School Premises Research Articles

Deciphering the origin of Cu, Pb and Zn contamination in school dust and soil of Dhaka, a megacity in Bangladesh.

In recent decades, anthropogenic activities have resulted in road dust and roadside soil hosted metal(oid)s pollution in the urban environment. In the South-Asian megacity "Dhaka", schools are situated in the areas with high population density and high traffic emissions. As the school-going children are the most vulnerable receptor, school premises in Dhaka city represent an important yet overlooked exposure point to contaminated dust and soil. Therefore, the present study investigated the metal(oid)s (Cu, Pb, Zn and As) pollution in dust and soil at school compounds, explored their possible sources and estimated the associated human health risk. This study revealed that dust contained higher concentration of metal(oid)s than soil, and the Azimpur Govt. Girls School & College was identified as the most contaminated site. The enrichment of school dust with Cu, Zn and Pb were strictly related to the dense population and substantial traffic activity in the study areas. Arsenic content in school soil was several folds higher than its concentration in the upper crust. Natural and anthropogenic activities possibly posed a synergistic effect on such high soil As. The multivariate statistics suggested thatCu, Zn and Pb were likely to be originated from traffic-related activities, while Zr, Fe, Ti and Rb from natural sources, and K, Sr and Ca from industrial activities. The assessment of health risk suggested the children as a vulnerable receptor and ingestion was identified as the dominant pathway of dust and soil exposure. The hazard index (HI) values were lower than unity, suggesting no possible non-cancer health risk. Arsenic posed a lifetime carcinogenic risk to the population in the study area through soil ingestion and dermal adsorption.

Student perceptions of smoke-free school policies in Europe – a critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT Smoke-Free School Policies (SFSP) are primarily designed to ensure educational spaces remain free of second-hand smoke, whilst contributing to a reduction in adolescent smoking by challenging the practice per se. Evidence regarding the latter goal is inconclusive, however, with most studies suggesting SFSPs are ineffective in reducing smoking prevalence. A dearth of qualitative research limits our understanding of why this inefficacy persists and how it might be addressed. This paper addresses this lacuna through a critical discursive analysis of data from 56 focus groups, generated with adolescents across 17 schools in seven European cities. It reveals that, while smoking is banned on school premises in most European countries, young people experience wide variation in implementation. Despite this, participants framed SFSPs in remarkably similar ways. Among young people most likely to smoke, representations of SFSPs often undermined their efficacy, leading to the displacement of smoking (outside the school grounds) rather than a reduction in prevalence. We argue that, policy effectiveness could be improved if schools worked collaboratively with students to develop positive collective beliefs and understandings about SFSPs, but caution realism about the potentially limited power of schools to reduce adolescent smoking prevalence.

Compliance with the school smoking ban: A cross-sectional study from Italy.

In 2015, 37% of Italian adolescents reported to have smoked in the past month. The study aimed to evaluate smoking beha-viour on the school premises and to study the influence of the school environment on student smoking. Around 900 junior high-school students, aged 11-13 years old completed an online survey in November 2016 and May 2017. Descriptive statistics, univariate analyses and binary logistic regression were performed to analyse data. Between 40 - 50% of students indicated that students and staff smoke on the school premises. Students who witnessed students (OR: 3.48 (2.20 - 5.50)) and school employees (OR: 3.17 (1.97 - 5.10)) smoking were more likely to be a smoker. Although laws making it illegal to smoke on the school ground are in place, in Italy, its enforcement is sloppy. To tackle adolescent smoking effectively, policymakers are advised to enforce smoking restrictions and to verify these are respected.

Design and implementation of a smart watch

Human connectivity is one of the major factors for productivity, especially in a school environment. The development of this watch is aimed at enhancing productivity by increasing the communication of both staff and students in the community. The watch is centred at creating a connected school community that will provide real-time communication to enhance the educational experience for students, staff and management regardless of their location within the school premises. This will enable members of the community to share information in real-time. The watch was designed with the Arduino pro-micro as the main processor. The watch leveraged WI-FI technology using the ESP8266-01 WI-FI module for connecting to a network and receiving of messages. The watch was connected to a secured intranet network. The watch has an average response time of approximately twenty-five (25) seconds to filter the data sent by the server and extract the message. Upon testing the design, the overall current draw of the watch was found to be approximately 78 mA. A lithium battery with a current capacity of 750 mAH was used for this project, which means that the battery will last for approximately nine hours. This kind of project is recommended for school communities so as to increase connectivity and enhance productivity.

