Secondary School Leavers Research Articles

Sources of healthcare financing among surgical patients in a rural Niger Delta practice in Nigeria

The environmental degradation following crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta has resulted in poverty for local rural dwellers. For those who are ill, if herbal treatments and/or self-medication with orthodox drugs are unsuccessful, the only alternative is expensive medical treatment in clinics. Surgical patients in a rural clinic may have to stay beyond than the normal 7 days if they are unable to pay their hospital bill; because this limits bed availability, there is an impacts on the hospital's economic management. This study aimed to determine the pattern of hospital bill payment among rural surgical patients in a rural Nigerian community, including the sources of finance for bill payment, in order to determine ways to resolve this issue. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural community in the Niger Delta area (Bethesda Clinic Ngo) over 5 years (2005-2009). In the 5 year study period, 3712 patients were seen, of which 229 were surgical patients who consented to the study. Their ages ranged from 4 to 97 years (mean 45.6 ± 13.5 years) and most were fish farmers (79.91%), secondary-school leavers (56.33%) and of the Christian religion (86.03%). The association of these characteristics with a greater than 7 day hospital stay was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The most prevalent surgical procedure was herniorrhaphy but the longest staying patients were those who had an ectopic pregnancy (23.32 ± 7.52 days), cesarean section (19.51 ± 6.73 days), appendectomy (18.46 ± 6.82 days) and exploratory laparotomy (17.33 ± 8.32 days). The hospital bill ranged from US$33.3 to $500, with a mean of $105.7 ± 0.043. Their sources of finance for the hospital bill were multiple but mainly personal savings (71.18%). Few (3.06%) had knowledge of the National Health Insurance Scheme, but when informed about it 84.28% were willing to enroll. The sources of finance for payment of hospital bills were multiple but the most common were personal savings and family members.

Enhancing the routine health information system in rural southern Tanzania: successes, challenges and lessons learned

To describe and evaluate the use of handheld computers for the management of Health Management Information System data. Electronic data capture took place in 11 sentinel health centres in rural southern Tanzania. Information from children attending the outpatient department (OPD) and the Expanded Program on Immunization vaccination clinic was captured by trained local school-leavers, supported by monthly supervision visits. Clinical data included malaria blood slides and haemoglobin colour scale results. Quality of captured data was assessed using double data entry. Malaria blood slide results from health centre laboratories were compared to those from the study's quality control laboratory. The system took 5 months to implement, and few staffings or logistical problems were encountered. Over the following 12 months (April 2006-March 2007), 7056 attendances were recorded in 9880 infants aged 2-11 months, 50% with clinical malaria. Monthly supervision visits highlighted incomplete recording of information between OPD and laboratory records, where on average 40% of laboratory visits were missing the record of their corresponding OPD visit. Quality of microscopy from health facility laboratories was lower overall than that from the quality assurance laboratory. Electronic capture of HMIS data was rapidly and successfully implemented in this resource-poor setting. Electronic capture alone did not resolve issues of data completeness, accuracy and reliability, which are essential for management, monitoring and evaluation; suggestions to monitor and improve data quality are made.

Stimulating Lecturers’ Innovative Behaviour in Malaysian Polytechnics

Technical and vocational education that has been laid out approximately a century ago provides animportant route for secondary school leavers to gain access to post-secondary technical and vocationaleducational and training and be successfully employed. Polytechnics of Ministry of Higher Educationwere established to produce semi-skilled employees to fulfil the needs of public and private sectors inthe field of commerce, engineering and hospitality. However, a majority of graduates from polytechnicsdo not join the work force straight away but instead further their studies first to seek their bachelordegrees from universities and colleges before entering the work force. In the effort to improve theemployability skills of graduates of Polytechnics, the Annual Report of Tracer Study 2007 proposes anaction plan that comprises strengthens problem solving skills and enhances creativity throughinnovative teaching. The action plan also suggests for the strengthening of student oriented learningapproaches through interactive learning practices in e-learning environment, increase group learningactivities and improve the lecturers’ skills in the aspect of outcome-based learning.

Education, Employment and Earnings of Secondary School and University Leavers in Tanzania: Evidence from a Tracer Study

This study uses a tracer survey of secondary school completers in Tanzania to analyse the impact of educational qualifications on labour market earnings. We show that the rates of return to the highest educational qualifications for wage employees are not negligible and, at the margin, provide an investment incentive. However, we find little evidence of human capital effects in the earnings determination process for the self-employment sector. Introducing controls for father's educational background and a set of school fixed effects designed to proxy for school quality and potential labour market network effects reduces the estimated rates of return to educational qualifications. A comparison of our results with the available evidence from other countries in the region suggest that, despite an extremely small secondary and university education system, the private rates of return to education in the Tanzanian wage employment sector are comparatively low.

