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Teaching history: pedagogical practices and complexities in upper secondary schools of Ethiopia
No full textThis study examined the pedagogical practices and complexities in teaching history in the upper secondary schools of Ethiopia. The study employed descriptive case study research design. Data were obtained from nine key informants, textbooks, syllabi, and other publications. Interview and document review were used as principal data collection tools. Data were analyzed using qualitative narrative approach. The findings revealed that teachers frequently use lecture, explanation, and discussion as the main methods of teaching. Debate, inquiry, justification, and multiple-interpretation methods were not properly used by teachers, and are rarely incorporated in the textbooks. Instructional activities such as what and why questions, explanations, and discussion questions appeared often in the prescribed textbooks. Moreover, the grand historical narratives and counter-narratives apparently made Ethiopia’s history turbulent and complex as such narratives are influenced by political factors. Furthermore, interview respondents revealed that phrases incorporated in the Ethiopian history publications such as ‘Assimilation’, ‘Amharanisation’, ‘Colonization’, ‘Restoration’, and ‘Oromization’ are politically motivated discourse than academic concepts and they create complexities in the Ethiopian historical narratives. Besides, content overload, over emphasis on the country`s political and military histories than social and economic history, and lack of consensuses among politicians make the teaching of history very complex
A technical report on the virtual production of Marginalized Ears in a pandemic era
No full textThe Covid-19 (corona virus) pandemic and its attendant lockdown in Nigeria stifled physical productions and unlocked limitless possibilities for virtual productions. Having observed that rural dwellers constitute 49.66 percent of the total Nigerian population as at 2018, according to the National Population Commission (NPC), and having observed that the media focus in Nigeria is mostly urban-driven, some lecturers in the Department of Theatre Arts, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, embarked on a Theatre for Development (TfD) research to substantiate the mental state of the under informed, who constitute a significant segment of the Nigerian population in the hinterlands. The research aims at demystifying the burgeoning misinformation, rumours, claims and misconceptions about Covid-19 that circulate among these rural dwellers. This paper recounts the Virtual Production Techniques (VPTs) adopted in the production of the TfD documentary as most of the producers were in different states (the trio of Ameh Denis Akoh, Charles Emokpae and Chinda Michael - Abakaliki, Charles Okwuowulu - Enugu, Casmir Onyemuchara - Owerri, and Christopher Akpa - Nsukka) of the South Eastern geopolitical zone of Nigeria, at the time of the virtual production. The technical report underpins the virtual techniques adopted in co-creating a video script on corona virus in Igbo dialect of the community dwellers (spread across Abakaliki, Enugu, and Nsukka with the aim of determining the level of (mis)information that has permeated these communities as well as developing strategies for the virtual TfD documentary production. The technical report will not focus on the objectives of the TfD research but on the director’s (Charles Okwuowulu’s) and editor’s (Chinda Michael’s) perspectives and contributions towards virtual documentary production in the pandemic era. The researchers used the participant observation and literary methods to conduct the research. It was found that VPTs are more cost effective than the traditional production techniques, if planned and utilised properly. This article concluded that the virtual production technique can be applied not only to movies, but also to documentary films, at no extra cost. It recommended that filmmakers who feel restricted by the pandemic or any such situation should apply the VPT to keep working, as it will basically allow for the adherence to the rules and regulations setup by local authorities, to prevent or curtail the spread of the corona virus. 
Diversités et efficience des élevages dans les écosystèmes agraires oasiens : une analyse dans la vallée du Drâa
No full textLes systèmes de production agricole en zones oasiennes sont soumis à d’intenses pressions sur les ressources, notamment hydriques et foncières. Dans ces régions où règne une aridité marquée et où l’irrigation est primordiale pour la pratique des activités agricoles, deux études complémentaires ont été menées. La première a visé à déterminer une typologie des élevages, sur la base de leurs paramètres structurels et fonctionnels. La deuxième phase de l’analyse a visé à préciser plus exactement les rôles des productions animales dans ces systèmes en caractérisant l’importance de l’élevage, des cultures et des activités extra-agricoles dans les revenus totaux des exploitations agricoles. Quatre systèmes ont été distingués, selon l’autonomie fourragère et les contributions des différentes espèces (bovins, camelins et petits ruminants - caprins et ovins -). Les résultats ont aussi montré que les systèmes avec une autonomie fourragère limitée et donc un maximum d’usage d’intrants externes (élevage bovin et élevage intensifié de la race ovine D’man) concourent aux meilleurs rendements et revenus des cultures. Ceci est particulièrement marqué pour les revenus du palmier dattier qui bénéficie de doses d’irrigation plus intenses apportée à la luzerne qui lui est associée. En parallèle, dans les exploitations avec des capitaux limités ou des eaux souterraines inaccessibles, l’élevage pastoral (dromadaires et caprins) constitue la principale source de revenus, permettant des efficiences de valorisation des eaux et des capitaux remarquables en recourant aux vastes parcours limitrophes et aux coproduits des cultures (déchets de dattes, pailles et son de céréales, etc.)
