Adopting the child-centred pedagogy for teaching reading and writing in Local Language:Experiences from Uganda

Dit proefschrift omvat de resultaten van vier deelstudies uitgevoerd in scholen voor primair onderwijs in Oeganda, tussen 2012 en 2015. Vanuit Vygotsky’s socio-culturele theorie zijn de volgende onderzoeksvragen ontwikkeld en beantwoord. Waarom ondervinden kinderen die in de lokale taal worden onderwezen, moeilijkheden bij het lezen en schrijven in die lokale taal? Hoe kan de kindgerichte pedagogiek bijdragen aan het leren lezen en schrijven van de kinderen in de lokale taal?Hoe kan formatieve evaluatie ingevoerd worden in grote klassen als middel om kinderen te helpen om hun lees- en schrijfvaardigheden in de lokale taal te verbeteren? Welke rol kunnen door kinderen geschreven verhalen spelen om kinderen te helpen bij het leren lezen en schrijven in de lokale taal. Dataverzameling heeft plaats gevonden vanuit de Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodologie, o.a. door middel van diepte-interviews, focusgroep discussies, lesobservaties en een review van studieboeken en -materialen. Analyse van de data leidde tot de volgende resultaten: hoewel de leerlingen relatief gemakkelijk de concepten in de locale taal leerden beheersen, werd het leerproces bemoeilijkt door het ontoereikende karakter van de taalvaardigheid van de docent, ongeschikte leermaterialen, grote klassen en docentgericht onderwijs. Daarentegen ontwikkelde de taalvaardigheid van de kinderen zich positief door voortdurende toetsing en het gebruik van passende leermaterialen. Sommige leerlingen bleven moeilijkheden ondervinden bij het leren lezen van drielettergrepige woorden, het maken van eenvoudige zinnen en de interpunctie. Ten derde, de studie gaf ook aan dat de betrokkenheid van de leerkrachten in PAR een positieve verandering teweegbracht ten opzichte van het beoordelen van de competenties van de kinderen in lezen en schrijven. Tenslotte bleek dat, hoewel geschreven verhalen door de kinderen zelf hun taalvaardigheid verbeterde, de ´dierentaal´, de humor, gebaren en stemvariaties die de gesproken verhalen begeleidden, verloren gingen. Dit had invloed op de schoonheid en de betekenis van de verhalen voor de kinderen. De aanbevelingen van de deelstudies zijn gericht op het verder implementeren van de kindgerichte pedagogiek, van goede instructiematerialen, voortdurende toetsing en evaluatie van de ontwikkeling van leesvaardigheden, ontwikkelen van interactieve didactiek in de klas, reductie van klassegrootte en werkdruk van leraren, en het gebruik van geschreven verhalen door kinderen vergezeld te laten gaan van audio-visuele middelen om de humor, gebaren en stemvariaties van de verhalen te behouden

Aspergillus section Flavi community structure in Zambia influences aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnut

Article purchased; Published online: 19 August 2017Aspergillus section Flavi have been implicated as causal agents of aflatoxin contamination in Africa. However, Aspergillus populations associated with aflatoxin contamination in Zambia have not been adequately detailed. Most of Zambia's arable land is non-cultivated and Aspergillus communities in crops may originate in non-cultivated soil. However, relationships between Aspergillus populations on crops and those resident in non-cultivated soils have not been explored. Because characterization of similar fungal populations outside of Zambia have resulted in strategies to prevent aflatoxins, the current study sought to improve understanding of fungal communities in cultivated and non-cultivated soils and in crops. Crops (n = 412) and soils from cultivated (n = 160) and non-cultivated land (n = 60) were assayed for Aspergillus section Flavi from 2012 to 2016. The L-strain morphotype of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus were dominant on maize and groundnut (60% and 42% of Aspergillus section Flavi, respectively). Incidences of A. flavus L-morphotype were negatively correlated with aflatoxin in groundnut (log y = 2.4990935 − 0.09966x, R2 = 0.79, P = 0.001) but not in maize. Incidences of A. parasiticus partially explained groundnut aflatoxin concentrations in all agroecologies and maize aflatoxin in agroecology III (log y = 0.1956034 + 0.510379x, R2 = 0.57, P < 0.001) supporting A. parasiticus as the dominant etiologic agent of aflatoxin contamination in Zambia. Communities in both non-cultivated and cultivated soils were dominated by A. parasiticus (69% and 58%, respectively). Aspergillus parasiticus from cultivated and non-cultivated land produced statistically similar concentrations of aflatoxins. Aflatoxin-producers causing contamination of crops in Zambia may be native and, originate from non-cultivated areas, and not be introduced with non-native crops such as maize and groundnut. Non-cultivated land may be an important reservoir from which aflatoxin-producers are repeatedly introduced to cultivated areas. The potential of atoxigenic members of the A. flavus-L morphotype for management of aflatoxin in Zambia is also suggested. Characterization of the causal agents of aflatoxin contamination in agroecologies across Zambia gives support for modifying fungal community structure to reduce the aflatoxin-producing potential

Does exposure to aflatoxin constrain efforts to reduce stunting in Zambia?

