Family medicine training in Sub-Saharan Africa : South-South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development

BACKGROUND. Health-care systems based on primary health care (PHC) are more equitable and cost effective. Family medicine trains medical doctors in comprehensive PHC with knowledge and skills that are needed to increase quality of care. Family medicine is a relatively new specialty in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE. To explore the extent to which the Primafamed South–South cooperative project contributed to the development of family medicine in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS. The Primafamed (Primary Health Care and Family Medicine Education) project worked together with 10 partner universities in sub-Saharan Africa to develop family medicine training programmes over a period of 2.5 years. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis was done and the training development from 2008 to 2010 in the different partner universities was analysed. RESULTS. During the 2.5 years of the Primafamed project, all partner universities made progress in the development of their family medicine training programmes. The SWOT analysis showed that at both national and international levels, the time is ripe to train medical doctors in family medicine and to integrate the specialty into health-care systems, although many barriers, including little awareness, lack of funding, low support from other specialists and reserved support from policymakers, are still present. CONCLUSIONS. Family medicine can play an important role in health-care systems in sub-Saharan Africa; however, developing a new discipline is challenging. Advocacy, local ownership, action research and support from governments are necessary to develop family medicine and increase its impact. The Primafamed project showed that development of sustainable family medicine training programmes is a feasible but slow process. The South–South cooperation between the ten partners and the South African departments of family medicine strengthened confidence at both national and international levels

Fee-Free Secondary Education in Ghana: Reflections on the Past, Realities and Feasible Choices

In 2017, the Government of Ghana introduced a Fee-Free Secondary Education policy that attracted intensive debate nationally. This paper is a reflective analysis rooted in both historical and contemporary expressions of education financing in Ghana. It considers the feasibility of the policy, its sustenance and draws on past policies and practices in Ghana and other country experiences. It reflects on past social interventions in Ghana and their outcomes. Findings suggest that a universal fee-free policy will be burdensome on government’s limited resources and affect the quality of education delivery. The paper concludes that a gradualist approach or phased implementation of the programme through means-testing and pro-poor targeting could lead to better management and practice of the policy

Perspectives on community-school relations: a study of two schools in Ghana

In 1987, the Government of Ghana embarked on a process to decentralise education management to districts throughout the country as part of a programme of wider social and democratic governance reforms. A vital element of this reform was the prescription of active community participation in the affairs of schools within their localities. The establishment of school management committees (SMCs) was to create a new school governance landscape based on community participation, as well as devolution of power to the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. In this regard, considerable attention has been focused on central government‟s understanding of how this devolution of authority to communities and schools should work and how communities should assume responsibility for increased participation in schools. From the inception of this policy over two decades ago, there seems to have been no feedback through research findings or diagnostic policy reviews on how this new role of the community has been received, interpreted and executed in its engagement with schools, particularly in the rural poor and underserved areas. Mindful of this, this study sought to explore the multiple understandings of how community and school relations work, as well as the challenges and pressures which influence community – school relationships. The study employed the qualitative methods of interview and documentary analysis to collect data on the understanding and experiences of community – school relations from SMCs and PTAs; other members of the community; the school; and education management. The findings suggest that many of the theoretical and policy expectations about representation and participation in school improvement through the SMC and PTA concept are only evident in form and not in practice. Furthermore, in poor rural contexts, it is often the comparatively better educated and influential members of the community, including informal groups who become the new brokers of decision-making, and who through their actions close spaces for the genuine representation and participation of others. In some cases, SMCs seldom work as the de facto representatives of the community, as decisions are made and critical interactions occur outside this formal structure for community representation and engagement in school governance. This affects the visibility of SMCs and undermines their credibility and capacity to play their intended role. Moreover, the degree of community participation in schools appears to be shaped by the school fulfilling community expectations of schooling and on a „social contract‟ based on the principle of reciprocity. These findings support the view that the fate of schools is increasingly tied to and powerfully shaped by key players at the local level, and that this happens through more informal and traditional roles which are more trusted but not necessarily representative of the image presented by policy on community participation in school governance. The findings also highlight the threat to voluntarism, a key assumption of the policy on community participation and the importance of seeking ways in which schools can play a more active role as change agents in the community, thereby legitimising in the community‟s eyes their importance in the life of the community

The Challenge of Fee-Free Secondary Education and Educational Access in Ghana: A Reflection on the Past, Realities and Feasible Choices

