ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of public and private schools in the provision of quality education at the basic level in urban centres in Ghana

In spite of the considerable state funding and donor support to public basic schools in Ghana, trends in academic performances indicate a low level of performance in public schools. Private schools with little or no assistance from the state performed better academically than the public schools between 1996 and 2000. The study compared the private schools with the public schools with the view of finding the factors that contribute to the poor academic performances in public schools. The educational process was analyzed as a system composed of educational inputs, process, and output. Eight public and five private schools selected from two urban centres namely Sunyani and Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region were compared. The results of the study indicated that parents’ investments and support in their children’s education were higher in the private schools than the public schools. The study also found that the parents’ investments and support were influenced by the socio-economic background of parents namely income, education, occupation and status. The physical infrastructure of the public schools especially the buildings and classrooms had deteriorated due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Teaching and learning materials in the public schools were inadequate because they depended on government free supplies. The private schools, on the other hand, had adequate textbooks and stationery as well as the teaching materials and equipment. This was due to the fact that parents bought the textbooks and stationery for their children. The proprietors also bought teaching materials and equipment for their schools In conclusion, the study suggested among other things that awareness be created for parents, chiefs and their elders, Churches, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the general public to support the public schools in the provision of their needs. Pupils, in public schools should be supplied with textbooks and be allowed to send them home for use The instructional time for students must be increased by increasing the length of the school term. The public school buildings should be rehabilitated to make them attractive. Parent- Teacher Association should be strengthened in the public schools to ensure parents support for the schools development.

Source: KNUST
Comparative study of safety of taxi and trotro in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area

Trotros and taxis are vital modes of public transportation as they help address the mobility needs of transportation-disadvantaged groups in Ghana. There have been perceived safety concerns related to public transportation in terms of road crashes in the Kumasi Metropolis. This study analysed and evaluated comparatively the safety of the use of trotros and taxis for public transportation. To realise the aims of this study, information was elicited from operators and passengers of the two modes using questionnaires. In addition, road traffic crash data was obtained for the study area and analysed. General field observation was used to obtain additional inputs on selected roads within the metropolis. The study established that both trotros and taxis are the major modes of public transportation in the metropolis. In terms of safety, there are similarities in trends for both modes for all accident categories, except for fatalities which showed a significantly increasing trend for trotros compared to that of taxis. Most of the safety issues associated with the two modes were partly due to traffic management and partly due to inadequate infrastructure. It is concluded that despite the similarities in operations, traffic conditions, routing, and accident trends and types, taxis as a mode of public transportation in the metropolis are generally safer compared to trotros.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of remote access technologies and implementation of a smartphone app for remote system administration based on a secure RFB protocol

The study uses remote technologies to provide tremendous support for network administrators by implementing a secure remote system administration application that runs on android smartphones to aid them administer their servers remotely when they (network administrators) are out stationed using their smartphones. The android app developed in eclipse establishes a secure connection with a remote server running a PHP application. The app was developed based on the RFB protocol. The RFB protocol, a display protocol has some security lapses including being vulnerable to Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attack using a few tools and techniques. This research therefore incorporated a self-signed Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate in the android app to enable secure encrypted connections to be established between the android app and the remote server to ensure end-to-end security against attacks such as Man-In-The-Middle (MITM). The whole system was deployed based on client-server architecture with the hand-held smart devices as clients, providing real-time network access to network administrators to their remote servers. The secure RFB protocol proposed and implemented in the android app was compared with other existing software for remote administration such as RDP and RFB protocols using ICMP ping command.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of the concept of prophecy in Christianity and Islam