On 8 June 2013, the Vice President of Zambia stated that his government ‘is fully committed to reducing chronic undernutrition by 50 per cent in the next ten years…’ What are the challenges to meeting this goal? Zambia has both a high consumption of groundnuts and high levels of aflatoxin contamination of this commodity. Recent studies indicate an association between stunting and aflatoxin exposure. If the association exists, then Zambia faces serious challenges to reaching its target of 50 per cent reduction in chronic undernutrition. Recent efforts to identify atoxigenic strains for biocontrol in maize and groundnuts give cause for cautious optimism. Nonetheless, the challenges ahead demand both a high level of political will to achieve effective multisectoral collaboration and the willingness of the agricultural and health sectors to undertake rigorous monitoring of aflatoxin contamination and growth of young children, as well as the agricultural sector’s commitment to reduce substantially levels of aflatoxin contamination and to promote agricultural diversification

Local community participation in restoration of watersheds in Uganda

Open Access Journal; Published online: June 26, 2017Despite the involvement of the local community in Awoja watershed activities, restoration was not fully achieved. Studies on community participation in Awoja watershed have focused on its importance with little known on the extent to which they participate, yet the level of community participation determines the success of restoration of watersheds. This study analysed the extent of local community participation in restoration of Awoja watershed of Eastern Uganda. It was conducted in Ngora district and respondents were asked about two restoration sites of FIEFOC and COBWEB. Data were collected from 237 respondents using a questionnaire from April to July 2015. Descriptive analysis and independent t-test were employed to analyze data. Results indicated that overall level of local community participation in Awoja was average with varied patterns in social, economic and environmental participation. Results showed significant differences between level of participation in overall (P=0.034) and environmental (P=0.044) in FIEFOC and COBWEB restoration sites. Community involvement at all project phases should be encouraged to create a sense of ownership and guidance in similar upcoming projects

Gendered district poverty profiles and poverty monitoring Kabarole, Masaka, Pallisa, Rakai and Tororo districts, Uganda

The overall objective of the Danida supported Agricultural Sector Programme Support (ASPS) in Uganda is to improve the conditions for the poorest part of the population and contribute to reduce gender-based inequalities in Uganda in general and in the pilot focus districts in particular. Late in 2000, Danida asked Department of Agricultural Economics, Makerere University, Kampala, and Centre for Development Research, Copenhagen, to form an external task group with the purpose of monitoring the gender and poverty impact of the ASPS. The present Working Paper presents a slightly revised version of one of the reports that have been the response to this task.1 The Paper presents gendered district poverty profiles for the five ASPS pilot districts, i.e. Kabarole, Masaka, Pallisa, Rakai and Tororo districts, as well as the methodology for developing these profiles. It depicts and compares the situation of the ‘betteroff’, the ‘less poor’ and the ‘poorest’ households in the five districts according to a number of dimensions, which local people themselves have identified as important when describing poverty and well-being in their communities. In addition, the report analyses the aspect of equality and inequality in gender relations within the household. Based on women’s own perceptions of female well-being, three levels of equality in gender relations are distinguished and related to household poverty. These profiles are the district baselines against which the gender and poverty impact of the ASPS can be monitored in the future. Finally, the report makes a very preliminary attempt at analysing the outcomes, including both the households reached and the resulting behavioural changes achieved through the various interventions supported by the ASPS components. This is related both to poverty levels, gender relations and differences between districts. The Paper concludes by outlining how the analysis should be undertaken when the exercise of developing gendered district poverty profiles is repeated three to four years later as part of ASPS impact monitoring

White lupin leads to increased maize yield through a soil fertility-independent mechanism: a new candidate for fighting Striga hermonthica infestation?

Nitrogen (N)-deficiency and lack of phosphorus (P) availability are major constraints to maize yields in Western Kenya. In a two-season field study in the lake Victoria basin, we tested the capacity of white lupin (Lupinus albus (L.), cv. Ultra), as a nitrogen-fixing crop with a highly efficient P-acquisition capacity, to increase maize yields when used as a companion or cover crop, or as a source of organic matter. Each experiment was performed on three different fields (Vertisols) differing in N/P availability, previous cropping history and in levels of infestation by the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Our results show that white lupin led to significantly higher yields of maize when used as a cover crop. When lupin was grown as a companion crop, it also slightly enhanced the yield of the co-cultivated maize. When lupin shoots were incorporated to the soil, the positive effect of lupin on maize growth was field-dependent and only occurred in the field most heavily infested with S. hermonthica. Despite the beneficial impact on maize yield, no clear effect of lupin on soil N and P availability or on maize N/P uptake were observed. In contrast, lupin significantly inhibited infestation of maize by S. hermonthica: when lupin was grown together with maize in pots inoculated with S. hermonthica, the emergence of the weed was strongly reduced compared to the pots with maize only. This work opens a new range of questions for further research on white lupin and its potential beneficial impact as a S. hermonthica-inhibiting cro

The effect of distance to health-care facilities on childhood mortality in rural Burkina Faso.

This study aims to investigate the relation between distance to health facilities, measured as continuous travel time, and mortality among infants and children younger than 5 years of age in rural Burkina Faso, an area with low health facility density. The study included 24,555 children born between 1993 and 2005 in the Nouna Health and Demographic Surveillance System. The average walking time from each village to the closest health facility was obtained for both the dry and the rainy season, and its effect on infant (<1 year), child (1-4 years), and under-5 mortality overall was analyzed by Cox regression. The authors observed 3,426 childhood deaths, corresponding to a 5-year survival of 85%. Walking distance was significantly related to both infant and child mortality, although the shape of this effect varied distinctly between the 2 age groups. Overall, under-5 mortality, adjusted for confounding, was more than 50% higher at a distance of 4 hours compared with having a health facility in the village (P < 0.0001, 2 sided). The region of residence was an additional determinant for under-5 mortality. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of geographic accessibility of health care for child survival in sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrate the need to improve health-care access to achieve the Millennium Development Goals