Cerebral visual impairment‐related vision problems in primary school children: a cross‐sectional survey

To estimate how many children in mainstream primary schools have cerebral visual impairment (CVI)-related vision problems and to investigate whether some indicators might be useful as red flags, if they were associated with increased risk for these problems. We conducted a survey of primary school children aged 5 to 11years, using whether they were getting extra educational help and/or teacher- and parent-reported behaviour questionnaires to identify children at risk for CVI. These and a random 5% sample were assessed for CVI-related vision problems. We compared the usefulness of potential red flags using likelihood ratios. We received questionnaires on 2298 mainstream-educated children and examined 248 children (152 [61%] males, 96 females [39%]; mean age 8y 1mo, SD 20mo, range 5y 6mo-11y 8mo). We identified 78 out of 248 children (31.5% of those examined, 3.4% of the total sample), who had at least one CVI-related vision problem. The majority (88%) were identified by one or more red flag but none were strongly predictive. Fewer than one in five children with any CVI-related vision problem had reduced visual acuity. Children with CVI-related vision problems were more prevalent than has been appreciated. Assessment of at-risk children may be useful so that opportunities to improve outcomes for children with CVI-related vision problems are not missed.

Impact of dental treatment and the severity of traumatic dental injuries on the quality of life of Brazilian schoolchildren.

Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) are most prevalent during adolescence and infancy, and they have an important impact on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of dental treatment and the severity of TDI on the OHRQoL of schoolchildren in public schools in Brazil. This cross-sectional study evaluated schoolchildren aged 11 to 14years in Brasilia, Brazil. The criteria used for the examinations were TDI-O'Brien criteria; Dental caries-DMFT criteria; and malocclusion-the Dental Aesthetic Index. The impact of oral health on the children's quality of life was assessed with the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11-14 ) that was completed by the children while on the school premises. Socio-demographic information was also collected from the parents. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric and association tests, as well as linear regression. A total of 20.2% of the students had some TDI in their permanent anterior teeth; 20% of traumatized teeth were treated, and 80% were not treated. Sorting by severity, 75.1% of the schoolchildren had a TDI involving only the enamel, and 24.9% had a TDI extending beyond the enamel. Significant differences were observed between the severity of a TDI and the total scores of CPQ11-14 (Kruskal-Wallis; p=0.0026), emotional well-being (p=0.0006), and social well-being (p=0.0001) when the group with TDI extending beyond the enamel was compared with the other groups (control and with TDI involving only the enamel), even after adjustment for socio-demographic and clinical variables. For oral symptoms and functional limitation, no differences were observed among the groups. Dental trauma and fractures extending beyond the enamel, treated or not, have a negative impact on the OHRQoL of schoolchildren, suggesting effects on self-perception and in the social and emotional spheres.