There have been many arguments and controversies as regards to the belief of prophecy in Christianity and Islam. The controversy is that Muslims respect the Prophets of Christianity and they expect Christians to respect Muhammad as a Prophet. This is because in Islam Jesus is highly respected as the second to last prophet though he is not seen as a deity, hence is not worshipped. Understanding the concept of prophecy in both religions is important as Christians and Muslims will understand and relate better with each other. Such a study is important in order to make people of both religions understand and tolerate each other more through mutual respect and trust for each other. Christians and Muslims possess many similarities as far as the stories of Prophets are concerned. The Bible and the Qur’an two sacred scriptures consist of warnings, reproaches, encouragement, commandments and teachings; hence many narratives appear to contain the same events and personalities. The study was based on the teachings of the Bible and the Qur’an. This approach ensured that the comparative study was based on facts and not on prejudice, assumption nor misunderstanding. The main conclusions drawn from this study are that Christianity and Islam are two monotheistic religions which historically evolved in the Asian Near East. This implies that they have several similarities but certain doctrines and beliefs make one different from the other. Although the stories of the prophets in both religions appear similar there are certain differences. This thesis argues that in spite of the differences of the concept of prophecy in both Christianity and Islam the adherents of the two religions can coexist because of the glaring numerous similarities in the concept between the two religions.

Source: KNUST
Comparative study of teaching and learning of textiles in selected Senior High Schools and Vocational Institutions in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The study employed the qualitative research method with interviewing, questionnaire administration and observation to examine the scope of teaching and learning of textiles in selected Senior High Schools and Vocational Institutions in four selected districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The research focused on examining the scope and content of the textiles programme followed in the Senior High Schools and Vocational Institutions to identify the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and learning processes in those institutions. The population studied consisted of 350 textiles students and 50 textiles teachers in 11 Senior High Schools and 5 Vocational Institutes. The study revealed that many of the Senior High Schools and Vocational Institutions do not offer their students opportunities for organising art exhibitions and excursions although these are requirements of the textiles syllabus. There are no standardized textbooks to guide teaching and learning of textiles in the SHS and in the Vocational Institutions. In the Vocational Institutions, the teachers teach more practical lessons and less theory as compared to the Senior High Schools. There are inadequate tools, equipment and materials for teachers and students to do practical works in the SHS and Vocational Institutions. It was also observed that most of the Senior High Schools have both broad and traditional looms that could not be used for teaching and learning of weaving because they were broken or not in good shape while Vocational Institutions do not have any looms suggesting that weaving is taught theoretically in these institutions. With few materials available to the selected schools, the teachers allow the students to use improvised tools to help them in skills acquisition lessons. It was found out that the Senior High Schools’ time-table and course content do not give enough scope for teaching and learning of textiles to enable the students further their education or create self employment after school. Unlike the Senior High Schools, the Vocational Institutions’ time- table and course content is enough for self employment, although they have to go through apprenticeship for a year or two before becoming self employed. It is therefore recommended that effective recruitment of trained and professional teachers and efficient administration of the Vocational Skills programme by the MOE should be encouraged in the SHS. The government should also assist the Vocational Institutions financially and to recruit teachers. This is because professional vocational teachers are trained purposely to teach vocational subjects such as Textiles and other related subjects.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of teaching and learning processes of the Visual Arts in selected Senior High Schools in Urban and Rural settings in Ashanti Region, Ghana.

A number of arguments have been made concerning teaching and learning in Ghana. The available studies suggest that environment has a positive relationship with academic performance and achievement although limited information on how location of school affects academic performance of students in the Visual Arts exists. This study adopted the qualitative and quantitative research methods with interview, observation and questionnaire administration to identify the factors that affect teaching and learning processes, and students‟ academic performance in the Visual Arts in urban, peri-urban and rural Senior High Schools in the Ashanti Region. Using the purposive and simple random sampling techniques, a sample of six schools - two in each setting, 138 respondents comprising 120 students and 18 teachers were selected for in-depth study. Data collected were analyzed with SPSS 16 (2007 edition) and processed into tables and frequency graphs. The study found that urban schools perform better than rural schools because they have prestigious names and character, more qualified teachers, and attract and admit high performance BECE applicants into the Visual Arts department. Students in these well-endowed schools have clear advantages over their colleagues in the peri-urban and rural schools which are less endowed and therefore attract average performing candidates. Significantly, the performance of students in the peri-urban and rural schools was found to be the same. While the personality behind the name of a school influences academic achievement of its students, the study revealed that the communities in which a school is located and educational opportunities they have also directly influence the academic performance and achievement of its students. Environmental factors, lack of studio facilities, and differences in teaching methodologies in the different geographic settings seem to have some influence on students‟ learning and performance in the final examinations.

