Extensive Reforms Research Articles

Dropout Education in Andhra Pradesh: Current Status and Prospects

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has unleashed a new era in School Education by introducing extensive curricular reforms by bringing in a curriculum of national standards, teaching methods and an appropriate third party assessment system to the children studying in the Government schools with a long - term objective of preparing children for the challenges and career opportunities of 21st century so that they would grow into Global Citizens. The School Education Department of Andhra Pradesh, the largest department of the state, manages and regulates schools in various districts of the state. The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools. These schools are categorized as urban, rural and residential schools. In 1950 - 51, the enrolment of girls was only 16 lakhs out of total enrolment of 67 lakhs in Class VI - VIII, then it followed an upward trend and in the year 2011 - 12, the enrolment of girls was 299 lakhs out of 630 lakh total enrolment. The enrolment rate of girls was 23.88 per cent in 1950 - 51 session and it increased up to 47.46 per cent in the 2011 - 12 session. The increase in this percentage is more than double, but even in 2011 - 12, fewer girls were enrolled in elementary school as compared to boys. Gender gaps in education increased with the level of education and if there are gaps in school enrolment then these gaps continue till higher education.

Impact of female labour force participation on the economic growth: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the impact of female labor force participation (FLFP) on the economic growth in Saudi Arabia, a country currently implementing extensive socio-economic reforms. We conduct a sectoral and regional analysis using regression techniques on data from 2015 to 2023. Our findings indicate that FLFP has a statistically significant positive effect on the gross domestic product (GDP) across all regions in Saudi Arabia. However, the impact is not uniform across different sectors. Notably, substantial contributions to GDP growth are observed in the Transport, Storage & Communication, and Community, Social & Personal Services sectors. By addressing the intersectionality of gender dynamics and economic growth, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders. These insights are crucial for fostering inclusive economic growth and promoting gender equality as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives.

Using benevolent leadership to improve safety behaviour in the construction industry: a moderated mediation model of safety knowledge and safety training and education

Objectives. Despite extensive regulatory reform, safety research and safety programmes over the past several decades, the construction sector remains notoriously dangerous in different regions across the world. Despite the fact that effective leadership is crucial for improving workplace safety behaviour (SB), there have been insufficient studies on how benevolent leadership (BL) affects such behaviour. Methods. Using a cross-sectional design, this research examines the influence of BL on employees’ SB. The mediating role of safety knowledge and the moderating role of safety training and education were also observed. Data obtained from 413 employees of construction firms in Turkey were used to verify the links. Results. BL has positive influences on employees’ SB and safety knowledge. Safety knowledge has a positive influence on SB and partially mediates the BL–SB link. At a low level of safety training and education, the BL–safety knowledge link is weaker for firms whose employees receive low safety training and education. At high levels of safety training and education, both the direct and indirect links between BL and SB are stronger for firms with high levels of safety training and education. Conclusion. The findings significantly extend safety literature through the lens of implicit followership theory.

The Transformation of Ideology in The Social Life Processes of The New Uzbekistan

The extensive reforms being implemented in the New Uzbekistan are aimed at ensuring the priority of spiritual factors in all areas of social life. As we know, today there is intense struggle and competition in the world, and conflicts of interest are escalating. The processes of globalization are bringing unexpected problems along with immeasurable new opportunities for humanity. Threats and dangers to national identity and spiritual values are increasingly on the rise. A self-centered mindset, a casual attitude toward work and family, and a consumerist mentality are being subtly instilled in people’s minds, especially among the youth, through various means. The ideology of the New Uzbekistan that we are creating will be based on the principles of goodness, humanity, and humanism. By ideology, we primarily understand the education of thought and the cultivation of national and universal values. These are based on the centuries-old life understanding and values of our people, as emphasized by our president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Amir Temur's State and It’s Department

This study explores the governance system and administrative reforms implemented by Amir Timur, drawing from historical texts that highlight his consolidation of power and state-building efforts. Initially adopting Mongol administrative structures, Timur gradually reformed these systems to create a highly centralised state apparatus. Amir Timur’s state-building initiatives merged traditional Central Asian governance models with the Mongol administrative legacy. Initially adopting the Mongol structure, Timur later implemented extensive reforms to centralise authority and strengthen his empire. He established a complex administrative system divided into seven ministries, each responsible for functions such as taxation, trade, and justice. Timur's governance was deeply influenced by Islamic principles, emphasising sharia law and council deliberations to ensure stability. The "suyurgol" system allowed Timur to distribute land holdings among his descendants while retaining centralized control over key resources and military power. Through a blend of military conquests and diplomatic alliances, Timur expanded his empire, integrating vast territories and securing vital trade routes along the Silk Road, contributing to a unified and prosperous state.

