ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Human resource management and its effect on educational delivery a case of Atebubu-Amanteng municipality

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of human resource management issues on educational delivery in Atebubu-Amanteng Municipality. Objectives of the study were to identify the recruitment and selection processes of teachers; to find out kinds of policies and programmes HRM department motivate teachers to give off their best and to identify the challenges of human resource management in educational delivery. The target population of the study was 150 respondents. Purposive sampling was used to select all the 30 management staff. Simple random sampling was used to select 120 staff/workers. The researcher used closed ended questionnaire to collect data for the study. The data was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software package version 20.0. The data was analysed with the use of frequencies and percentages. The study revealed that that defining the vacancy, source candidates, screen applicants, shortlist candidates, interview candidates, conduct testing., and extend a job offer were main recruitment and selection processes at Atebubu Amanteng Municipality educational directorate. Again, statement such as aligning HRD to strategic priorities, building knowledge-productive learning culture, developing managerial and leadership capability, very large pool of qualified applicants making staff selection difficult, too much favouritism and personal contact hinders recruitment and selection process, political influence in the recruitment process, allocating sufficient financial resources and using it wisely. The study recommend that training and development policies also need to be discussed with newly recruited teachers to afford them the opportunity to know the training and development programmes available and how to access them. This is to ensure that teachers have the opportunity to upgrade themselves in order to keep pace with the changing demands of their professions.

Source: UEW
Human resource management practices and staff work performance the case of Sagnarigu Municipality in the Northern Region, Ghana

This study delves into HRM practices and staff work performance in Sagnarigu Municipality's public sector education in the Northern Region of Ghana. Employing a qualitative case study design with a purposive sampling technique, seven participants, including HR professionals, head teachers, and teachers, were interviewed using semi-structured interview guides for data collection. Thematic analysis of data revealed the significance of structured HRM practices in contributing to an effective organizational structure. Recruitment responsibilities were centralized for consistency, and WhatsApp emerged as a key modern communication tool. Challenges in information delivery and training execution raised concerns about potential information overload due to WhatsApp dominance. In the realm of information delivery and in-service training, a dynamic shift from traditional to modern methods was observed. WhatsApp played a crucial role in effective communication, with positive feedback mechanisms influencing teacher behaviour and adaptability to potential communication shifts. In-service training was found to positively impact teachers' work performance, emphasizing the need for ongoing support, leadership training, and resource provision. Conclusions underscored the comprehensive nature of HR practices fostering effective structures. Persistent challenges in information delivery and training suggested the necessity for strategic interventions. Recommendations included continuous training for HR managers, collaborative recruitment processes, and exploration of additional communication tools. Addressing challenges in information flow, balancing WhatsApp usage, and enhancing training delivery were also highlighted. The study advocated for embracing modern information delivery, strengthening in-service training, implementing feedback mechanisms, and promoting a balanced approach to teaching effectiveness and adaptability in education.

Source: UEW
Human Resource Managers’ contributions and challenges in meeting teacher expectations. A qualitative study at education directorates in the Central Region Of Ghana.

The study explored human resource managers’ contributions and challenges in meeting teacher expectations in education directorates in the Central Region of Ghana. This study was qualitative research underpinned by the Maslow’s theory of needs and the administrative management theory. The study employed the phenomenology design. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used to select five (5) directorates and ten (10) participants respectively. Data for the study was gathered through interview using two (2) separate unstructured interview guides. The study found, among others, that the human resource managers contribute to meeting teacher expectations by processing for promotion and upgrading, and offering guidance and counseling. The challenges human resource managers face in meeting teacher expectations include centralisation and bureaucracy, inadequate resources and understaffing. According to the study, the human resource managers deal with situations of unmet teacher expectations through offering counseling and seeking external support. The study concluded that the alignment between human resource managers and teacher expectations within the realm of educational administration and management yields a multitude of positive outcomes for both teachers and Ghana Education Service as a whole. Among others, the study recommended that human resource managers in the education directorates in the Central region should provide more efficient and effective avenues and platforms where teachers can clearly communicate their expectations and stay current with trends and best practices. Human resource managers must also be actively involved in teacher recruitment to reduce understaffing.

Source: UEW
Human resource planning on organisational behaviour,a case of Ghana Education Service, GES, Kumasi Metropolis.