Source: KNUST
Comparative Study of the Impact of Climate Variability on Prevalence of Urinary Schistosomiasis: Cases at Sunyani Regional Hospital and among School Children in Atronie, Sunyani

A study has been conducted to determine the impact of climate variability on Schistosoma haematobium infection among patients and school children in Sunyani between 2006 and 2009. Urine samples from the subjects were collected and examined in the laboratory using the Filteration technique for the detection and quantification of Schistosoma haematobium eggs. The prevalence rate of urinary schistosomiasis at the Sunyani Regional Hospital for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 were found to be 0.24%, 0.55%, 0.55% and 0.75% respectively while that for Methodist Junior High School in 2008 and 2009 were 60.1% and 60.3% respectively. A decrease in the relative humidity and average annual rainfall were identified as factors contributory to the increase in urinary schistosomiasis prevalence rate. The temperature values obtained throughout the study period did not have any significant effect on the prevalence rate. The temperature values, however, were those that enhanced cercarial incubation (15-35 °C) with a resultant increase in shedding of cercariae leading to more infections among water contacts. The infection rate due to the stream Amama was 20.1%, while that due to river Tano was 36.6%. The highest risk group was children aged 15-19 years. Praziquantel was administered to treat the infection, producing a cure rate of 93%. Recognition of urinary schistosomiasis as a public health problem in Ghana is the main challenge to prevention and control of the disease.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of the National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria (S. Africa) and KNUST Museum, Kumasi

The quest of the researcher to help upgrade the KNUST Museum to a world – class standard museum, urged the researcher to embark on the study of a series of previously researched topics on museums. The researcher through the study identified many world-class standard museums, but out of the lot, the National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria, was chosen to serve as a yard stick, by which the KNUST Museum was compared. The comparative study was to unearth the short-comings of the KNUST Museum and if the suggestions and recommendations by the researcher are adopted, they will help upgrade the KNUST museum to a world-class standard museum. The researcher delved into the areas of the scope and activities of the National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria and KNUST Museum in disciplines such as; education, research, and extracts of the policies of the two museums. In addition the researcher also studied the mode of acquiring collections, documentation, collections management, exhibitions and displays, storage, logistics and funding of the two museums.The researcher employed the qualitative method for research approach; case study historical, descriptive, and observer- participant. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire, validated interview and questionnaire.The researcher’s primary source of information was that of observation participation due to the fact that, the researcher was engaged at NCHM during the research period in Pretoria, and as a volunteer prior at KNUST Museum. The secondary source of information was accessed at, NCHM’s library, Balme library, Museums and Monuments Board’s archives. National Archives, University library - KNUST, Ashanti library, Museums Association (UK) journals, publications and internet sources.The research found out the following shortcomings in the KNUST Museum: the KNUST has no documented policies on collections, education, research, etc. There is a shortfall in the scope and activities of KNUSTM in terms of educational programs, research and funding. Mode of operation was also identified as a challenge such as trained staff for the KNUSTM; there are no curators for the various collection disciplines, educators, documentation staff, and janitorial staff. Improper documentations on collections was noticed, inappropriate showcases and mode of display, improper facilities for storage, inadequate collections, etc. There are no shops, cafeteria, exhibition and conference halls to generate internal funds, as existing in other world class standard museums. KNUSTM has low level of publicity in the print and electronic media. KNUSTM has inadequate logistics and it has no collaboration with international organisations. The researcher recommends that the KNUSTM should formulate policies, improve upon the mode of operation, scope and activities of the KNUSTM to conform to international standards i.e. ICOM.