Challenges Afflicting Prisons – A First-hand Observation

Prisons encounter numerous challenges stemming from systemic, social, and administrative shortcomings. Overcrowding stands out as a significant problem, with facilities operating well beyond their intended capacities, leading to strained resources, increased tensions, and substandard living conditions. The high volume of pretrial detainees exacerbates overcrowding, prolongs the wait for justice, and creates excessive difficulties for those who are imprisoned. Deficiencies in infrastructure, a lack of initiatives to build new prisons or expand the capacity of current facilities, insufficient medical care - particularly in mental health services - and shortages of staff all jeopardize the well-being and safety of inmates. Additionally, gender-specific issues, such as insufficient facilities for women and the absence of open prisons, underscore the system's failure to support marginalized groups. Furthermore, the scarcity of rehabilitation programs hinders the reintegration of prisoners into society. Malpractices, gang activity, and substance abuse in prisons worsen these conditions, leading to violence and fatalities that hinder reform initiatives. Addressing these interconnected challenges requires extensive reforms that involve robust administrative commitment, investments in infrastructure and workforce, improvements to the legal framework, and the creation of rehabilitation programs aimed at cultivating a more humane and efficient prison system.

Using Unintended Consequences to Produce Intended Results: The Governance of Education in Sweden 1991-2020

This paper explores the linkages between institutional reform and performance management, and presents a previously unexplored new purpose of performance management. It argues that institutional reform relocating formal authority across institutional levels provides a context where indirect or unintended consequences of performance management can help compensate for a loss of formal authority. By using measurements of performance, central institutions could maintain some degree of control over areas where decentralization has deprived them of formal authority. The paper focuses the governance of education in Sweden where New Public Management and decentralization were concurrent reform campaigns in the 1990s. It analyzes Swedish central government’s use of performance management tools 1991-2020 based on a mapping of educational sector reform, regulations and policy documents, interviews with senior political and administrative officials, and performance statistics. The paper shows that the Swedish central government in the wake of an extensive decentralization reform turned to performance measurement as an instrument to control local authorities’ and schools’ delivery of public education. It increased the performance measurement of executive agencies and programs, developed instruments to measure the performances of local governments and schools, and tools to assess student results.

Leveraging video integration for enhanced agricultural extension reforms in Uganda

Leveraging video integration for enhanced agricultural extension reforms in Uganda

Pathways to Modernity: Ottoman Reforms Before and During the Tanzimat

This study analyses the modernisation efforts within the Ottoman Empire during the pre-Tanzimat and Tanzimat periods, examining the intricate balance between Westernisation and genuine modernisation strategies. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire faced significant military, economic, and administrative challenges, prompting a decisive shift towards comprehensive reforms in socio-cultural, military, and administrative domains. These profound reforms were primarily driven by the imperative to address the empire's perceived backwardness in comparison to Europe and to safeguard its territorial integrity. During the Tanzimat period (1839-1876), the Empire undertook extensive reforms in governance, fiscal policies, and civil rights, particularly through the Gülhane Hatt-ı Hümayunu and the Islahat Fermanı. While these reforms laid the groundwork for subsequent modernization efforts, they encountered substantial resistance from entrenched social and political structures and were subject to intense scrutiny. This article meticulously examines the inception of the Ottoman Empire's modernisation process, elucidating the Empire's strategic efforts to advance and sustain modernisation amidst the intricate balance between the influences of Western modernity and the preservation of Ottoman heritage and traditional values. Within this framework, it underscores the continuity of reforms and modernization from the late 18th century through to the Republican era.

A Study on Profile Characteristics of Stakeholders of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs)

In this modern era, farmers encounter difficulties in receiving timely services from extension agents. So, technological advancement in quality of services, speed in deliverables and precision actions are possible by creating proper interface between farmers, scientists, extension officers, service providers etc. and by bringing innovation/sustainable interventions in agriculture and allied sector. With this context as a new extension reform, Government of Andhra Pradesh has launched Rythu Bharosa Kendras. The study was carried out in Srikakulam, Prakasam and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 409 stakeholders were selected, among them 361 were farmers and 12 were scientis, 24 MAOs/DAOs, 12VAAs were selected for the study. The objective of the study was to know the profile of stakeholders of RBKs. The results of the study showed that majority of the farmers had medium extension contact (41.83%), medium mass media exposure (39.33%), medium innovativeness (42.66%), medium training undergone (38.23%), medium digital literacy (45.43%), medium possession of digital tools (44.88%), medium frequency of use of digital tools (44.32%), medium perception on RBKs(43.77% ), medium information sharing behaviour (45.16%). In case of stakeholders most of them had high mass media exposure (45.63%), medium innovatveness (64.58%), medium training undergone (72.92%),high digital literacy (50.00%),medium possession of digital tools (45.83%),high frequency of use of digital tools (50.00%), medium perception on RBKs (52.08%) and medium information sharing behaviour (56.25%) and the chi-square were done to know the siginificance difference. From the above results it is clear that most of the farmers were belonged to medium to high level so there is a need to enhance their knowledge and use of digital technologies which helps to provide better connections and communication among these farmers to get up-to-date information with the latest agricultural practices and innovations. Regarding stakeholders most of them belonged to medium to high level because it enables them to access and disseminate information more effectively by using digital tools and also helps in bridging the information gap. This dual approach will facilitate a more integrated and efficient agricultural information system, ultimately benefiting the entire agricultural community.