The purpose of the study was to assess human resource planning on organisational behaviour and performance, using the Ghana Education Service as case study. The researcher used descriptive research design for the study. The objectives of the study were to establish the relationship between human resource planning and organisational performance, to identify the strategies use to improve human resource planning and to assess the challenges faced by an organisation in human resource planning. Quantitative research approach was used. The population for the study consists of all the human resource directors and staff of G.E.S Ashanti Region. The main instrument used to gather primary data was questionnaire. The computer statistical package for social scientists (SPSS version 20) was used to analyses data. The study indicates that human resource planning helps in assessing and recruiting skilled human resource. It again revealed that HRP helps in creating g and sustaining organizational performance and competitive advantage. The study, again, revealed that there is a positive significant relationship between human resource plan and organisational performance. It was also concluded that evaluation of human resource planning has a relationship with fulfilling the objectives of manpower requirement. The study recommended that the planning Unit for Human Resources of GES should also involve the employees in the plans they make so that they feel part of the GES and also this would prepare them in case of any change.

Source: UEW
Human rights abuse of people living with HIV in the Tema metropolis of the greater Accra region of Ghana

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the epidemic of stigma, discrimination and denial have been recognised to fuel the transmission of the disease and have greatly increased the negative impact associated with it. HIV-related stigma, discrimination and denial according to the WHO Global Programme on AIDS continue to be manifest in every country over the world, creating major barriers to preventing further infection, alleviating impact and providing adequate care, support and treatment. It has resultantly silenced open discussion, both of its causes and of appropriate responses. Meanwhile, visibility and openness about AIDS are prerequisites for the successful mobilization of government, communities and individuals to respond to the epidemic. The stigma, discrimination and denial associated with the disease are ostensible violations of the human rights which affect the well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in fundamental ways. The present study, therefore, sought to examine how the human rights of PLWHA were abused. Interviews were held with ten (10) participants in the Tema Municipality of the Greater-Accra Region of Ghana, and thematic content analysis of the qualitative or interview data confirmed clear cases of abuses of human rights of victims. The abuses were in the form of discrimination, stigma, rejection and violation of privacy. For instance, their rights to privacy were violated by health professionals, family members, friends and other close confidants who disclose their status without their consent. Some indicated having been laid off or denied employment as a result of their serostatus, violently ejected from residence by house owners (Landlords) and insulted and shamed in public. Worse of all was the finding that access and distribution of the anti-retroviral drugs were delayed over months and victims had to buy them over-the counter sometimes. Also, the drugs were also suspected to be faked and all these caused fear and panic among the victims. Indeed, these abuses are against the fundamental principles and practices of human rights enshrined in the economic and social rights of the 1992 constitution of Ghana. It is recommended that more intensive public awareness on the HIV/AIDS epidemic be embarked up

Source: UEW
Human rights abuses through corporal punishment a case study at Kwahu Tafo Islmaic Basic School

The study is on human rights violations in Ghanaian schools and was conducted at Kwahu Tafo Islamic basic school in the eastern region of Ghana. This study sought to find out the types of human rights violations in schools, the causes and effects on students’ academic performance and how to seek redress when they are abused. The method of data collection included observation, the use of self-administered questionnaire for twenty-five (25) teaching and non-teaching staff and fifty (50) students. Fifty other students were interviewed in random manner to solicit more information for the study. The data collected were analysed and interpreted manually for the appropriate tables to be generated. The study revealed that there are human rights violations going on in school, especially canning which is a form of corporal punishment as well as verbal abuse, assault, molestation/bullying from seniors to juniors, over-crowding in the classrooms and many more violations of the students’ rights. The researcher, therefore, suggests that the Ghana government should conduct educational seminars for teachers and non-teaching staff, to be aware of these fundamental human rights and the mechanism for their protection so that they would not violate the rights of these students anyhow, and encourage teachers to stop abusing our future leaders. On the whole, a major discovery in the research revealed that knowledge and understanding of human rights values is very limited even among the well-educated, which again, limits the prominence of human rights enjoyed in our society.

