Perceptions of Tertiary Students in Ghana about Effectiveness of Lecturers in Teaching. (A Case Study of Kumasi Polytechnic)

The main objective of the study is to find out the Perception of tertiary students in Ghana about the effectiveness of lecturers in teaching .Questionnaires were used to collect data from six hundred and three (603) HND students of Kumasi Polytechnic. Data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study reveals two categories of competencies that is personal and professional competencies an effective lecturer should have. On personal competencies it was found out that an effective lecturer is someone who is friendly, patient, pay attention to weak students, dress neatly to lectures, love students, and help students academically. The study also reveal that an effective lecturer is someone who has the following professional competencies, good communication skills, have good knowledge of the subject matter they teach, always punctual to lectures, teach with teaching materials, and motivate students. Recommendations were made to improve on the effectiveness of lecturers teaching in tertiary institutions in Ghana. Keywords: Perception, Effectiveness, Competencies, Professional, Personal, Punctual, Revea

Factors Determing Interest Rate Variations in Ghanaian Banks

This study examined interest rate variations among banks in Ghana. The objective of the study was to estimate the key driving factor(s) that influences interest rate spreads in Ghana. It was also the aim of this study to examine the impact of the 2008/2009 financial crises on this relationship, to know whether ownership (foreign and local banks) differences in this relationship is significant and to know whether age of the bank determines their interest rate spread. The study used an unbalanced panel of all 28 banks from 2000 to 2011. The fixed effect estimation technique was employed throughout the analysis of data. The study found that, for bank specific variables, age of a bank was significant and a positive determinant of net interest margin while ownership structure had a significant negative impact on net interest margin. This suggests that banks that have been in operations in the country for a long time seem to enjoy higher interest margins while generally most of the foreign banks seem to have narrower margins. The size of the banks and the operational cost did not show any significance.The industry variable measured by the HHI of loans showed strong positive impact on net interest margin suggesting that indicates that when advances in loans are concentrated among few banks, they tend to enjoy wider spreads. Moreover, for the macroeconomic variables (Inflation, monetary policy rate and exchange rate) none of them was a significant determinant of banks’ net interest margins. The dummy variable for the 2007/2009 banking crises showed a significant negative impact on the interest rate spread of banks in Ghana

Examination of Factors That Influence the Choice of Senior High School by Junior High School Students in Ghana (A Case Study of Nungua Basic Schools)

The objective of this study has been to determine the major underlying factors that influence the choice of senior high schools. To this end, a survey of 510 BECE candidates in Junior High Schools in Nungua, a community in Accra, was conducted. The students were asked to indicate their opinions on twenty seven variables on a five-point Likert scale. The data generated from the survey were multivariate in structure since 27 variables were recorded on 510 respondents. The was data explored, using frequency distributions of the responses The research revealed that Controlled social atmosphere is the most influential factor that underlies the selection of senior high schools. A second most influential factor is parental guidance/individual needs. Quality of education and the location of the school are the other factors that cannot be ignored. Key Words: Accra, Nungua , Education, Factors, Opinion, Social, Influential , Parenta

An Epidemiological Model of Malaria at Techiman Municipality, Ghana

The study examined the prevalence of Malaria in the Techiman Municipality of Ghana. We used  model to analyze, model and predict the prevalence of Malaria disease in the municipality. The study is made up of two sections. An  model without the vital dynamics and an  with vital dynamics were used to explain the spread of the Malaria in the Techiman Municipality followed by the Fred Brauer simple treatment model ( ) to determine whether the treatment of malaria in the municipality is beneficial. The model has two equilibrium states: the disease-free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium states respectively. The stability condition of each equilibrium point is discussed. The basic reproductive number  of Malaria without the vital dynamics is estimated to be  and the basic reproductive number  of Malaria with the vital dynamics is estimated to be in the Techiman Municipality. The basic reproductive numbers of the  model and the modified malaria model were also estimated to be  and  respectively. Our work shows that the reproductive number () of Malaria infection at Techiman Municipality is less than 1(). Our work also shows that malaria treatment is beneficial in the municipality. According to the results of this study whenever the transmission rate coefficient in any of the models is increased, , but when the transmission rate coefficient is reduced, . We recommend that Malaria control measures should be intensified in the municipality so as to decrease the rate of transmission. Keywords: SIRS model, Stability analysis, Equilibrium points, Mathematical model, Epidemiological model

Application of Max-min Ant System in Modelling the Inspectional Tour of Main Sales Points of Ghacem In Ghana.

Ant colony optimization (ACO) has widely been applied to solve combinatorial optimization problems in recent years. There are few studies, however, on its convergence time, which re?ects how many iteration times ACO algorithms spend in converging to the optimal solution. This study aims at using a Max-Min Ant System (MMAS), which belongs to Ants Algorithm to obtain optimal tour of the Travelling Salesman Problem of Ghacem. The study considered a twelve city node graph (major sales point of Ghacem) with the nodes representing the twelve cities, and the edges representing the major roads linking the cities. Secondary data of the inter-city driving distances was obtained from the Ghana Highway Authority. The results showed that the objective of finding the minimum tour from the Symmetric Travelling Salesman Problem (STSP) model by using Max-Min Ants System (MMAS) Algorithm was successfully achieved. The optimal route of total cost distance was found to be 1873Km. Therefore, Ghacem could minimize the cost of transportation  as the  Directors of Ghacem Ghana go on a tour to check on the sales performance  of the twelve key Distributors in the  major sales points in Ghana, starting from Tema where the company’s Head office is sited. It is very prudent for the company to rely on MMAS model to reduce fuel cost in order to maximize profit. In doing so it go along way to increase the tax revenue of the state. Keywords: Max-Min Ants System (MMAS), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Algorithm, Travelling Salesman (TSP), Ghace