‘The most extensive reform ever made in the private law of Ghana’: a political history of the 1985 Intestate Succession Law

ABSTRACT Ghana's 1985 Intestate Succession Law (PNDC Law 111) is a notable example of attempts by postcolonial African states to introduce new forms of protection for widows and children in cases of death ‘intestate' (that is, when the deceased person had not made a valid will). Whilst some legal scholars depicted Law 111 as a radical departure from customary laws pertaining to marriage and property, feminist scholars have been more sceptical, pointing to deficiencies in both the letter and implementation of the law, and advocating for further reform. This article is driven by a historical question: given that several previous governments had considered the issue of intestate succession but had not actually reformed the law, why did the military regime of Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings decide upon Law 111 in 1985? The national archives for this period are fragmentary, but we draw from newspapers, ‘grey literature', and oral history interviews to trace the prolonged struggle over intestate succession, suggest what motivated the Rawlings' regime in 1985, and identify the compromises that were made. By locating Law 111 in Ghana's postcolonial political history, we nuance established typologies of women’s organisation, activism, and advocacy.

The Greek Executive State Model: A Paradigm for Better Legislation

Abstract This paper presents and critically assessed the implementation of the executive state model in Greek law-making, and identifies the elements of the model that are transferable elsewhere. The first four years of extensive legislative reforms in application of the executive state model have produced tangible innovations fertile to better law-making. But the real challenge, the change of legislative mentality, resists.

Construction of a Scale Towards E-Crop Booking Services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs)

In this modern era, farmers encounter difficulties in receiving timely advices and services from extension agents. Due to technological advancements in the recent past quality of services, speed in deliverables and precision actions are possible by creating proper interface between farmers, scientists, extension officers, service providers and by bringing innovation/sustainable interventions in agriculture and allied sectors. With this context as a new extension reform, state government of Andhra Pradesh, India has launched Rythu Bharosa Kendras for bringing the extension system nearer to the farming community and more transparency to ensure quality of services. Hence, this study represents the construction of a perception scale to understand the perception of farmers towards Rythu Bharosa Kendras. Keeping this in view, an attempt has been made to develop a scale for measuring the perception of farmers towards e-crop booking services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras. Likert’s method of summated rating technique was adopted to construct the scale. Based on the available literature and expert’s opinion, 50 statements were developed. After editing as per informal criteria, 40 statements were subjected to item analysis among the farmers of non-sample area. Out of which, 32 statements were retained in the developed perception scale based on the highest ‘t’ value. The ‘r’ (correlation coefficient) value was found to be 0.852 which represents significant at 1 per cent level and the reliability and validity of the constructed scale were found appropriate to measure the perception of farmers towards e-crop booking services of Rythu Bharosa Kendras.

Extensive reforms to improve funding efficiency: an interview with President Xiankang Dou of National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Dr. Xiankang Dou () was appointed the President of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in April 2023. As a distinguished researcher specializing in studying the middle and upper atmosphere of earth, Dr. Dou had served as the President of Wuhan University during 2016 to 2022 and was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2017. At his new post in NSFC, Dr. Dou's first priorities include curtailing personal favors in the review process (often known as 'say hello' with an intent to lobby), reforming the scoring and renewing mechanisms for the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (DYS), opening the channel for DYS applications to researchers from Hong Kong and Macau, extending the age limit of female scientists for applying for DYS, and initiating funding programs for outstanding doctoral and undergraduate students. Recently, National Science Review (NSR) had an interview with Dr. Dou. He believes only through reform and experimentation can NSFC make steady progress in its efforts to support research of basic science and applied basic science in China and to cultivate promising scholars.

