ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Academic Freedom and Its Protection in the Law of European States

Focusing on those countries that are members of the European Union, it may be noted that these countries are bound under international human rights agreements, such as the International Covenants on Civil and Political, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights or the European Convention on Human Rights, to safeguard academic freedom under provisions providing for the right to freedom of expression, the right to education, and respect for ‘the freedom indispensable for scientific research.’ unesco’s Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel, a ‘soft-law’ document of 1997, concretises international human rights requirements to be complied with to make the protection of the right to academic freedom effective. Relying on a set of human rights indicators, the present article assesses the extent to which the constitutions, laws on higher education, and other relevant legislation of eu states implement the Recommendation’s criteria. The situation of academic freedom in practice will not be assessed here. The results for the various countries have been quantified and countries ranked in accordance with ‘their performance.’ The assessment demonstrates that, overall, the state of the protection of the right to academic freedom in the law of European states is one of ‘ill-health.’ Institutional autonomy is being misconstrued as exhausting the concept of academic freedom, self-governance in higher education institutions sacrificed for ‘executive-style’ management, and employment security abrogated to cater for ‘changing employment needs’ in higher education.

Source: UG
Academic freedom in Africa: A systematic review of content analysis studies

The intellectual discourse on academic freedom has gained prominence across the globe in recent past. While such discussions portend a positive signal for academics, little is known about academic freedom in Africa. This article examines the existing research and scholarship on academic freedom in Africa with the sole intention of questioning the conceptual underpinnings of the frequently studied topics related to academic freedom and the methodological distribution of studies related to academic freedom in Africa. An electronic database search was performed in Scopus and google scholar for papers published between 2004 and 2022, followed by a systematic review of content analysis articles which described academic freedom in Africa. After eliminating all the du plicates, 29 unique research studies were identified as peer-reviewed articles in English. Out of the 29 full texts which were assessed for eligibility criteria, 4 were excluded with 25 Full-text records left to be used for the systematic review of content analysis. The systematic review revealed five main areas of study namely, legal and constitutional laws for the protection of academic freedom, effects of colonialism on academic freedom, chal lenges and safety of academic freedom, academic freedom and intellectual engagement, and academic freedom and sexuality. Our findings further revealed that there is a dearth of literature on academic freedom in Africa presumably because of the chequered development of Africa’s democracy. One thing is however clear that as the democratic architecture of Africa dips, as a result of the upsurge of coup d’detat in recent past, the future of academic freedom remains bleak. It called for academics to seek support from other civil society groups to promote academic freedom and to keep the discussion on academic freedom alive, relevant and current, within the academic community.

Source: UG
Academic freedom in Africa: A systematic review of content analysis studies

The intellectual discourse on academic freedom has gained prominence across the globe in recent past. While such discussions portend a positive signal for academics, little is known about academic freedom in Africa. This article examines the existing research and scholarship on academic freedom in Africa with the sole intention of questioning the conceptual underpinnings of the frequently studied topics related to academic freedom and the methodological distribution of studies related to academic freedom in Africa. An electronic database search was performed in Scopus and google scholar for papers published between 2004 and 2022, followed by a systematic review of content analysis articles which described academic freedom in Africa. After eliminating all the du plicates, 29 unique research studies were identified as peer-reviewed articles in English. Out of the 29 full texts which were assessed for eligibility criteria, 4 were excluded with 25 Full-text records left to be used for the systematic review of content analysis. The systematic review revealed five main areas of study namely, legal and constitutional laws for the protection of academic freedom, effects of colonialism on academic freedom, chal lenges and safety of academic freedom, academic freedom and intellectual engagement, and academic freedom and sexuality. Our findings further revealed that there is a dearth of literature on academic freedom in Africa presumably because of the chequered development of Africa’s democracy. One thing is however clear that as the democratic architecture of Africa dips, as a result of the upsurge of coup d’detat in recent past, the future of academic freedom remains bleak. It called for academics to seek support from other civil society groups to promote academic freedom and to keep the discussion on academic freedom alive, relevant and current, within the academic community