Where has all the education gone in sub-Saharan Africa? employment and other outcomes among secondary school and university leavers

Anecdotal evidence and generalisations abound concerning the employment outcomes of secondary school and university leavers, but there is very little solid, accurate information on what these groups in African countries do after they have completed their education. Using tracer surveys, this paper presents comprehensive time-series information on the activity profiles of representative samples of secondary school leavers and university graduates in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The paper shows that much of the anecdotal evidence surrounding the labour market outcomes of these groups is spurious. While employment outcomes are generally much better than expected, the tracer surveys highlight the enormous challenges of educating and subsequently utilising secondary school leavers and university graduates in an efficient and effective manner in low-income African countries. In particular, given the paucity of new employment opportunities in the formal sector, much more needs to be done in order to ensure that both these groups are better prepared for productive self-employment, especially in high growth and higher skill activities.

Preparation of students for tertiary studies requiring mathematics

Mathematics education in Queensland seems to be on a never-ending downwards spiral. This is the opinion of the majority of the staff in the School of Maths and Physics at James Cook University. Over recent years the staff in our School have struggled to output students at a standard third year tertiary mathematics level. There are two reasons for this: firstly the intake is from a less well prepared student body and secondly, perhaps more critically, the indicators used to measure the ability of secondary school leavers are most often useless. It is at this lower end where decisions about which subjects a student is to pursue are paramount, both in the short term (success in a semester) and the long term (completion of a degree). In this article we detail what we think is lacking in the preparation of students and demonstrate this by presenting the results of a case study centred on a selection of first year students at James Cook University. We also discuss some of the approaches we have tried in an attempt to overcome these difficulties.

The impact of unemployment on school leavers’ perception of health. Mediating effect of financial situation and social contacts?

The main purpose of this paper is to explore whether unemployment influences adolescents' subjective perception of health and whether perceived financial stress and social contacts can mediate the effect of employment status on health. We are also interested in the differences in financial situation and social contacts between unemployed secondary school leavers and their employed and studying counterparts. Data were obtained from 844 adolescents (mean age 19.6) from Slovakia. The effect of unemployment on several health indicators was measured and subsequently controlled for perceived financial strain of respondents and their social contacts. The results showed highest financial strain among unemployed, whereas only small differences in social contacts were found between three groups. Negative influence of unemployment on perceived health of respondents was confirmed. Nevertheless, strong influence was found only on long-term well-being and mental health. Financial situation and social contacts contributed to the prediction of almost all health outcomes, and to some extent mediated the effect of unemployment. Although unemployment was found to have a negative impact on health of adolescents, sufficiency of social contacts and good financial situation seem to decrease this effect and protect the health of unemployed people.

The Presence of Health-Risk Behaviour in Roma Family

Roma people in B&H are a marginalised population group. Their health condition; is considerably worse than the condition of other population groups. The health problems of Roma people correlate with inadequate living and dwelling conditions. Roma children are facing the impossibility of being health care beneficiaries, because their parents are unemployed. The objective of this survey was to examine the family surrounding of children in age up to 8 years, including the social conditions under which they live and the presence of health risk behaviour. The research presents a descriptive cross-section study. We interviewed 1100 non-Roma parents and children and 383 Roma parents and children (in the communities of domicile Roma people) in B&H Federation. The results obtained indicate that only 17,8 % of Roma parents are secondary-school leavers, while remaining percentage covers those with incomplete primary school or without education at all, against 63,6% of non-Roma parents who have secondary education. The parents consider themselves good providers for their children (59,3% of Roma parents and 75% of non-Roma parents often play with their children). The Roma parents seek for medical attention for their children only in the cases when urgent health problems occur, such as fever/increased body temperature (one-half of the interviewed parents) or diarrhoea (31,9%). Physical punishment of children occurs more frequently in Roma families (23,7% - this is only the top of an iceberg) then in non-Roma families (11,4%). The parents usually beat children by using their hands or punish them by flogging. The domestic violence is accepted amongst Roma people and it has most sever impact on children, who suffer emotionally and physically. In the future, it will be necessary to create the kind of family environment that would enable improvement of health condition and decrease the behaviour that endangers the health of children.

