Kabale University Interdisciplinary Research Journal (KURJ)
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Classroom streaming and academic achievement among students in secondary schools in Uganda: evidence from Apac and Jinja districts
Get PDFSeveral studies have been conducted to ascertain the impact of ability grouping on academic attainment over the past 20 years, but little effort has been made. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of classroom streaming on academic achievement and self-esteem of secondary school students and the relationship between streaming and academic achievement among students in secondary schools in Apac and Jinja districts. The researcher involved four secondary schools from the Apac and Jinja districts. The 240 subjects, both boys and girls, with 30 subjects drawn from each of the selected streams, were drawn from the four schools. The sample chosen was large enough to be representative of the whole student population in the two districts. The analysis of the relationship between streaming and academic achievement revealed that the p-calculated value was found to be 0.0001 with df = 238. Since 0.0001 is far less than 0.05, which is the P-critical value at which the researcher tested the hypothesis, the conclusion is that streaming has an effect on academic achievement. The study confirmed that ability grouping has a strong bearing on the academic achievement of secondary school students
The role of public libraries in promoting digital literacy for community empowerment in western Uganda
Get PDFDigital literacy has become a concern in this era that is characterized by heavy dependence on the usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). To evidence this, in Uganda, 36% of the non-internet users are digitally illiterate, and the digital literacy index is still low at 20%. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of public libraries in promoting digital literacy for community empowerment in the western part of Uganda. The study was guided by the specific objectives which include; establishing the strategies undertaken by public libraries; and the challenges they encounter in promoting digital literacy for community empowerment in western Uganda. A case study design was used to gather qualitative data on the availability of library facilities, the strategies undertaken by public libraries; and assessing the challenges encountered by public libraries in promoting digital literacy for community empowerment in western Uganda. The study found out that public Libraries in Uganda are in the front line of promoting digital literacy within their communities through community outreach, face to face, and hands on training. Through these, members within the community are taught mobile phone literacy, computer skills and other life and vocation skills in liquid soap, and shoes making. These libraries also provide information and internet access in a bid to close the access gap. However, they encounter a number of challenges such as limited funding, unstable power supply, few ICT facilities, and few staff within the libraries. There is therefore a need for the government of Uganda to increase funding, recruit more staff, develop a national digital skills framework, mandate internet service providers to support public libraries with free internet access if a digital literate society is to be realised
On the use of analysis of variance under unequal group variances
Get PDFIn this study, we imposed Analysis of variances test (ANOVA) which use when we have more than two treatments or different levels of a single factors that we wish to compare then we assume homogeneity of variances across the groups being compared although most of the earlier works that have addressed the problem of testing equality of mean variance overestimates the appropriate variance and the test statistic becomes conservative. This is the well-known Behrens – Fisher problem. Then we are interested in comparing several treatments means in this work, we made use the analysis of variance under unequal variances when the groups variances differ. It will be very inappropriate to use the pooled sample variance (S2P) as a single value for the variances, instead the sample harmonic mean of variances (S2H) is proposed as an alternative to the pooled sample variance when there is heterogeneity of variances. The distribution theoretically and confirmed using simulation studies and this proposed harmonic mean of variance was, examined in this work and found useful for unequal variances. Data set from Kwara State Ministry of Health on the incidence of diabetes diseases for male patients was used to illustrate the relevance of our proposed test statistic
Working capital management practices and performance of small and medium enterprises in western Uganda
Get PDFManaging working capital involves making decisions on the investment of available cash, maintaining a certain level of inventories, managing account receivables and account payables. Whereas working capital management is important because of its influence on profitability of SMEs, working capital management practices are not given due attention in Uganda by the owner managers of SMEs. Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the drivers of Ugandan economy; they are the engine of growth for the economic development, innovation, spur economic prosperity and wealth creation of Uganda. Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) are seen as a driving force for the promotion of an economy and they contribute immensely to the economic development of any country. Despite the significant contribution of small and medium enterprises to the Ugandan economy, the potentials of the SMEs have not been exploited fully and this is a concern of all stakeholders in the economy. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between Working Capital management practices and performance of SMEs in Uganda a view to establishing a coherent model directed at improving performance. The study also examined factors for efficient Working Capital management practices for SMEs in Uganda. The study adopted a positivist quantitative paradigm with cross sectional and correlational designs. The findings in respect of the main purpose of this study indicated that in Working Capital management practices accounted for 33.8% percent of the variance in performance of SMEs. The results also indicated that Cash Management Practices influence highly since it predicts over 22% of the variance in SMEs performance. The study accepted the hypothesis that Working Capital management practices are positively related with SMEs performance. The present study supported a multi-theoretic approach in explaining performance of SMEs in Uganda. The study supports the pecking order theory in explaining the financing of SMEs together with resource-based view as the theories that help in explaining performance of SMEs. The study confirmed efficient Working Capital management practices positively influence and affect performance of SMEs in Uganda. It was recommended that SMEs should consider Working Capital management practices as an integral part in achieving SMEs performance. They need to give priority to Cash Management since it was found to have a big influence on SMEs performance. Since cash is a component of working capital, then, SMEs owners need to separate business transactions from their personal transactions so as to have financial discipline which would ensure sustainable working capital thus meeting short term needs SMEs
Unleashing women entrepreneurial potential in Uganda: challenges facing women entrepreneurs in their quest for business in Maziba sub-county, Kabale Municipality, Kabale District
Get PDFWorldwide, the contribution of women to the process of development is accepted. An entrepreneur is a person who has confidence, strong vision, willing to take risks, generating new ideas and innovations. Women conduct business and contribute to the nation’s growth as much as their male counterparts. Women own and run businesses in numbers that would have been hard to imagine a few decades ago. However, women entrepreneurs face challenges in business; they are more disadvantaged than men. Existing research focuses on other areas than the main challenges facing female entrepreneurs in Maziba Sub-county, Kabale District; this needed an assessment. The objective of this study was to investigate challenges women entrepreneurs face in their quest for business. The study was guided by the Gender Theory. The study used a case study research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Using random sampling, a total of 180 respondents were selected for the study. Primary data was collected using survey questionnaire, in-depth interviews, focus groups, with randomly selected women entrepreneurs, and secondary data was obtained from reports. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis using SPSS Version 26
Antimicrobial potency of extracts from selected medicinal plants towards Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Get PDFAntibiotic resistance has become a very big threat to the existing first line antibiotics. Some of the infectious pathogens are becoming multidrug resistant including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This has necessitated social, scientific and financial interventions from key players. The strain this puts on the fragile health care systems of developing nations is frustrating. Scientific interventions have involved campaigns for improved hygiene, use of combination therapies and revived search for new drugs with different modes of action. It is on this basis that this research was conducted as phase I into the search for antibiotic agents from nature. This was done by screening several plant extracts to identify bioactive extracts that can be developed into drugs or purified for better active single molecules in the second phase. Extracts were obtained by cold percolation of pulverized samples of different dried plant parts using different mono-solvents. Agar diffusion and froth floatation were used to measure the potency of the extracts. Many of the screened extracts had good to moderate activities. Five of the plant species; Zanthoxylum chalybeum and gilletii, Diospyros abyssinica, Prunus africana, Peptadeniastrum africana and Blighia unijugata showed very promising activities (1.9 to 9.4 mg/mL) against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The other species had moderate activity (10.6 to 47.5 mg/mL). The species (Albizzia coriaria, Maytenus senegalense and Kigellia africana) that inspired this research from literature only demonstrated moderate activity against all the tested organisms, probably due to antagonistic effect of the active compounds within the extracts. In conclusion, Z. chalybeum and gilletii, D. abyssinica, P. africana, Peptadeniastrum. africana and B. unijugata have a very strong potential for drug development and are recommended for use in the management of infections caused by the tested microbes and purification to isolate the individual active compounds for better formulation, standardization and drug acceptability
Modelling determinants of antenatal care services utilization in Nigeria