Source: UG
Academic Freedom in Africa: Linking the Past to the Present and Future in University Values

The right to academic freedom derives from other rights and freedoms such as freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, expression, assembly, association and movement; and rights to life, liberty, education and culture. It is therefore a freedom that cannot enjoy a separate existence or be enjoyed in isolation. It needs other freedoms to flourish and its enjoyment promotes or facilitates the enjoyment of other rights and freedoms. On that basis, it can be concluded that the struggle for academic freedom is an integral part of the general struggle for human rights. Like judicial freedom, the enjoyment of academic freedom is not necessarily to promote the interest of the individual academic but as a tool to promote academic excellence, generally. To talk about academic freedom in the African context, it is important to situate the discussion in its past in order to better relate it to the present and future.

Source: UG
Academic Libraries and Copyright issues in Ghana: The University of Ghana in Focus

The paper outlines briefly what copyright is, the main actors in the copyright phenomenon and the need to maintain a balance among them. The paper further discusses the difficulty in upholding copyright in relation to access to information in the University of Ghana problems associated with the use of digital materials, the inadequacy of the permitted use principle, and the future of copyright legislation to address the needs of the library and other vulnerable groups.

Source: UG
The Academic Libraries of Developing Countries: Towards Effective Book Provision in the Face of Austerity

Despite its fundamental importance, resource provision has not been accorded the necessary emphasis in academic libraries in developing countries. Attempts to draw attention to this important function of the academic library. Due to the perennial lack of sufficient financial resources in most academic libraries, the need to make judicious use of available financial resources cannot be overemphasized. Suggests ways whereby maximum use of limited resources could be achieved. Emphasis has been placed on the need for academic libraries to have written acquisition policies to help in the development of a more balanced collection than presently exists in most libraries in developing countries. Also, suggests ways whereby materials could be acquired at minimum cost. Indicates the various means through which books and other library materials could be purchased and shows the advantages and disadvantages of each. Finally, provides suggestions whereby materials acquired could be organized for maximum use by the clientele of academic libraries.

Source: UG
The Academic library of the Future

An academic library is a library in an institution of higher learning usually a University, college or polytechnic with the aim of providing needed information to enable the institution achieve its mission. An academic library by nature serves as a means to achieve an end is not an end to itself. This presupposes that the academic library must be dynamic enough to respond to the changing needs of the institution that it serves. Changes in the education and information landscape in recent times and the emergence and adoption of Information Technology (IT) sometimes referred to as Information Communication Technology (ICT) has revolutionized the face of education as well as the production, presentation and dissemination of information. Technology has made it possible for institution of higher learning to offer distance education programmes, where students are scattered all over the country and sometimes over the world. Changes in technology have also modified the information-seeking behaviours of most students and faculty of universities and polytechnics.it is expedient therefore for the academic libraries to also adopt the use of ICT to enable them respond positively to the needs of the constituency they serve and to remain relevant in the modern technological landscape. The paper defines ICT, looks at its benefits and challenges to the academic library and suggests ways of overcoming the challenges.

Source: UG
Academic Managers’ Evaluation of Adult Learning In A Summer School

Adult Learning (andragogy) is a theory that describes a set of assumptions about how adults learn. Andragogy emphasizes the value of the process of learning. It uses approaches to learning that are problem-based and collaborative rather than didactic, and also emphasizes more equality between the teacher and learner. This study evaluated adult learning in a summer school organized by the Wisconsin International University College in Accra, Ghana. In all, two hundred and fifty students participated in the summer school. To investigate adult learning in a summer school, a paper based survey consisting of one hundred and fifty (150), five-point Likert type scale was administered to 150 adult student participants in the summer school in November 2011. Ninety-four (94) out of the 150 questionnaires (evaluation sheets), were received back, thus making the sample size of 94. The survey instrument asked each participant’s opinion on the content, teaching and organization of the summer school. Results showed that the organization of the summer school was perceived positively, in terms of content, teaching and organization.