Health status among young people in Slovakia: comparisons on the basis of age, gender and education

This study examines the health status of young people in Slovakia. Six subjective health indicators (self-rated health, long-standing illness, vitality, mental health, long-term well-being over the last year and occurrence of health complaints during the previous month) were used to assess the health status of three age groups: first grade secondary school students (mean age 15.9 years), third grade students (mean age 17.8 years) and secondary school leavers (mean age 19.6 years). Females rated their health worse than males on all six indicators (most of these differences were statistically significant). For males, younger age was associated with better self-rated health, less long-standing illness and higher levels of long-term well-being during the previous year. For females, the age differences were more complicated: third grade females reported significantly worse health status in terms of vitality, long-standing illness and number of health complaints than the other two age groups. An analysis of health status by educational level (attendance at or completion of grammar, technical or apprentice school), revealed that grammar school third grade females reported worse health than all other respondents on all six indicators. The third grade of grammar school in Slovakia puts particular stresses on students and, since it has been suggested that females may react more negatively than males to stressful events, this may contribute to their more negative self reports.

School variation in youth transitions in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the comparative study of youth transitions. National and international studies have analysed the role of individual and institutional (education and labour market) factors in shaping the transition from school to the labour market. Using data drawn from a cross‐national database of secondary school leavers and multilevel modelling, this paper aims to improve upon the existing research through the analysis of the effect of school factors (as well as individual factors) on pupils' post‐school outcomes. Results show that school variations in pupils' post‐school outcomes are mainly accounted for by curriculum type in the Netherlands, individual factors in Scotland and a mix of individual and school factors in Ireland.

Graduate entry to medical school? Testing some assumptions.

Debate abounds regarding the most appropriate candidates to admit to medical school. This paper examines whether there is any advantage to admitting 'graduate' entrants over secondary school leavers on selected medical school and practice outcomes. To compare the medical school experiences, research and academic achievements and practice outcomes of graduates who entered 1 medical school in Australia directly from high school (secondary school entry) to those of graduates who entered with tertiary level education (tertiary entry). Cross-sectional study using a mail-out survey to graduates from the first 16 graduating years (1983-98 inclusive) of the University of Newcastle Medical School. Secondary school entrants were, on average, 8 years younger than tertiary entrants and were less likely to have received rural-based schooling. However, there were no differences with respect to gender or type of secondary school attended (public or private). Motivations for studying medicine did not generally differ according to entry type, except that more secondary students were motivated by parental expectations and more tertiary entrants were motivated by the need for professional independence and the desire to prevent disease. A greater proportion of tertiary entrants experienced stress at medical school. However, secondary students experienced more stress due to doubts about being a doctor, while tertiary entrants experienced more stress due to lack of leisure time, finances and balancing commitments. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of academic performance (as measured by the award of medical school honours) or research outcomes (as measured by completion of a research degree during or after medical school training, publication of scientific papers or holding career posts in the research sciences). There were no differences in career positions held by clinicians, choice of general practice or another specialty as a career, practice location (rural or urban) or employment sector (public or private). There is no clear advantage, at least on the outcomes measured in this study, to limiting medical school entry to either those candidates from secondary school or those with tertiary backgrounds. Medical schools could reasonably broaden their selection criteria to include more graduate entry candidates in addition to secondary school leavers without compromising medical school and practice outcomes.

Informal Search and Job Opportunities among Secondary-School Leavers in Hungary

This paper addresses two questions: (1) Do informal job searchers find good jobs in Hungary? (2) Do social resources theory and the theory of employee referrals explain the conditions under which informal job searchers find good jobs? The questions are examined using a rather unique data set, which was collected among people who completed secondary vocational education in 1998. It is found that the use of informal methods in itself rarely promotes one's chances of finding a good job. Rather, good jobs can be accessed through either high status contacts or employee referrals. These findings are consistent with both social resources theory and the theory of employee referrals.

Trends in Higher Education Course Choice of Secondary School Leavers in Malaysia

The study was aimed at examining trends in the higher education course choice of secondary school leavers in Malaysia and investigating the relationships of their course choice to their gender and socio‐economic background. The study uses a stratified‐random sample of secondary school students who are in their final year of secondary schooling. Data was collected through a questionnaire via the postal services. The results indicated that the higher education course choice of large proportions (78.8%) of secondary school leavers in Malaysia tended to be limited to only five degree courses. The findings reveal that except for engineering, the other four courses are non‐scientific in nature. In addition, school leavers of both genders expressed tended less towards the mathematical, computer, medical and natural sciences. These school leavers’ higher education course choice are significantly associated with their gender and socio‐economic background. Interpretations and implications of the results are also discussed.