Source: UEW
Human rights implications of medical negligence in Central and Greater Accra regions of Ghana

Drawing on the experiences of victims of medical negligence in Ghana’s Greater Accra and Central Regions, this study sought to explore the human rights implications of medical negligence, exploring victims’ self-narrated experiences of medical negligence. An interpretive research paradigm and a qualitative research approach were employed in the study. The study adopted case study design, and snowballing sampling technique to sample ten participants from both regions. One-on-one interview technique was employed to collect primary data. Data collected were analyzed thematically. The study found that participants have limited knowledge of their rights as enshrined in the Ghana Patients’ Charter. Surgical negligence, prescription and medication administration errors, and misdiagnosis errors were found to be common medical negligence episodes. The willingness or otherwise to pursue legal action against healthcare practitioners was influenced by fear of victimization, time and energy required, and sociocultural value of non-litigation. The study recommends that there is the need for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Ghana Health Service (GHS) to embark on intensive and sustainable public education and sensitization on the Patient Charter. It further recommended that human rights courses be integrated into health practitioners training curriculum and be made compulsory for all individuals willing to take up careers in healthcare services.

Source: UEW
Humour et tragique , coïncidence ou determinisme dans les nouveaux contes d’amadou koumba de Birago Diop

Cet article étudie les fonctions d’humour et de tragique dans les contes africains avec une référence particulière à Les nouveaux contes d’Amadou Koumba de Birago Diop. Les contes africains constituent un riche répertoire duquel l’on déduit une gamme des valeurs africaines pour modérer les conduites des hommes dans la société. Les contes sont donc une composante importante de la culture africaine. Au cours de leurs représentations, les narrateurs adoptent des stratégies et des techniques particulières qui s’ajoutent à la forme du récit. Ces stratégies leurs permettent non seulement de faire passer le message au public, elles les aident également à créer un effet désire sur le public qui doit être emporté dans la narration. Dans Les nouveaux contes d’Amadou Koumba, Diop combine humour et tragique comme style pour soutenir l’intérêt de son public, mais surtout pour créer des effets spécifiques sur celui-ci. Cette étude vise donc à examiner le des techniques de l’humour et du tragique dans la collection. L’étude est basée sur la théorie du style de Michael Riffaterre. Les données, recueillies à partir du recueil, sont soumises à des approches analytiques et interprétatives. L’enquête conclut que les techniques de l’humour et du tragique sont utilisées par l’auteur pour purger son public des comportements nuisibles et indésirables

Source: UEW
Hybrid Approach to Medicinal Plant Leaf Image Enhancement Using Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization and Homomorphic Filter

Image pre-processing methods are intended to enhance some image features important for further processing including edge detection or object recognition. Preprocessing is very crucial in image processing applications for noise removal and also for suppressing or highlighting other attributes. This study seeks to preprocess medicinal plant leaf images by enhancing the quality of the images using a combined Homomorphic filter and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization. The study also segments the image from its background using the OTSU global thresholding algorithm. Image enhancement and segmentation performance metrics are further used to determine the efficiency of the proposed method. It was realized from the experiment using MATLAB that the proposed method outperformed the Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization in terms of the Peak Signal to Noise ratio, Mean Square Error, Mean Absolute Error for the image enhancement and Jaccard Index, DICE Index and Matthews Correlation Coefficient metric for the image segmentation. � 2021 IEEE.

Source: UEW
Hydro morphodynamic assessment of urban growth on the Muni lagoon catchment

This study sought to conduct hydro-morphodynamic analysis occurring in the Muni Pomadze Lagoon. Laboratory analysis was employed to determine heavy metals (Cadmium, Lead, Iron, Manganese, and Zinc) present in water and fish samples within the Muni Lagoon. Remotely sensed images were used in modelling encroachment within the Muni catchment for the period 1990- 2019. Temperature and rainfall data were acquired from the Ghana Meteorological Agency to investigate climatic variations and its attendant effects on the catchment. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select ten (10) respondents to participate in interviews for multi-stakeholder cooperation and encroachment issues. Content analysis was used to support evidence gathered from the field. The study revealed that the Muni Lagoon and its tributaries are polluted with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Fe, and Mn) comparing their concentrations with the USEPA and WRC limit. Fishes within the lagoon were found to pose no harm to consumers as traces of heavy metal were below the FAO/WHO maximum permissible limit. It was again revealed that there is a high rate of encroachment occurring within the catchment accompanied by variations in temperature and rainfall. There is lack of coordination between stakeholders responsible for conserving the Muni Lagoon catchment making the implementation of regulatory activities difficult. The study concluded that urban growth has increased anthropogenic pressures within the catchment that are negatively affecting functioning of the lagoon and its ecological resources. The study recommended that stakeholders should collaborate to regulate human activities within the catchment

Source: UEW
Hygienic practices of caterers/ cooks operating the Ghanaian school feeding programme in some selected schools in Koforidua municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana

The study aimed at identifying the hygienic practices among caterers/cooks operating the Ghanaian School Feeding Programme in Koforidua Municipality. It specifically sought to ascertain the personal, food and environmental hygiene status of the caterers in the school feeding programme and assess the nutritional adequacy of the meals prepared. Descriptive survey design was adopted and the population consisted of the beneficiary schools in New Juaben Municipality in Koforidua, Eastern Region of Ghana. Purposive sampling method was used to select 60 participants for the study. Interview and observation were the main instruments used for the study. The study found that, the meals provided have not achieved the aim of the GSFP because it was ascertained from the study that some of the caterers/cooks are poor in practicing hygiene and the meals provided are not nutritious as expected. The study recommended among other things that Caterers/ cooks should involve expert in designing the menus for them. Also, there should be efficient inspection of kitchens of caterers/cooks and how food is dispensed to people. For hygiene, the key actors in the SFP should give periodic education on the importance of applying best hygienic practices in the preparation and handling to the caterers/cooks and insist the right thing is done.

Source: UEW
Hysteresis phenomenon in foods

It has been explained that hysteresis is a sorption phenomenon, which rests on temperature, Aw, moisture content and on surface energy Q. As temperature and Aw as environmental variables have opposite effects on moisture content the isobar and isotherm methods are bound to have opposite effects on the hysteresis loop. Using Caurie's equation it has been shown that the desorption isotherm of the hysteresis loop is always at a higher energy level than the adsorption isotherm. This energy difference is stated to arise from physical changes in the adsorbent matrix which expose new energetic sites which adsorb moisture on return to lower Aws rather than desorb moisture and this is indicated to be responsible for the hysteresis phenomenon. It has also been argued that hysteresis may be used as an index of food quality. � 2006 Institute of Food Science and Technology Trust Fund.

Source: UEW
I C T challenges in the teaching and learning of SHS science

This study investigated the challenges of ICT integration in the teaching and learning of science in public senior high schools in the Akuapem North Municipality. The study was guided by four objectives: to determine the availability of ICT infrastructure in public senior high schools in the teaching of science, to determine ICT skills level of Science teachers, to establish the frequency of ICT use in the teaching of science and to identify strategies used by senior high schools to promote ICT use in the teaching of science in the Akuapem North Municipality. The study adopted the descriptive survey design where qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Using simple random sampling techniques, the researcher sampled four schools, four headmasters, twenty science teachers and eighty science students. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and were tabulated. The findings established that majority of science teachers had not acquired the requisite ICT skills and knowledge which limited their ability to integrate ICT into their lessons. On the frequency of the use of ICT in delivering lessons, it was found that Science teachers rarely used ICT to deliver their lessons. The study also found out that schools had strategies to improve ICT integration especially through in-service training of their Science teachers, building and equipping of Science laboratories and purchasing of more ICT equipment. The recommendations from this study were that the Boards of Management of the sampled schools should include ICT infrastructure in their strategic plans. The study concluded that ICT infrastructure in the selected schools influenced ICT integration and that schools that had well-established infrastructure utilized ICT application in their Science lessons.

Source: UEW
I.C.T challenges in the teaching and learning of SHS science

This study investigated the challenges of ICT integration in the teaching and learning of science in public senior high schools in the Akuapem North Municipality. The study was guided by four objectives: to determine the availability of ICT infrastructure in public senior high schools in the teaching of science, to determine ICT skills level of Science teachers, to establish the frequency of ICT use in the teaching of science and to identify strategies used by senior high schools to promote ICT use in the teaching of science in the Akuapem North Municipality. The study adopted the descriptive survey design where qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Using simple random sampling techniques, the researcher sampled four schools, four headmasters, twenty science teachers and eighty science students. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and were tabulated. The findings established that majority of science teachers had not acquired the requisite ICT skills and knowledge which limited their ability to integrate ICT into their lessons. On the frequency of the use of ICT in delivering lessons, it was found that Science teachers rarely used ICT to deliver their lessons. The study also found out that schools had strategies to improve ICT integration especially through in-service training of their Science teachers, building and equipping of Science laboratories and purchasing of more ICT equipment. The recommendations from this study were that the Boards of Management of the sampled schools should include ICT infrastructure in their strategic plans. The study concluded that ICT infrastructure in the selected schools influenced ICT integration and that schools that had well-established infrastructure utilized ICT application in their Science lessons.

Source: UEW