Microbiological Assessment of Ready-to-Eat Food Sold in Urban Primary Schools, Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food sold to school going children at school premises can not only provide essential nutrient and energy but also a route for foodborne diseases (FBD). However, there is a paucity of data on microbiological assessment of RTE food sold in primary schools in Douala. The aims of this study was to investigate the microbiological quality of food sold in primary schools and to evaluated the food safety knowledge and practice of vendors to promote a safer school-based food for a better health and well-being of our children. Socio-demographic characteristics and the hygienic practices of 60 RTE food vendors were collected using structured questionnaire. A total of 60 food samples from three different food items (beans, spaghetti and meat) were analyzed for the presence of bacterial and fungal pathogens. Twenty-five grams of each food sample was transferred in to 225 ml of buffered peptone water and homogenized. The homogenates were serially dilute and a volume of 0.1 ml dilution was spread on solid media and incubated at 35-37°C for 24 hours and 5 days. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done for isolated species using Muller Hinton agar and data was entered in excel and exported to SPSS version 20.0. For analysis. The overall prevalence of bacterial pathogens was 23.1% (26/60) and the total mean enterobacteriaceae count (MEC) was 8.203333x10⁴ CFU/ml in which the value ranged from 3.4 x10⁴–2.06 x 10⁵ CFU/ml. The total mean fungal count (MFC) was 1.0341x10⁵ CFU/g which varied from 0 –2.8x10⁵ CFU/ml. Of the total of 60 samples examined, 93.3% (56/60) were found positive for S. aureus of which 15% (09/60) of isolates were contaminated. Citrobacter freundii was isolated in 23.4% (14/60) of RTE food. The greatest number of S. aureus was found in beans and the lowest number in spaghetti. These findings indicated that, the ready-to-eat food sold to primary school children in Douala metropolis represent an important potential health risk to school going children. There is a need for Public Health authority to establish guidelines and standards in order to safeguard the wellbeing of the school going children.

Prevencija antisocijalnog ponašanja učenika iz perspektive nastavnika

Prevention of antisocial behavior of students today is a significant segment of school work. Teachers, as the bearers of all school activities, have a very important role in the preventive action of the school. Their opinions and attitudes about the ways and possibilities of prevention of antisocial behavior of children and adolescents in school are reflected in their participation in planning and implementation, as well as in the outcomes of the school preventive measures and activities. Starting from the importance of the role of teachers, we decided on a research that aimed to investigate the views of teachers on the prevention of student's antisocial behavior in school practice, more precisely, on the importance of various preventive measures and activities, the difficulties encountered in their implementation, and the opportunities for improving the preventive measures in schools. A total number of 162 teachers from 28 Belgrade primary schools participated in the research. The obtained results indicate that displaying the rules of conduct in school premises, acquainting students and parents with the rules of conduct, their rights and obligations, as well as organizing lectures on violence and the harmfulness of psychoactive substances, are the activities viewed by teachers as the most common preventive activities in school practice. Teachers also singled out thematic workshops as the activities that can give the greatest contribution to the prevention of the problematic student behavior. In contrast, they point out that the lack of parents' interest is the greatest difficulty in achieving the preventive action of the school, whereas the joint action of the key actors in the school work is viewed as one of the most important preconditions for achieving the preventive function of the school. The obtained research results indicate that in school practice more work should be done on the implementation of various preventive activities that would provide different levels and types of support to students and which would include all actors of school work.

Reopening of schools during COVID-19 pandemic: A persistent dilemma

Reopening of schools during COVID-19 pandemic: A persistent dilemma

KPI measurement on the 4G network within the University of Ilorin

The present work seeks to address the following question which serves a key motivation behind this research: ‘What if there is a guide on the University of Ilorin website or in the weekly published magazine within the school, guiding the student on which MNO is best for internet connectivity based on the location which they are at any point in time?″. This research is key to answering the question. Data was gathered through a walk test using TEMS Investigation 16.3.4 and analyzed using TEMS Discovery Device 10. The test was based on internet access on the 4G Network by users who are subscribed to the various MNOs that are serving within the school premises.

Safety Intelligence and Security Management in Public Secondary Schools in Epe Local Government Area, Lagos State

The research adopted a descriptive survey design. The respondents were selected via simple random sampling. Four hundred participants including 19 principals and 381 students were the targeted population for this study. Findings from this study show that majority of schools have the basic safety and security apparatus but lack the knowledge and experience to employ them in the event of a disaster. Results also show that there is no subject in the school curriculum from kindergarten to secondary level that teaches on safety and security management. Public secondary schools in Epe LGA do not also have constituted disaster management committees or an emergency management plan. Most students however do not know how to use safety and security gadgets in their school premises. The study therefore recommended that a disaster/emergency management curriculum should be inaugurated in public school to teach students on how to respond in cases of emergencies and prevent emergencies.

