Digital competence assessment across generations:study of a Finnish sample

Abstract. Digital technologies along with the free navigation of internet is rapidly changing our lives. Considering the importance of digital technologies for socio-economic success, acquiring digital competences have become important in knowledge societies. In addition, the European Commission presents a framework of digital competence for citizens by means of combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes, through technology, to perform tasks, solve problems, communicate, manage information, collaborate, create and share content effectively, appropriately, securely, critically, creatively, independently and ethically. Based on the European Framework (DigComp) a self-assessment tool Digital competency wheel is used for this quantitative study to measure the individuals’ perceptions toward digital competence. With a sample of 197 individuals from different generations in Finland, this study aims to provide empirical evidence that the generational technological abilities are diverse. The data in this study show that “Net generation” also coined as Digital natives, have obtained the highest level of digital competence; nevertheless, when looking at the performance of all the investigated groups, slight inter-generational difference has been found in the case of problem solving, whereas programming has been found as the least developed competency among these groups. Considering the usefulness and importance of digital competence for learning, this difference is minimal, with no universal applicability. Based on the results, the study concludes that digital competence is very much distributed across generations; this also contribute to inter generational learning that may enhance technological skills across generations. Therefore, the research in this field needs to be strengthen and the digital competence should be assessed more deeply on a large scale

Electric Power Generation from Solar Photovoltaic Technology: Is It Marketable in Pakistan?

Solar photovoltaic systems are prohibitively expensive in terms of installation costs. Power from them is also available intermittently—only when energy from the sun is available. On the other hand, PV systems are free of the ever-rising costs of input fuel. They also incur much less operation and maintenance costs and are supposed to have a longer lifetime than, for example, a fossil fuel power plant. Thus using solar-PV power looks uneconomical in the short term, but may be profitable in the long term. It is, therefore, interesting to identify the factors that can make investment in solar PV power generation acceptable. This paper carries out a financial analysis of installing a 10 MW solar photovoltaic power generation plant for sale of electricity to a grid. It compares the levelised cost of this mode of energy generation as compared to a fossil fuel plant. It also calculates the cost of electricity generation and tariff for power from this plant. It then identifies the factors that can make the investment in a grid-scale solar PV plant more favourable than investment in other conventional and non-renewable sources.Solar Energy

Girl's Experiences of Child Marriage in Afghanistan: A Scoping Review

This study aims to explore factors of child marriage and experiences of girls married below 18 in Afghanistan. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR procedure. Articles were searched from Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar and WoS databases. There were seven journal articles that were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set. Meta-synthesis method was used in this research. We found many factors that exist in Afghanistan namely; poverty, illiteracy and luck of access to education, war and instability, cultural and traditional practices, ethnicity and geography and misinterpretation of religious texts are among the main ones. Consequently, girls suffer from many types of violence (physical, emotional and sexual, and other) and psychosocial problems. In spite of these facts there was no specific study in terms of psychological impacts, income level, cultural and religious background, and psychosocial impacts of child marriage based on the findings of this study

Sustainable Market Development for Non Timber Forest Products in Pakistan

Non timber forest products (NTFPs) consist of goods of biological origin other than timber. Pakistan has great diversity in its relief feature, giving arise to unique floral compositions. 80% of the forest dwellers are dependent on NTFPs in one way or the other due to poverty. Forest dwellers rely on their indigenous knowledge for collecting, processing, packing, drying, marketing and consumption of various NTFPs. Some of the important NTFPs produced in Pakistan are: morels, honey, fruits and nuts, vegetable, condiments and spices, mazri palm, silk cocoon, and many others. 131 species are reported during the study. About 34% of local people are dependent on NTFPs for income generation. The prices and production of many NTFPs are fluctuating in different years. Some of NTFPs are exported, earning valuable foreign exchange like chalghoza, morels, walnuts etc. There was an export of 1384.72 million in 1999-00. These products, after collection and processing, are sold to the middleman who than sells into main market. 65% of the product is lost during the way to final product. The study reveals present situation of trade and marketing of NTFPs and future guidelines for proper planning and management

