diagnostic modalities which included biochemical, serological and cytological examination of the ascitic fluid, as well as radiology and ultrasonography, and histological examinations of liver biopsy specimens in cases suggestive of liver disease. Results: The three most common causes of ascites in this series were liver diseases-36.5% (chronic liver disease 27.1%, hepatocellular carcinoma 9.4%), renal diseases 30.2% (chronic renal failure 23.9%, nephrotic syndrome 6.3%), and cardiac diseases 23.9% (congestive cardiac failure 22.9%, Endomyocardial fibrosis 1%). The clinical conditions associated with portal hypertension (liver and cardiac diseases) accounted for 60% of cases. Localized intra-abdominal disease, such as tuberculosis was rare (3.1%), and chronic alcohol consumption was very common amongst all aetiological groups. Peripheral oedema was a frequent accompaniment of the renal and cardiac cases more than the liver diseases, whereas pleural effusion was very rare. Conclusion: Patients presenting with ascites can be commenced on diuretics and salt restriction pending the establishment of a definitive diagnosis. Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 1(1) September 2006: 29-3