Get PDFSensitization to antenatal care (ANC) services utilization has increased as a result of the increase in the number of maternal deaths in Nigeria. Hence, this study examined the determinants of ANC services utilization among women (15 – 49 years old) in Nigeria. Data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) for 2013 was used in this study. The responses to ANC checkups for the mother of most recent child was used to measure whether the respondent utilizes the ANC services. The Chi-squared test of independence was used to test the significant association between the response variable and each of the selected factors that are associated with the response. Also, a generalized logistic regression analysis was used to measure the effects of the selected factors that are associated with the use ANC services. The findings indicated that all the selected factors except husband’s working status influenced the use of ANC services (P-values < 0.05). However, health enlightenment programmes that will sensitize and encourage women living in the rural area, women with no education, women with no occupation and women with low income from all part of Nigeria on the need to utilize ANC services should be employed on media outlets
Governance and poverty eradication policy performance during the NRM Administration in Uganda 1986 – 2020
Get PDFPoverty in Uganda is attributed to diseases, limited access to land, large families, lack of markets for agricultural produce, lack of credit facilities, lack of education and vocational training, lack of jobs, high unfair taxes and market dues, death of family bread winners, ignorance and lack of information, idleness and laziness, insurgency and gender inequalities among others. This is the identifiable poverty structural complex within which any actor on poverty reduction and eradication has to work. However, despite the above elaborate classification of the causes of poverty in Uganda and the enactment of numerous anti-poverty policies, less effort has been expended in analyzing why the poverty situation in Uganda has not significantly changed since the NRM administration.This study therefore attempted inter alia to fill this research gap and also sought to introduce new concepts that can improve poverty reduction and eradication agenda in Uganda. The idea behind this research is that if the causes of the slow progress in poverty reduction are not identified and targeted holistically through policy and inculcation of good governance at all levels of government administration, it will be difficult for Uganda to achieve significant poverty reduction and eradication in the long run. Consequently therefore, the main objective of the study was to establish whether or not a relationship exists between governance and anti-poverty policy performance in Uganda and to generate governance practices that can be applied for better anti-poverty policy performance in Uganda in the future. Following on this objective it is hypothesized that a possible relationship exists between governance practices at all levels of government administration and poverty reduction so much so that particular governance practices are crucial in poverty reduction. A mixed research methodology was adopted in the study and a number of questions were adopted to assist in probing this hypothesis
Financial inclusion and refugees’ self-reliance: an assessment for women’s economic empowerment at Nakivale refugee settlement, southwestern Uganda
Get PDFThe study examines the role of financial inclusion to women refugees’ self-reliance in Nakivale settlement. While self-reliance and economic inclusion are increasingly centralized in the international refugee regime as tools of empowerment that benefit women refugees, policy makers largely fail to consider the distribution and availability of local resources in promoting these ideas. Women refugees are often identified as passive and vulnerable victims of violence in need of support and remain disadvantaged in various socio-economic aspects. Nakivale settlement is not well suited for refugees’ economic independence due to the area’s land scarcity and social conflict. Employing qualitative methods, the study established economic challenges faced by women refugees and identified ways of solving socio-economic challenges that affect women refugees. The study recommends that creating credit facilities to enterprising women refugees will encourage trade within and outside the settlement and this could reduce vulnerability while improving the economy of the refugees and host community. The study concludes that since the majority of the refugees women are involved in agriculture, more land be allocate to them and their skills enhanced through trainings
Improving women and children refugees’ livelihoods through self-reliance at Nakivale settlement, south western Uganda
Get PDFUNHCR reports that of the 82.4 million people who have been forced into displacement, over half are women and children. The East African region hosts one of the highest levels of refugees in the world. Refugees in Camps in Africa are confronted with a number of challenges, one of them being over-reliance on food aid. In Uganda and particularly Nakivale settlement, a number of strategies have been undertaken to improve women and children refugees through self-reliance initiatives. This study examined how women and children refugees’ livelihoods can be improved through self-reliance strategies. The study employed a triangulation design to collect and analyze data. The study population for this study was 39523 women and children refugees (12 -17) and (18-59) gotten from a study population of 104,009 women and children refugees. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis, the findings revealed that refugees’ livelihoods can be improved through improved access to financial services and skills enhancement training. The study concluded that access to financing services would improve women and children refugees’ livelihood. The study thus, recommends that refugees be trained in different skills and later can be provided with capital to enable them start to businesses or other self-reliance activities instead of relying on handouts