Factors Behind Weaknesses of Afghan Students’ Speaking Skills

The current study aimed to explore major factors behind common weaknesses in speaking skills of Afghan students were majoring in English at Shaikh Zayed University. A descriptive research design was employed in the study, and a modified close-ended questionnaire was distributed to collect data from (20) female and (80) male students. Also, IBM SPSS Statistics 24th version was used to analyse collected data; frequency and percentage were presented in tables. Furthermore, the study's findings revealed that fear of making mistakes while speaking, low self-confidence and poor grammar knowledge were the leading factors behind common weaknesses of students' speaking skills

Two Pashto Short Stories by Abdul Wakil Sulamal Shinwari Translated by Noorullah Atal

The present work presents two translation of short stories by Abdul Wakil Sulamal Shinwari. Abdul Wakil Sulamal was born in Haska Maina district of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in 1964. He completed his elementary and secondary education in Jalalabad, and was then sent for higher education to the former Soviet Union. Sulamal obtained his masters degree in Military Pedagogy from the Soviet Union, then returned to Afghanistan in 1989, where he worked as an instructor in various military institutes of the Ministry of Defense. In 1994 he began work as a journalist with the “Writers Union of Free Afghanistan” in Peshawar. In 1995 he quit this job and emigrated to the Slovak Republic, and later on moved to the United Kingdom. He has written a number of academic, analytical, and research articles; and political and literary essays, which have been published in various journals in and outside of Afghanistan

Migration reflected through Afghan Women’s Poetry

Landays are two line poems that are most often written by anonymous Afghan women. Intense distillations of emotion and everyday preoccupations, they reveal the struggles faced by those whose husbands, on whom they are forced to depend, migrate. While Pashtun women are increasingly becoming visible in the economy, politics and society, social norms still dictate that most of these women should remain at home, uneducated and dependent on male family members, so that the migration of their husbands renders their lives even more confined. However, while the anonymous form of the poems allow women to complain about the constraints they face, it also permits them to merge as active participants in �their lives, urging suitors to go abroad to earn the money necessary for marriage, to bring back gifts and to remain faithful

Potential and Market Status of Mushrooms as Non-Timber Forest Products in Pakistan

The total area covered by forest in Pakistan is 4.8%. Forest resources directly contribute to 80% of livelihood of people living in extreme poverty. Important Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are: morels, honey, fruits and nuts, vegetable, condiments and spices, mazri palm, silk cocoon, and many other. 17 species of mushrooms are reported during the study and about 34% of local people are dependent on NTFPs for income generation from these products. Local people rely on their indigenous knowledge for collection, processing, packing, drying, marketing and consumption of various NTFPs, especially mushrooms. Mushrooms, after collection and processing, are sold to the middleman who then sells into main market. More than 65% of the product is lost during the way to main market with finished product. About 532,280 kg were produced in 1997-98. There are problems like lack of awareness about collection and processing of various products and knowledge about marketing among local collectors. Extensive research is needed to study market trends and monopolies, wastage and unsustainability during different steps of processing, and govt. attitude toward NTFPs, etc. Studies to be conducted through bottom-up approach for proper planning, better levels of production, sustainable income through sustainable utilization, training and capacity building of related personnel, sustainable marketing and community for conservation

Potential and Market Status of Mushrooms as Non-Timber Forest Products in Pakistan

The total area covered by forest in Pakistan is 4.8%. Forest resources directly contribute to 80% of livelihood of people living in extreme poverty. Important NTFPs are; morels, honey, fruits and nuts, vegetable, condiments and spices, mazri palm, silk cocoon, and many other. 17 species of mushrooms are reported during the study and about 34% of local people are dependent on NTFPs for income generation from these products. Local people rely on their indigenous knowledge for collection, processing, packing, drying, marketing and consumption of various Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) especially mushrooms. Mushrooms, after collection and processing are sold to the middleman who then sells into main market. More than 65% of the product is lost during the way to main market with finished product. About 532280 kg were produced in 1997-98. There are problems like lack of awareness about collection and processing of various products and knowledge about marketing among local collectors. Extensive research is needed to study market trends and monopolies, wastage and unsustainability during different steps of processing, and govt. attitude toward NTFPs etc. Studies to be conducted through bottom-up approach for proper planning, better levels of production, sustainable income through sustainable utilization, training and capacity building of related personals, sustainable marketing and community for conservation