Analysing India’s Export Competitiveness in ASEAN Economies: Insights from Viner’s Trade Creation Model

Both India and ASEAN are characterised by dynamic market economies and have implemented extensive reforms to deepen their economic integration. Despite the existing economic links between them, this article acknowledges that the trade relations are significant but fall short of their full potential. In this context, the present study utilises a modified trade creation approach to estimate India’s export potential at the sectoral level with individual ASEAN member states for the years 2010 and 2021. The analysis has identified five most significant trading partners in the region, namely, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, which together represent substantial trading opportunities in the five broad sectors such as Machinery, Chemical products, Base metals, Plastics, Minerals. Additionally, this article explores ASEAN’s GVC linkages with India vis-à-vis world at an aggregate and sectoral level over the last decade. We base our analysis on the P&C using the UN Broad Economic Category (BEC) product classification, concorded with HS trade classification. The findings reveal a marginal decline in the region’s share of GVC trade with India relative to its global GVC trade. JEL Classification: F10, F14, F15

Children’s experiences: The institutional grip of evaluation in Swedish school-age educare

Swedish school-age educare has, in the last 25 years, undergone extensive reforms with revised goals for work in practice and new working conditions. The reforms and changing conditions seem to have challenged practice in terms of quality. Since 2010, instead of programme evaluation for generating knowledge about the expected benefits for children of attending school-age educare, quality and evaluation have been regulated in the Education Act 2010:800(2010) as decentralised, continuous, ongoing systematic quality work led by school leaders and teachers themselves. The aim of this study was to examine the norms and the social order forming evaluation in school-age educare practice, including how staff think institutionally about evaluation, how evaluation is classified and categorised and identifying institutional shadows. The article is built on interviews with 53 staff members in twelve different centres. The interviews were analysed using Mary Douglas’ (1986) theory about how institutions think. The analysis contains a careful reading of interviews through a theoretically informed institutional lens and has resulted in different categories of evaluation in SAEC, as well as the identification of an institutional shadow. Children’s experiences is discussed as the institutional grip and shadowing goals and results in evaluation. Finally, it argues for institutional change.

Enhancing Japanese elementary and junior high-school foreign language education

Enhancing Japanese elementary and junior high-school foreign language education Our ongoing research, fuelled by last year’s research grant, delves into the theme of “Evaluation of Foreign Language Education Fostering Children’s Thinking, Judgment, Expressiveness and Autonomous Attitude in the Digital Age.” This multi-year endeavour aligns with the significant changes unfolding in Japanese education, particularly the revision of elementary school curriculum guidelines, now entering its third year. The era of VUCA, marked by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, has ushered in a period of profound educational reform. The dominance of AI, DX and digital advancements underscores the need for a substantial paradigm shift in perspectives on learning, instruction, and evaluation. Japan stands at the forefront of this transformative journey, with the current educational landscape demanding the most extensive post-war reform.

Impact of Institutional Framework on Economic Growth of Nigeria (1996 to 2022)

The presence of institutional gaps in the Nigerian economy has enhanced the need to investigate the impact of institutional framework on economic growth from 1996 to 2022. Under the theoretical framework of the endogenous growth model, the dependent variable in this study was economic growth proxied by real gross domestic product while the independent variables of interest were gross fixed capital formation, labour force, research and development and the six indicators of institutional framework (voice and accountability, rule of law, regulatory quality, government effectiveness, control of corruption and political stability. The fully modified ordinary least square was used as the method of analysis and the results revealed that labour force, research and development and regulatory quality have a positive and significant impact on economic growth. Contrary, control of corruption, government effectiveness and gross fixed capital formation have a negative significant impact on economic growth. More so, voice and accountability and rule of law have an insignificant but positive and negative impact on economic growth respectively. Following these findings, this study concludes that institutional framework has a significant impact on economic growth and hence recommends that the federal government should implement extensive institutional reforms that cut across all the arms and levels of government, with emphasis on the autonomy of ministries, agencies, parastatals and commissions to exercise discretion effectively to enhance the implementation of anti-corruption measures, the rule of law and promote good governance practices which in all would foster sustainable economic growth.

Effect of Environmental Conditions on Management of Juvenile Delinquent in Kiambu County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to determine how environmental conditions affected the management of juvenile offenders at the rehabilitation facilities located in Kiambu County. Through the use of structured questionnaires, interviews, and targeted focus groups, information was gathered from 90 probation officers, 22 instructors, and 12 managers. The centres’ overpopulation, subpar accommodations, and unfavourable environmental conditions were found to be impeding the effectiveness of rehabilitation operations. Adolescents’ negative opinions of staff made matters worse. There is an urgent need for extensive programme reforms because over 93% of respondents thought the institutional environment was unfavorable. The study recommends modernizing rehabilitation programmes through the integration of life skills development, vocational training, counselling, and education will demand immediate action. For a programme to be implemented effectively, staffing and equipment shortages must be addressed. Furthermore, improving the institutional setting is essential to the juveniles’ effective recovery and ultimate reintegration into society.

Investigating the Successful Experiences of Countries in Employing Nurse Practitioners to Provide Primary Health Care: Recommendations for Iran

Health systems are responsible for improving people’s health and protecting them against the financial costs of illness while respecting their dignity and status. In recent decades, the health systems of developing countries have put extensive reform programs on their agenda to meet the growing needs of patients.