Transfert de gestion dans la petite et moyenne hydraulique en Algérie entre politiques publiques et réalités du terrain
No full textLe présent article a pour but d’expliciter les principales difficultés qui grèvent, depuis une vingtaine d’années, le transfert de gestion des ouvrages de la petite et moyenne hydraulique aux communautés d’irrigants au Nord de l’Algérie. L’intervention des différents acteurs impliqués dans le processus est appréhendée, en décryptant les mécanismes en place et en tentant d’apporter des éléments d’analyse sur l’efficacité de ces mécanismes. Des enquêtes de terrain ont été menées auprès des administrations hydro-agricoles locales, ainsi que des agriculteurs dans dix périmètres irrigués de la wilaya de Médéa. Malgré une multitude d’acteurs intervenant à différents niveaux et une succession d’amendements juridiques et institutionnels, quatre transferts seulement sur dix se sont concrétisés dans la zone d’étude. Des contraintes entravent le processus de délégation de la gestion des ouvrages, parmi lesquelles la délivrance des agréments aux associations et la dévolution de responsabilités à une administration publique, dotée de moyens humains et matériels limités. En outre, les agriculteurs disposent d’alternatives pour accéder à l’eau sans avoir à se conformer au schéma associatif décrété par l’administration
La parthénocarpie chez le palmier dattier : diagnostic et causes potentielles chez le cultivar Assiane de l’oasis de Figuig au Maroc
No full textLe cultivar Assiane est le cultivar dominant dans l’oasis de Figuig, il représente 51% des pieds de la palmeraie. Sa production en dattes a été réduite d’une façon très significative, depuis 2015, à cause du phénomène de parthénocarpie. Notre étude vise à faire un diagnostic sur les taux alarmants de fruits parthénocarpiques produits, les causes potentielles ainsi que les impacts visibles de ce phénomène sur l’écosystème oasien de Figuig. L’approche méthodologique consiste à faire des enquêtes avec 36 phoeniciculteurs du Groupement d’Intérêt Economique de Figuig et à réaliser l’estimation du taux de parthénocarpie pour la compagne agricole 2020/2021. L’analyse des données nous a permis de constater que le taux de parthénocarpie chez le cultivar Assiane a dépassé 60% pour la compagne agricole 2016-2017. Ce phénomène a tendance à diminuer durant les trois phases de la floraison. De plus, cette diminution coïncide avec une augmentation progressive du taux de nouaison et de la température journalière moyenne de l’oasis. Par ailleurs, les agriculteurs interviewés sont convaincus que les changements climatiques provoquent l’émergence précoce des spathes et que les basses températures qui sévissent durant les trois stades de floraison rendent la mise à fruits difficile. Les impacts socioéconomiques et environnementaux de la parthénocarpie n’affectent pas les phoeniciculteurs de l’oasis de Figuig de la même manière. En effet, ils sont plus remarqués chez les phoeniciculteurs de l’ancienne palmeraie que chez ceux installés dans les zones d’extension. De plus, ces impacts se traduisent indirectement par une augmentation de taux de pauvreté, de l’exode rural et du chômage, en particulier au sein de la main d’oeuvre figuiguie
Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 safety measures on learner-centred teaching in rural English FAL classrooms
Get PDFThe Coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted the process of teaching and learning in unprecedented ways. There has been a shift in the way lesson presentation takes place in many classrooms. In particular, the COVID-19 safety measures (social distancing and wearing of masks) threaten learner-centred teaching in rural English First Additional Language (FAL) classrooms. As a result, there is a need to explore the impact of the COVID-19 safety measures on learner-centred teaching in rural English FAL classrooms. To achieve this aim, the study raises these questions: how do COVID- 19 safety measures disrupt learner-centred teaching in rural English FAL classrooms? How do rural English FAL teachers implement learner-centred teaching while adhering to the COVID-19 safety measures? The study adopts a qualitative research design and uses Document Analysis and Online interviews to generate data from eleven participants.Following thematic analysis, data revealed that the COVID-19 safety measures negatively impact learner-centred teaching in rural English FAL classrooms. The challenges include ineffective monitoring and scaffolding, difficulty engaging in concrete and cooperative learning, limited opportunities for creativity, and distorted communication.In response, the paper recommends various strategies to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 safety measures on learner-centred teaching in rural English FAL classrooms. These include: strengthening the home-school connection, creating a supportive classroom environment, incorporating fun activities in collaborative learning activities, and providing activities that encourage independent learning
Comparative evaluation of automated KingFisher Flex Purification System 96 (ThermoFisher Scientific) and manual QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen) extraction methods for SARS-CoV-2
Get PDFBackground: The extraction step of the viral material of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) influences the quality of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results in diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the automated extraction system "KingFisher Flex Purification System 96 (ThermoFisher)" compared to the manual method with the "QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen)".
Methodology: From October to December 2020, comparative diagnostic evaluation of two methods of SARSCoV-2 RNA extraction methods was conducted on 159 fresh and 120 frozen nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal specimens collected from travellers and suspected cases or contacts of COVID-19 patients in Burkina Faso. The FastPlexTM Triplex 1-Step COVID 19 Detection Kit (RT-PCR, RNA extraction free) (Precigenome LLC) was used to amplify on the same PCR plate, RNA extracts from manual QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit and automated KingFisher Flex Purification System 96 (ThermoFisher) using the QuantStudio5 thermal cycler (Applied Biosystems). Analysis of the diagnostic performance of the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay following RNA extraction by the two methods was done using an online OpenEpi software.
Results: For fresh samples, the study found a slightly higher RT-PCR positivity rate following manual extraction (12.6%) than automated extraction (9.4%). For frozen samples, the positivity rate was far higher for manual (38.33%) than automated extraction method (20.83%). The results show that the performance of the automated extraction was inferior when compared to the manual extraction for both fresh samples (sensitivity 35%, specificity 94.2%) and frozen samples (sensitivity 43.5%, specificity 93.2%). However, using McNemar Chi-square with Yates correction, there was no significant difference in positivity rate of RT-PCR (x2=0.76, p=0.38) between the two extraction methods for the fresh samples, but there was a significant difference (x2=12.9, p= 0.0003) in the extraction of the frozen samples.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that KingFisher Flex Purification System 96 (ThermoFisher) automatic extraction method was less sensitive and specific than QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen) manual extraction method. This information can serve as guide to laboratories in the choice of RNA extraction methods to use for RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2