Mohsin's schoolchildren eye screening program - Analysis of the results

Aim of the Study: To determine the prevalence of ocular morbidity among government schoolchildren from Mohsin's Schoolchildren Eye Screening Program. Design: A school-based, observational study design. Participants: Schoolchildren between 1st and 10th standards across various government schools. Materials and Methods: Students of 429 government schools of Visakhapatnam were covered under this eye screening program. It was a three-staged program. In the first stage, 84,727 students were screened for visual impairment and the presence of any abnormality by trained teachers or optometrists. In the second stage, those who were identified were subjected to a detailed ocular examination and refraction in the school premises by trained optometrists. Glasses were dispensed for those who improved to normal visual acuity and treatment was given for minor ailments by optometrists, residents and ophthalmologists requiring further evaluation were referred to the base hospital for examination and appropriate management by an ophthalmologist in the third stage. Results: 84,727 children from 429 schools were screened. Ocular morbidity was 6.07%. Refractive error was the most common ocular disorder identified in 3.74% with a significantly high rate among secondary schoolchildren (P

Relationship between postural changes and physical and functional variables in schoolchildren aged 6-12 years

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of postural changes and their relationship with BMI, pain, postures adopted in activities of the daily living (ADL), physical activity practice, gender and age (6 to 12 years). This study is characterized as cross-sectional, quantitative and descriptive. The convenience sample consisted of 840 schoolchildren. Regarding the sample characteristics, 477 (56.79%) were female aged 6-12 years (average=8.90±1.71years). Evaluations were carried out at the school premises and a questionnaire was used to collect data on gender, age, pain report, practice of out-of-school physical activities and postures adopted in ADLs. Body mass, height and posture were evaluated. Some schoolchildren (43.21%) reported not practicing physical activity outside of school, 544 (64.76%) correctly carried their backpack and 51.9% adopted correct postures to study and watch TV. Musculoskeletal pain was reported by 62.73%, and shoulders were the most affected. BMI indicated 55.6% of the sample with leanness/normal weight and 44.40% with overweight/obesity. Postural changes were present in 97.02% of students and the region with the highest number of alterations was the upper limbs. Girls presented greater number of trunk alterations (p=0.001), as well as those who did not practice physical activity (p=0.02) and alterations in the lower limbs for younger students (p=0.02) and female students (p=0.01). This study identified high prevalence of postural changes in schoolchildren.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SCHOOL ROLE PLAYERS IN ADDRESSING CYBER INCIDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Cyber incidents are causing major challenges for school officials who are called upon to respond to these incidents involving learners, globally. Online threats take place off the radar screen of educators and parents, and this makes it difficult to address cyber incidents in schools and more impossible to monitor off school premises. The overwhelming challenges in South African schools are that there are no clear roles and responsibilities for relevant role-players when handling cyber incidents. Therefore, this article is aimed to determine the responsibilities of role players in handling cyber incidents in South African schools. The research used a qualitative approach and purposive sampling to collect data from the learners, to get their experiences and perceptions on reporting cyber incidents. The rationale for selecting learners was based on the view that cyber aggression is a very concerning issue in the school environment. The research went on to document the responsibilities of various role-players, which include the school with its educators, principal and the learners, the Department of Basic Education, the community, and the parents. The article focused on highlighting the roles and responsibilities of role players when handling cyber incidents in South African Schools and the views of learners on adults when handling cyber incidents. The study concludes that if the role players seriously follow their roles and responsibilities, cyber incidents can be reduced in schools. It is also important to note that role players cannot work in isolation; rather, they need a coordinated approach to share the responsibilities, as cyber incidents are not restricted to the classroom or school grounds. This problem requires all role players to work together, in proactive ways to intervene and reduce cyber incidents.

