The influence of household human and social capitals on participation in agricultural development initiatives in the coastal region of Kenya

The present study sought to establish the human and social capital that determines rural households’ participation in agricultural projects and programmes implemented by the Kenyan government and development partners. The research was carried out among rural households in the three counties of the coastal region of Kenya. Multi-stage sampling techniques (purposive, proportionate random and simple random sampling) were used to select the study area and the study sample. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion and observation schedules. The data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and regression analysis with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22. The findings revealed that individuals with human capital; namely age (-0.15), primary education (-0.16), secondary education (-0.14), vocational training (0.35), and on the of job training (0.25), have a higher likelihood of participating in agricultural development initiatives. Households with the social capital of membership to groups (0.51), engaged in economic activities (0.53) and have linkages with development agencies (0.44) have a higher likelihood of participating in development initiatives. Key policy recommendations for county government and development partners include: encourage the community members to enrol in adult education; provide support for vocational and technical training; register as members in existing groups or form groups based on common interest, and engage in economic activities. The county governments should enhance advisory services to ensure close contact with professionals who will facilitate training, meetings and interactions with groups leading to the empowerment of members

Information and Communications Technologies and Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, Practices, Trends and Recommendations

The following report discusses the use of Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) to improve access to, quality of, and delivery of secondary education within sub-Saharan Africa. It discusses the policy environment for ICTs in sub-Saharan Africa, their successes, challenges, andlessons learned, and it concludes with a broad and detailed set of recommendations for policymakers, donors, the private sector, designers, and implementers of ICTs in education programs. The report seeks to generally answer the question of how sub-Saharan African (SSA) governments can best use technology to improve access to secondary education, improve learning, strengthen management of schools and the education system, and foster innovation

TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES AND TEACHERS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTER STUDIES CURRICULUM IN SELECTED PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NDOLA DISTRICT OF ZAMBIA

The government of the Republic of Zambia in 2013 decided to revise its primary and secondary school curriculum in order for the education system to address the much needed societal challenges. Among other subjects that the 2013 education curriculum framework brought on board was Computer Studies as a compulsory subject in both primary and junior secondary schools. Researchers in this study sought to analyse the availability of teaching and learning resources in the implementation of Computer Studies curriculum in selected public primary schools in Ndola district of Zambia given that this was a new subject that had not existed in the curriculum before. Qualitative research approach was used where the researchers employed a descriptive design. 54 primary schools which were clustered into 9 zones were targeted and the study sample comprised of 9 schools one from each of the 9 zones. A total of 72 respondents made up of 9 Head teachers, 18 teachers of Computer Studies and 45 learners of Computer Studies were purposively sampled. Semi-structured interview guide, an observation checklist guide, document analysis and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Research findings indicated that teaching and learning resources in schools were inadequate which hampered the effective implementation of the curriculum. Besides, teachers of Computer Studies were not qualified and trained to teach the subject. Hence, the researchers recommended that the government through the Ministry of General Education (MoGE) should provide funds (grants) to schools to procure more computers and their accessories and provide infrastructure such as computer laboratories. MoGE should also recruit qualified teachers of Computer Studies in all public primary schools while universities and colleges of education should incorporate Computer Studies education in their curriculum so that they could produce teachers who are competent in matters that have to do with information and communication technology (ICT). In addition, continuous professional development (CPD) should be a must for all teaching staff so as to acquaint themselves with the evolving nature of computer education.  Article visualizations