Provision Of Educational Services Research Articles

Teachers' Efforts in Improving Children's Learning Disability

This study aims to determine the services of children with special needs in terms of identification, assessment and curriculum development models carried out by elementary schools. The method used in this study is a qualitative descriptive method. The subjects in this study were one teacher and one student with special needs, namely students with difficulties studying at SDN Babakan Jawa III, Majalengka District, Majalengka Regency. This research procedure includes three stages, namely: the pre-field stage, field implementation, and the member check stage and then data analysis is carried out. This study explained the initial identification activities of students with learning disabilitie using special identification tools for children with special needs then continued with assessment activities. From this, obtaining information related to the ability of students to have learning difficulties from the aspect of reading the beginning and subsequently used in the provision of educational services. The curriculum development model applied is a modification of the curriculum according to the abilities of the child. This activity is still experiencing obstacles because the facilities and infrastructure to support learning for students with learning difficulties are not yet available, besides that the resources are not ready.

Evaluation of University’s Place in the Adult Education Ecosystem

The authors of the present paper conducted a comprehensive analysis of university place in the ecosystem of adult education, based on its characteristic functions, priorities of activity and emerging tensions. The participation of universities in the professional training of adults is analyzed. The research focus is projected on the assessment of the situation at the institutional (a university as a social institution) and organizational level (a university as a specific institution of higher education). A discussion of the prospects for transforming the place of higher institution in the ecosystem of adult education is presented. The study was conducted using a semiformalized interview method (n=36) with representatives of the commercial and public sector occupying key positions (heads and top management of universities, corporate universities, educational consulting organizations, providers of non-formal education services, etc.). Main results. Several points of university positioning in the structure of adult education ecosystem are identified: 1) the university is the core of the educational ecosystem and holds this status; 2) the university occupies the central place of the educational ecosystem, but can lose this status by certain actions or inaction; 3) the university is not the core of the educational ecosystem and should not be; 4) the university is not the core of the educational ecosystem, but could become it. According to most experts, universities occupy a central place in the ecosystem of adult education and have a high potential to retain leadership positions, provided that the educational material is relevant and meets the demands of the labor market. At the same time, it is important to consider that some participants of the educational ecosystem (online platforms, corporate universities and others) are rapidly increasing their influence and implementing large-scale educational programs for the population. Universities, having a high level of public trust and being mainly responsible for fundamental professional education, are interested in accumulating the advantages of other participants of the educational ecosystem. It is optimal to present the university as a central hub of educational practices for the population, accumulating the advantages of other actors of the adult education ecosystem. The article is addressed to administrative and managerial staff of universities, representatives of executive authorities and the real sector of the economy, scientific and pedagogical staff and graduate students seeking to study lifelong learning of adults.

Scale Development and Validation for Assessing University Faculty’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Special Education

This study aims to develop and validate a scale to assess university faculty’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices in special education. A total of 210 faculty members in Taiwan participated in this study. The proposed Faculty Perspectives on Special Education Scale (FPSES), a 32-item scale, includes three subscales: Special Education Knowledge (SEK), Attitudes Towards Students (ATS), and Provision of Services (POS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, item analysis, correlation analysis, t tests, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results showed that FPSES has satisfactory internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s α ranging from .93 to .96 and test-retest reliabilities, with coefficient ranging from .88 to .96. The FPSES also exhibited favorable content validity. Furthermore, the CFA confirmed a good fit between the proposed model and the sample data, thereby ensuring the construct validity. In summary, FPSES is a favorable assessment tool with good psychometric properties, which provides insights into faculty perspectives, attitudes, and practices in the provision of special education services for university students with disabilities.

Development of a Scale to Assess University Faculty’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Special Education

Development of a Scale to Assess University Faculty’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Special Education

Demand for digital skills, skill gaps and graduate employability: Evidence from employers in Malaysia

Background A major workforce inadequacy and the change in skill demanded have been observed due to the digital transformation. This study aims to identify the digital skills demanded by employers, focusing on exploring the skills gaps among the graduates that impact graduate employability. Methods A cross sectional online survey was conducted among the companies registered with the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC). Demand for digital skills was assessed using descriptive analysis of mean scores of the employers’ rating in digital skills at present and in future. A pair sample t-test was performed to explore the existence of skill gaps, by comparing the demand versus competencies of the graduates’ digital skills in the workplace. Results Of the 393 responses collected, 376 responses were used for final analysis. The findings show that the current top three digital skills in demand are “information and data literacy”, “problem-solving”, and “digital content creation”. Whereas the top digital skills for future demand are “problem-solving”, “safety”, and “communication and collaboration”. In addition, the most significant (digital) skill gap is found in “communication and collaboration skills” followed by “problem-solving” and “safety” skills. Conclusions These findings provide insights into the digital skills demanded by employers in IR 4.0, allowing the practitioners, education service providers and policymakers to do better planning on human capital management and training development. By focusing on identifying the current and future demand for digital skills while exploring the digital skill gaps among the graduates, this study provides insight into the employability skills required by the graduate before entering the job market.