Tobacco retailer density and tobacco retailers near schools in two cities of East India, Ranchi and Siliguri

BackgroundPassive and active exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease. Addressing tobacco use is a critical strategy to address tuberculosis (TB). Studies conducted globally demonstrate that the physical presence and density of tobacco vendors can increase tobacco use in both youth and adults. Little is known about the number and density of tobacco vendors in India, where there are approximately 267 million tobacco users. In India, a national tobacco control law (COTPA, 2003) prohibits the sale of tobacco within 100-yards of an educational institution. Little is known about the number of tobacco vendors operating within 100-yards of schools. This study assesses the number and density of tobacco vendors in the cities of Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Siliguri (West Bengal), and the number of retailers selling tobacco near schools. Both of these jurisdictions have passed local tobacco vendor licensing laws. MethodsData collectors conducted a census of tobacco vendors within select wards in each city. Each tobacco vendor was classified as either an independent store, permanent kiosk, temporary kiosk, or street vendor. The location of each tobacco vendor was recorded. Data collectors also noted the location of any school/educational institution. Spatial analysis was conducted using GIS software (QGIS 10.5). 100-yard buffers were mapped around school premises. Tobacco vendor density was calculated by area, by road distance, and by population. Tobacco vendors within 100-yards of school properties were counted. ResultsThe study identified 559 tobacco vendors in Ranchi, across three wards, and 367 tobacco vendors in Siliguri, across five wards. When considering the three wards in Ranchi, tobacco vendor density was 68 vendors/km2, 06 vendors/km road, and 08 vendors/1000 population. In Siliguri, the tobacco vendor density was 99 vendors/km2, 05 vendors/km road, and 07 vendors/1000 population. The study found that 19% (n = 105) of vendors observed in Ranchi and 23% (n = 84) of vendors in Siliguri were located within 100-yards of one or more schools. The most common vendor-type in Ranchi was an independent store (58%) and in Siliguri was a permanent kiosk (52%). ConclusionTobacco vendor density was remarkably high in each of the surveyed wards. The study identified tobacco vendors operating within 100-yards of schools. Fully implementing COTPA, 2003 could reduce vendor density in Ranchi and Siliguri. Each city's tobacco vendor licensing laws could further reduce tobacco vendor density. Other strategies should be considered to further reduce density, including setting limits on tobacco vendor type, area or population. The data from this study can be used to inform future tobacco control strategies for these cities and others in the region.

Adherence to the tobacco-free educational institution guidelines at schools of Raipur Rani, Haryana.

Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) guidelines are required to be followed by the schools. This cross-sectional study conducted in the year 2019 assessed the accordance with ToFEI guidelines among all the 84 schools of Raipur Rani educational block, Haryana. Investigators collected data from all the government (71) and private (13) schools during school working days. Tobacco sales within 100 yards of the school premises was covertly observed. None of the schools thoroughly complied with the tobacco-free school policy, though the compliance score for private schools (26.77 ± 19.15) was better than the government schools (13.65 ± 4.38). Only two private schools achieved the mandatory score of 50. All private schools and few government schools (42.3%) had successfully implemented the ban on tobacco sale within 100 yards of the school. None of the schools could achieve a ToFEI status in the present study. The policymakers and implementers should prioritize ToFEI agenda & support schools in achieving tobacco-free status.

Қазақстандағы 1920 жылдардағы оқу-ағарту

The article describes the history of education in Kazakhstan in the 1920s on the basis of an analysis of valuable documents stored in the archives of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Central State Archives and the State Regional Archives of the Kyzylorda Region. Also, it considers new views and scientific conceptual conclusions approved in the domestic historical science. The author presents the advantages and disadvantages of Soviet education in Kazakhstan more than ten years after the establishment of Soviet power. There are analyzed important documents of the revolutionary reorganization of public education in the article. There are revealed essence and content of the decisions of the commissariat of public education on the formation and development of the education system in the region. The author describes the formation of schools of the I and II stages, seven-year education, schools - communes. The article shows the number of schools in Kazakhstan in the 1920-1921 academic year and students, the amount of funds allocated from the budget. There are shown processes of formation and development of the Leninist labor school. There are revealed directions and results of political and educational work in the field of education. According to archival sources, there are considered such problems as lack of school premises and personnel. The article considers the growth in the number of schools and students. The author studied state of education in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions. The author highlighted a problem of training of personnel necessary for the sphere of education in secondary vocational and higher educational institutions. The article provides information about the elimination of illiteracy, the transition to the Latin alphabet, the publication of textbooks, developed curricula for disciplines. There is presented a work of local departments of public education on the issue of new textbooks for Kazakh schools in the article