Source: KNUST
Comparative study of the product appraisal of rural banks: The case of Atwima Kwanwoma, Sekyere, Nwabiagya and Odotobiri rural banks

The aim of this research was to appraise the product performance of four selected rural banks: Atwima Kwanwoma, Sekyere, Nwabiagya and Odotobiri. Secondary and primary data was gathered through questionnaires and interviews from the management and staff and customers of the four selected banks. Using tables, bar and pie charts to analyze the data, it was revealed that although Sekyere rural bank has the highest number of deposit products (9), it has the lowest customer base of 16% compared with Atwima Kwanwoma rural bank with six (6) but 37% customer base. This means that the number of products offered by a bank does not always determine its customer base. Again although Atwima Kwanwoma rural bank has the highest customer base in terms of deposit products, the money value of its deposit was relatively low. This again implies that number of a banks customer base does not really determine the monetary value of its deposit. The study further revealed that the commonest deposit products offered by the four banks are Savings, Current account and fixed deposit. It was also found that interest rates and level of has little influence on the patronage of loan products.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of the prophets of African indigenous Churches and Akan Traditional Priests: A critical examination of their training.

This thesis critically examines and compares the training of the (AIC) prophets and prophetesses with the Akan traditional priests and priestesses. There have been constant criticisms among Ghanaians, both Christians and non-christians about the modus oparandi and training of the AIC prophets and prophetesses. The abuses in activities of some AIC prophets and prophetesses in Ghana have called for a study of the kind of training the prophets and prophetesses go through. Besides examining the training of the AIC prophets and prophetesses the thesis also compares their training that of the Akan traditional akomfo, to find out the similarities and dissimilarities. The primary data for this study were obtained through interviews. The researcher visited some AICs in Ghana and interviewed senior prophets and prophetesses. as well as the would-be prophets and prophetesses for the study. Some schools that train AIC prophets and prophetesses were also visited. The principals of the schools and some past students were interviewed. Some traditional shrines Taakwadwo were visited to know in detail, through interviews the kind of training they give to their would-be priests and priestesses. Secondary data were obtained through relevant literatures. The researcher read some books and articles on the topic. The study revealed that the AICs in Ghana are mainly trained through mentoring or discipling, though there are other forms of training, such as institutional type and the TEE. Many AICs prophets and prophetesses are not patronising these types of training institutions because some believe that they do not need such training. The researcher therefore recommends that the AICs prophets and prophetesses should take advantage of the available training institutions in order to change the perception of many Ghanaians towards them.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of the teaching and learning of basic design and technology in Private and Public Schools (a case study of Junior High Schools in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality)

This thesis is aimed at comparing the teaching and learning of the Basic Design and Technology Programme in selected Public and Private Junior High Schools in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality. The aim was to find out whether the programme is being taught and learned in the selected schools and to check the courses taught, whether there are adequate qualified teachers, teaching and learning materials. Using observation as a tool for this, the researcher visited Visual Art departments of selected schools, to assess the quality of teaching and learning being done in BDT. The researcher investigated the problems associated with the gap among Pre-Technical skills, Pre-Vocational skills and Visual Arts (sewing and catering) courses under the programme in the selected Private and Public Junior High Schools in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality. He also assessed pupils, and their art teachers as they taught, as well as the qualifications of heads and the art teachers. Infrastructure and general performance of the pupils were also evaluated. It was found out that some of the schools were not doing all the courses in the programme except one. Therefore, it is recommended that the teaching and learning of Basic Design and Technology be given much more attention. The government should introduce compulsory BDT in the first year senior high school curriculum so that the teaching and learning of it at the basic levels would be taken seriously. Teaching and learning aids in BDT should also be made available to teachers and learners. It is hoped that if these recommendations are given a second thought, teachers at both the private and the public schools would be more serious about the teaching and learning of the Art subjects. This would make the pupils learn better and acquire the needed skills in order to fit into the job market in future.

Source: KNUST