Source: UG
Academic promotion policies and equity in global health collaborations

When global health researchers in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) collaborate with academics in high-income countries (HICs), these partnerships often result in disproportionate benefits for the HIC researchers who gain more opportunities for authorship, more prominent authorship positions, more opportunities to present at conferences, and more funding for administrative and student support for LMIC colleagues. This inequity gap persists despite existing guidelines for good collaborative practice and repeated calls to improve global health research partnerships.1 Models for equitable collaborations differ from country to country and team to team, depending on the experience and empowerment of the LMIC researchers and training institutes, research infrastructure, the length of collaborations, and the amount of funding available for research and training. However, the absence of an optimal model should not be an excuse for poor collaborative dynamics.

Source: UG
Academic status and research publication the dilemma of librarians at the University of Ghana

A little over a decade ago librarians at the University of Ghana, Legon agitated for, and were accorded academic status equivalent to those in the faculty. What used to be purely a technical and professional job has gradually shifted to academic. Pressure is now being put on all librarians at the University of Ghana to upgrade themselves to academic status. This paper examines the position of librarians in the university before and after the granting of academic status. The paper also looks at the implications of this academic status on research publication and job satisfaction of these librarians.

Source: UG
Academic status and research publication: The dilemma of librarians at the University of Ghana

A little over a decade ago librarians at the University of Ghana, Legon agitated for, and were accorded academic status equivalent to those in the faculty. What used to be purely a technical and professional job has gradually shifted to academic. Pressure is now being put on all librarians at the University of Ghana to upgrade themselves to academic status. This paper examines the position of librarians in the university before and after the granting of academic status. The paper also looks at the implications of this academic status on research publication and job satisfaction of these librarians.

Source: UG
Academics among farmers: Linking intervention to research

Geographers and other academics whose reputations and advancement depend on their work among developing country farmers have an obligation to assist the farmers in tangible ways. A project of the United Nations University which did this in 1993-2002 (PLEC)is described, with particular reference to Ghana, together with a follow-up project in the same country. Best methods of resource management were sought among the farmers themselves, and expert farmers were encouraged to instruct others in their methods. Moreover, in a project concerned with the conservation of biodiversity on farm, the farmers were also assisted in enterprises creating added value from biodiversity. Getting behind the farmers in their own enterprises can enrich academic research. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Accelerating Breeding for Heat Tolerance in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): An Integrated Approach

Heat stress is a major limiting factor for crop productivity. Tomato is highly sensitive to heat stress, which can result in a total yield loss. To adapt to current and future heat stress, there is a dire need to develop heat tolerant cultivars. Here, we review recent attempts to improve screening for heat tolerance and to exploit genetic and genomic resources in tomatoes. We provide key factors related to phenotyping environments and traits (morphological, physiological, and metabolic) to be considered to identify and breed thermo-tolerant genotypes. There is significant variability in tomato germplasm that can be harnessed to breed for thermo-tolerance. Based on our review, we propose that the use of advanced backcross populations and chromosome segments substitution lines is the best means to exploit variability for heat tolerance in non-cultivated tomato species. We applied a meta quantitative trait loci (MQTL) analysis on data from four mapping experiments to co-localize QTL associated with heat tolerance traits (e.g., pollen viability, number of pollen, number of flowers, style protrusion, style length). The analysis revealed 13 MQTL of which 11 were composed of a cluster of QTL. Overall, there was a reduction of about 1.5-fold in the confidence interval (CI) of the MQTL (31.82 cM) compared to the average CI of individual QTL (47.4 cM). This confidence interval is still large and additional mapping resolution approaches such as association mapping and multi-parent linkage mapping are needed. Further investigations are required to decipher the genetic architecture of heat tolerance surrogate traits in tomatoes. Genomic selection and new breeding techniques including genome editing and speed breeding hold promise to fast-track development of improved heat tolerance and other farmer- and consumer-preferred traits in tomatoes