In 2001, the Government of Ghana introduced subsidies at the Senior High School meant to reduce the burden on parents and guardians of wards in such schools. Since 2012, there has been an intensive debate on fee-free senior high school education in Ghana. While some see this as preposterous and unimaginable, others consider it as a poverty alleviation option and a panacea to providing the required cadre of youths with skills needed for the economic development of Ghana. This paper considers the feasibility of how such a policy may improve access to senior high school education in Ghana and be sustained. The paper examines some policies and practices on funding secondary education in Ghana Findings suggest that a uniform fee-free policy approach will include a sizeable number of students who do not need to be supported by government in the secondary schooling. The study further finds out that demand for secondary education, particularly, regarding low income families may not always be dependent solely on fee free secondary education but on other cost variables, including opportunity costs and perceived economic returns from such education. The study concludes with some feasible choices on the need to adopt painstaking approaches to identify those who are needy and a fundamental objective for such policies to benefit the poor. Keywords: Universalization of secondary education, policies and practices, pro-poor targeting, secondary education financing

A Process Evaluation of the Mentorship Programme of the University of Education, Winneba

This evaluation of the mentorship programme of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), is a part fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation Methods course undertaken at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) is a higher education institution mandated by the Act that established it to train teachers for the country’s formal education sector. In line with this mandate, the University adopted the model that is made up of a 3-year on campus theory-based and one-year off-campus school based. The one-year school-based experience is referred to as the Student Internship Programme (SIP). This is an intensive school-based student teaching-learning experience, which provides a structured, supervised and clinical experience for the student-teacher. The conceptual underpinnings of this programme is that teachers are supposed to be reflective decision makers who facilitate students’ learning by reflecting on their practice, assess and improve their teaching behaviours

Entrepreneurship and Job Creation for Sustainable Development in Ghana: The Role of Government as an Arbiter in Shaping the Institutional Environment

Studies indicate that 80% of jobs in Ghana are in the informal sector, while entrepreneurs create the majority of these informal jobs. Studies further affirm that Small Medium Enterprise entrepreneurs make up about 94% of Ghana’s industrial sector. Past and current governments view the entrepreneur as the solution to weak economic performance and job creation. What remains a challenge though is a better understanding of the factors that determine entrepreneurship and the environment that motivates and supports the growth of entrepreneurs. This paper argues that knowledge of the primary catalyst for entrepreneurship is essential for understanding the microeconomic foundations that will lead to growth in the Ghanaian economy. The paper concludes that fostering the private sector and entrepreneurship depends on a supportive business environment, which makes it not only important, but also urgent for regular revision of incentives and policies that are likely to attract genuine entrepreneurs and businessmen and women. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Job creation, Institutional environment, Private sector

Do pro-poor schools reach out to the poor? Location choice of BRAC and ROSC schools in Bangladesh

Location choice of ‘one teacher, one classroom’ non-formal primary schools pioneered by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is studied vis-à-vis its replication under government-managed Reaching-Out-of-School (ROSC) project using school Census data. Both types of schools have a statistically significant presence in poor sub-districts within a district. However, BRAC schools avoid pockets that lack public infrastructure and suffer from female illiteracy, while ROSC schools have greater presence in regions that have poor access to cities and roads. Moreover, ROSC schools better target regions that are under-served by government schools; the opposite is true for BRAC schools and state-recognised madrasas

AESTHETICS OF THE RAMPAGEOUS BODY: INVESTIGATING BODY IDOLISATION AMONG GHANAIAN YOUTH

This study investigates the phenomenon of body idolisation among Ghanaian youth, exploring its underlying motivations, cultural influences, and broader societal implications. Adopting a phenomenological approach, the research examines how young people perceive their bodies as instruments of empowerment, self-expression, and social validation. The analysis highlights the growing dominance of visual-centric paradigms, the loosening of traditional cultural norms, and the impact of global influences in shaping contemporary body aesthetics. These evolving practices generate tensions between individual self-expression and societal expectations, reflecting a broader negotiation between tradition and modernity. The findings contribute to the global discourse on body image and aesthetics, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders. The study underscores the need for a balanced approach that acknowledges youth agency while fostering informed aesthetic considerations. It advocates for a deeper societal understanding of body idolisation, enabling constructive engagement with the trend and guiding young people in navigating the complexities of bodily self-presentation

The Lost Dignity: The Reading of Alex La Guma’s A Walk in the Night

This paper unravels the dark side of apartheid system through the analysis of Alex La Guma’s novella; A Walk in the Night. The analysis brings out how La Guma uses his literary texts under study to reveal to his readership the lost dignity of the oppressed. This novella reveals to readers the atrocities that were perpetrated against the non-whites in South Africa. This study highlights the restrictions placed on African workers under the oppressive Apartheid system and its effects on the psyche of the non-whites in South Africa have been given credible space in the novella. There is seen in this novella a fictionalization of the different forms of maltreatments that non-whites suffered during the Apartheid regime. There is also seen in the novella a relentless effort by La Guma to protest against the Apartheid era. The life-styles of the non-whites clearly indicate that the Apartheid system really took away the dignity of the non-whites in South Africa. Keywords: Alex La Guma, Apartheid, South Africa, Oppression, Dignit