What factors influence Hong Kong school students in their choice of a career in nursing?

Chronic and recurrent shortages of nurses, coupled with the increasing demand for high quality and motivated nurses and competition for secondary school leavers from other professions, are issues which prompted this investigation of senior school students’ career choice. Using a descriptive survey design, and a questionnaire developed for the study, 1246 Form 6 students in Hong Kong were surveyed, of these 28% respondents reported that they were interested in studying nursing. The findings indicated that students’ decision to choose or not choose nursing was significantly influenced by the demographic factors: gender ( χ 2=42.72, p<0.0005), biology subject pursued ( χ 2=18.94, p<0.0005), previous academic achievement ( χ 2=34.33, p<0.0005) and mother's occupation ( χ 2=21.08, p=0.012); and their perception of nursing as a career score ( t=14.21, df=1237, p<0.0005). Students’ intention to study nursing was also significantly affected by social influence: parents ( χ 2=11.53, p=0.001), school career masters ( χ 2=5.52, p=0.019) and friends ( χ 2=4.83, p=0.028); past experience with career activities ( χ 2=84.479, p<0.005); and working in hospital ( χ 2=31.742, p<0.005). Backward elimination logistic regression analysis concluded that being female ( p<0.0005), biology study at Form 5 and A-level ( p<0.0005), total perception scores ( p<0.0005), and participation in career activities ( p<0.0005) were found to be predictors of the students’ intention to study nursing. Results of this study can be used by nurse leaders and recruiters to develop strategies and help school leavers perceive nursing in a more positive way. Expanding the informational sources about nursing can facilitate the recruitment process.

Botswana secondary students' perceptions of the education/employment nexus

This paper arises from a study of final-year Botswanan junior and senior secondary school students' perceptions of the education/employment nexus through the generation of peer reference groups and the soliciting of career aspirations and income expectations. It was found that students generally had accurate perceptions of post-school prospects. There was an overwhelming desire at both levels to pursue tertiary education and training and enter secure professions which it is argued relates to the awareness of the generally unattractive economic consequences of direct entry into the work force, particularly for girls and junior secondary school leavers. The study is discussed in the context of current ‘world of work’-oriented educational reforms and gender differences are highlighted.

From Sacred Initiation to Bureaucratic Apostasy: Junior secondary school-leavers and the secularisation of education in southern Africa

In the country now known as Botswana, the history of Tswana culture prior to British colonialism in the nineteenth century shows a tribal or pre-urban spirituality, a strong kinship organisation and a systematic approach to the training of youth both informally and formally. This pre-colonial pedagogy defined the Tswana cosmology and the way future adults related to their society as productive members. The European missionaries who came at the eve of colonialism interpreted education and work in a manner that had less continuity with Tswana culture. This trend was developed further by secular educators and institutionalised by post-colonialist, independent Botswana. The Botswana government has been rapidly expanding its formal academic education system. Although practical programmes of education with production like the Brigades supported local development and the transition from the pre-colonial era, they are now facing obsolescence. Thousands of junior secondary school-leavers are being added to the ranks of the underemployed each year, while competition for academic credentials increases. Government reluctance to offer training for practical employment skills reflects a deference to secular Western education and production models and the need to understand better their effects on the tribal culture.

A ‘lost generation’?: Key findings of a tracer survey of secondary school leavers in South Africa