Source: UG
Accelerating reproductive and child health programme impact with community-based services: The Navrongo experiment in Ghana

Objective: To determine the demographic and health impact of deploying health service nurses and volunteers to village locations with a view to scaling up results. Methods: A four-celled plausibility trial was used for testing the impact of aligning community health services with the traditional social institutions that organize village life. Data from the Navrongo Demographic Surveillance System that tracks fertility and mortality events over time were used to estimate impact on fertility and mortality. Results: Assigning nurses to community locations reduced childhood mortality rates by over half in 3 years and accelerated the time taken for attainment of the child survival Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in the study areas to 8 years. Fertility was also reduced by 15%, representing a decline of one birth in the total fertility rate. Programme costs added US$ 1.92 per capita to the US$ 6.80 per capita primary health care budget. Conclusion: Assigning nurses to community locations where they provide basic curative and preventive care substantially reduces childhood mortality and accelerates progress towards attainment of the child survival MDG. Approaches using community volunteers, however, have no impact on mortality. The results also demonstrate that increasing access to contraceptive supplies alone fails to address the social costs of fertility regulation. Effective deployment of volunteers and community mobilization strategies offsets the social constraints on the adoption of contraception. The research in Navrongo thus demonstrates that affordable and sustainable means of combining nurse services with volunteer action can accelerate attainment of both the International Conference on Population and Development agenda and the MDGs.

Source: UG
Accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana: Literacy, the missing link

The Millennium Development Goals launched in 2001 provide a worldwide agenda to reduce poverty by 2015. Though the eight goals provide synergies for the rapid reduction of poverty, the MDGs have come under criticism for being too narrow and sometimes leaving out critical aspects of human development and well-being. Although the MDGs address some of the most critical areas of human development, one relevant aspect of human development given low recognition is literacy. A critical examination of the MDGs reveals the centrality of literacy in the achievement of all the MDGs. The study which reviewed the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy document (GPRS I & II) shows that the little space given to literacy and the disparities in illiteracy rates between rural and urban areas, gender and socio-economic groups, may be factors responsible for the slow pace of achieving the MDGs. The study concludes that Ghana can only accelerate the pace of achieving the MDGs when greater attention is paid to the link between literacy and economic growth, education, health, gender equality and empowerment of women, and sanitation.

Source: UG
Acceptability and implementation challenges of smartphone-based training of community health nurses for visual inspection with acetic acid in Ghana: mHealth and cervical cancer screening

Objective To explore acceptability and feasibility of smartphone-based training of low-level to mid-level health professionals in cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA)/cervicography. Design In 2015, we applied a qualitative descriptive approach and conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups to assess the perceptions and experiences of community health nurses (CHNs) (n=15) who performed smartphone-based VIA, patients undergoing VIA/ cryotherapy (n=21) and nurse supervisor and the expert reviewer (n=2). Setting Community health centres (CHCs) in Accra, Ghana. Results The 3-month smartphone-based training and mentorship was perceived as an important and essential complementary process to further develop diagnostic and management competencies. Cervical imaging provided peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and helped better communicate the procedure to and gain trust of patients, provide targeted education, improve adherence and implement quality control. None of the patients had prior screening; they overwhelmingly accepted smartphone-based VIA, expressing no significant privacy issues. Neither group cited significant barriers to performing or receiving VIA at CHCs, the incorporation of smartphone imaging and mentorship via text messaging. CHNs were able to leverage their existing community relationships to address a lack of knowledge and misperceptions. Patients largely expressed decisionmaking autonomy regarding screening. Negative views and stigma were present but not significantly limiting, and the majority felt that screening strategies were acceptable and effective. Conclusions Our findings suggest the overall acceptability of this approach from the perspectives of all stakeholders with important promises for smartphonebased VIA implementation. Larger-scale health services research could further provide important lessons for addressing this burden in low-income and middle-income countries.

Source: UG