Cartographic narratives: the teaching of mathematics and ICT

Talking about information and communication technologies (ICT) in education is not new, much less when it comes to discussions for integrating digital resources. Researchers such as Costa & Prado (2015), Santos & Vasconcelos (2018), Abar (2020) and Santos & Silva (2020), evidence this fact. Faced with this scenario, the following problematic question arises, which digital technologies are being increased more frequently in the teaching of mathematics? Bearing this question in mind, the present study focuses on investigating the frequency with which digital technologies are on school premises in the municipal network of Coruripe-AL, considering that this locus of investigation is a reference in the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) in the state of Alagoas and Brazil. The research is of the qualitative type using cartographic inspirations; the field diary, semi-structured interview, documents and observations were used for data collection. In this work, it exposes the findings of one of the participants named P6. The findings demonstrate that digital technologies are gradually entering school premises, with emphasis on the use of smartphones and the interactive computer with a digital whiteboard.

Healthy food in school canteens, policy directions and deviations: A cross sectional study from Sri Lanka

Introduction: Sri Lanka introduced school canteen guidelines in 2007 to promote healthy food choices and eating habits among school children. This initiative intended to combat malnutrition among school children through provision of nutritious, culturally acceptable food at affordable prices within the school premises. A formal assessment has not been done on the implementation of those guidelines for last seven years. The objective of this study was to assess the availability of healthy food items in school canteens and explore perceptions of providers on adherence to the guidelines. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in government schools in two districts. A mix methodology was employed. An observational check list was used to quantitatively assess the availability of healthy food items according to stipulated guidelines. This was followed by a qualitative inquiry to explore perceptions of school principals and canteen operators on adherence to the guidelines using in-depth interviews. Results: Only two out of ten food items encouraged in the guidelines were available in 50 % of the school canteens. In contrast, five out of nine items prohibited or discouraged were available in half of the canteens. Also 25% of canteens sold carbonated drinks that are totally prohibited. Differential understanding of healthy versus unhealthy, current food habits of students, present method of selecting canteen operators and other external factors contributed negatively. Conclusion: The rigor of implementation was sub optimal at present due to many reasons. Those obstacles can be addressed through coordinated efforts to transform canteen towards a nutrition promoting setting. Keywords: School health, Child and adolescent nutrition, Health promotion, Health policy, Food habits.

Prevalence of anemia and its associated risk factors among urban school children of Chennai/ Tamilnadu

Introduction: Anemia is one of the major public health problems among adolescence age group. In modern society intake of locally available of junk foods is common among different age groups which can lead up to other non communicable disorders in adults. On the other hand there is lot of low socioeconomic population living in urban area and their children are studying in urban schools that are exposed to commonly available neighboring foods around the school premises. These children when they don’t have better performance in their academic career they become school dropouts and hunt for daily jobs for their survival. This study was done to find out the prevalence of clinical manifestation of anemia and associated factors among urban school children. Materials and Methods: a cross sectional study design done on urban school children in saligramam south Chennai from 2015-2017. Results: Prevalence of anemia was found to be 53.4% (95% CI 48.4-58.3). Males students were found to more 62.8% compared to female students 37.2%. In terms of grading of anemia mild 130(33.3%) moderate 64(16.4%) and severe 14(3.6%) respectively and remaining were found to be normal. In this study all student in the government schools were from low socio economic background. a higher prevalence of anemia among the students who had open air defecation, not wearing regular foot wares and not maintaining regular hand washing and who have a habit of taking regular food from the locally available shops and overweight individuals. On clinical examination of the study participants of 390 individuals 204(52.3) revealed pallor of conjunctiva, tongue and nail bed. Most of the children had 254 (65.1) individuals had either of the clinical manifestation of anemia. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of anemia has been found in this study among school children and their associated factors like open air defecation, regular frequent intake of outside foods and improper hand washing and underweight hence there sho