Since the Soweto uprising in 1976, black youth in the townships of South Africa have been at the forefront of the struggle against apartheid. Organised political protest has taken a variety of forms including school boycotts, protest marches, work stayaways, and the destruction of school and other state property which invariably has led to violent confrontations with the police and security forces. An additional unintended consequence has been that gang violence linked to criminal activities has also become endemic in most townships. The effect of this political and social turmoil on township education has been quite devastating. Principals and teachers in the majority of secondary schools have lost control over highly politicised students who openly reject Bantu Education. Schools have been burned down or badly vandalised. Unable to continue their education, countless students have dropped out of school altogether. For those that remain, attendance is subject to constant disruptions. At many schools, students only come to school for a few hours a day. In terms of examination performance, matric pass rates among African school leavers have plummeted to around thirty percent. 1 Given the chaos of township life coupled with limited employment opportunities, it is commonly asserted that the urban youth who have grown up in South Africa since the Soweto uprising are a ‘lost generation’ who will, therefore, need massive assistance if they are to be integrated into post-apartheid society. Lost to whom or to what is never really made clear but the notion of a ‘lost generation’ is now deeply rooted in political and policy discourses in South Africa. What is however striking is that remarkably little is known about what black urban youth actually do once they leave school.2 In the absence of information of this kind, generalisations such as the ‘lost generation’ abound and before long gain the status of received wisdom. A well conceived national policy for youth in a democratic South Africa can only be formulated on the basis of comprehensive and detailed information about the kinds of activities young people engage in once they have left school. Education policy makers also need to assess the outcomes, both intended and unintended, of what is a costly and lengthy educational process. Only in this way is it possible to analyse the effectiveness of the education system in preparing youth for adult life and also to explore the complex relationships between education and the ‘world of work’. In both developed and developing countries, the tracer survey is the dominant methodology for collecting data on post-school activities and outcomes. Ideally, representative samples of all groups of school leavers should be traced and interviewed at regular intervals in order to derive detailed activity profiles over time. Despite the central importance of tracer surveys in research on the relationship between education and training and employment, it is surprising to find that only two nationwide tracer surveys of secondary school leavers in sub-Saharan Africa were undertaken during the 1980s in Botswana and Zimbabwe (Kann, 1991; Bennell and Ncube, 1993). This article presents the main findings of a tracer survey of over 1500 African school leavers from eight secondary schools located in townships in and around Johannesburg. The discussion is structured as follows. The first section provides some background information on the education system in South Africa. The second section then describes the methodology that was used to trace school

Autonomy of Colleges and Selection for Higher Education in Poland

The law of 4 May 1982 on higher education has this to say about the selection of students in Poland: 'The minister (supervising institutions of higher education) sets the principles and limits of admissions for the first year of university studies.... The Main Council (of Science and Higher Education) hands down opinions on the limits of admissions to the first year of university studies.... Admissions to university studies take place through entrance examinations. The scope of the entrance examination is determined by the minister in consultation with the Main Council.... The competent minister [1], after obtaining the opinion of the Main Council and in consultation with the leading bodies of national youth organisations, may establish other conditions, which in addition to the examination take account of the particular or environmental circumstances affecting candidates' preparation and which may have an influence on admission to university studies.' This procedure did not differ much from the regulations contained in earlier laws on higher education. Common to these regulations was that the number of students admitted to university in the entire country was centrally determined. The minister not only set these numbers but also the principles of selecting students, only consulting them through central bodies such as the Main Council or youth organisations. Uniform national selection principles had an influence on school selection throughout the educational system. The number of places in the first year in fact determined the number of people attending institutions of higher education. Nationwide the latter used to be greater than the former, but over a few decades the ratio of those accepted compared to the number of candidates has fluctuated around 1:2. This tendency continued both when 150,000 people applied for admission and 75,000 were accepted, and when these numbers were 100,000 and 50,000 respectively. However, the relationship between the number of applicants and the number of places available in the first year was not the same in all departments: there was a clear hierarchy of attractiveness of individual disciplines and a distribution of places that did not match it. Another pattern promoted by the uniform system of selection was the advantage of general secondary school leavers, who had a greater chance of being admitted to university studies because the entrance examination syllabus was covered in the teaching programme of these schools. Young people with strong academic ambitions chose general secondary education as the shortest and most effective path to university studies. Graduates of these schools made up 75% of candidates admitted to the first year of university studies. Given the limited availability of higher education in Poland, the decision to attend a general

Trends in occupational aspirations of rural secondary school leavers in Bophuthatswana

The study was aimed at exploring trends in occupational aspirations of rural secondary school leavers in Bophuthatswana and examining relationships of their choices of work categories to their socioeconomic backgrounds and sexes. The results indicated that significant proportions of the subjects restricted their occupational aspirations to few occupations. It was also observed that occupational aspirations of a sizeable number of subjects did not match with their academic subjects studied. The subjects' occupational aspirations were significantly associated with their sexes and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Matching the Curriculum to the Needs of Industry

A study has been made of employers′ perceptions of the desired skills and values to be displayed by secondary school leavers in the Bristol area. Five major companies in a single locality provided the information by in‐depth discussions. These perceptions were translated into 20 identifiable skills. In a case‐study approach, the staff in a local comprehensive school were asked to indicate their judgement of the importance of each skill and asked to assess how well each skill was achieved in the school. The extent to which teachers′ ranking of importance and attainment matched those of industry are discussed. Schoolteachers tended to emphasise cognitive skill acquisition at the expense of affective skills. Skills relating to personal development and responsibility of the pupil were attained less well than companies hoped for.