Provision of educational psychological services under a high inflationary environment in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

The study employed a qualitative research approach using a phenomenological research design since the lived experiences of educational psychologists in Masvingo Province were scrutinized with the intention of establishing the extent to which educational psychologists matched the laid down specifications pertaining to their professional operations during a high inflationary environment. Three males and two females were purposely selected and in-depth interviews were utilized. Four themes emerged from the study: (a) vital roles, successful, and unsuccessful experiences, (b) diverse views on major policy documents, (c) barriers in rendering support services, and (d) perceived solutions. Results indicated that policy documents are outdated and need revision. Human and material resources were viewed a barriers to performance and perceived solutions included multidisciplinary team work, decentralization and increasing the number of psychologists, training of psychologists and reduced continuous professional development points. Educational psychologists focused more on diagnostic and behavioral consultations in urban schools. They distributed schools in urban areas depending on psychologists’ place of residences. Rural schools were minimally assessed with little provision of intervention, prevention, and health promotion services. The results provide important implications for resource provision and policy formulation.

REENGINEERING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ON A DUAL BASIS

The purpose of the paper is to present the authors' conclusions and practical recommendations regarding the restructuring of the educational process of higher education institutions – providers of educational services in partnership with specialised companies. Methodology. The following methods were used: structural-functional method – in the study of the internal structure of the educational process, based on the principles of duality, where each component has a corresponding purpose in the value chain of intellectual capital; graphical modelling – to systematically reflect the author's views on relevant aspects of the research. Results. The sequence of the reengineering cycle and the directions it should take have been defined. It is emphasised that reengineering includes the competences acquired by the recipients of educational services, their communication with teachers, curators from the company, teaching methods and technologies that make up the instrumental mix, the structure of which depends on the mix of expected professional competences. Practical implications. It is emphasised that an applicant should have the right to make an independent choice between the forms of education, taking into account his/her economic circumstances and plans for future professional life in a democratic country. For each of the options, guidelines are proposed for completing the standard number of classroom hours, independent work and other forms of academic activity.

An analysis of the relationship between organisational resilience and Local Educational Management Units’ responses on education services delivery in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Local Educational Management Units (UGELs), the key government stakeholders in the provision of education services in Peru, implemented responsive interventions. This paper analyses the relationship between UGEL organisational resilience and their responses during this period.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to measure UGEL management practices, with 251 valid responses from directors and managers. Based on organisational resilience theory, 67 questions were grouped into 13 factors and 3 components: (1) leadership and organisational culture, (2) preparation for change, and (3) networks building on the Organisational Resilience Index (ORI). These factors correlated with the number of interventions and the impact of those interventions implemented by UGELs.FindingsThe findings indicated that of all ORI components, leadership and organisational culture ranked the highest. Moreover, the ORI is positively associated with the number of interventions and the perceived impact produced by those interventions. Interestingly, it was found that when the gender variable is included in the correlation between the ORI and the number of interventions, women leading UGELs display a higher number of interventions than their male counterparts; and the coefficient increases even more when women lead a UGEL in a more challenging context (i.e., when the UGEL is located in a low-income area and operates under scarce resources).Originality/valueThis is the first study in Peru which analyses organisational resilience in the education sector, specifically about UGELs during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may help set priorities for institutional strengthening initiatives aimed at improving organisational resilience, which is particularly important in such uncertain and changing contexts.

Ensuring the Quality and Accessibility of Education in Times of War: Guidelines and Initiatives of the International Community

The article is devoted to the problem of functioning of Ukrainian education during the period of martial law. The analysis of international organizations dealing with the problems of protection of education, ensuring its quality and accessibility in crisis situations is made. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the international community recognizes education as an inalienable human right which must be ensured under any circumstances, even in the context of military conflicts, and this determines the key trends in the activities of international organizations in the context of supporting Ukrainian education. It is noted that the violation of the right to education guaranteed by national legislation and international acts determines the need to find new innovative solutions for the development of education, a qualitative rethinking of the content and format of education, timely and effective response to the challenges of today associated with the transformation of relations and connections between the subjects of the educational process. The article analyzes domestic and international initiatives to protect Ukrainian education, ensure its quality and accessibility for all participants in the educational process, and organize education for internally displaced persons and Ukrainian refugees abroad. Some examples of international support for Ukrainian education, as well as for children and youth, educators and scientists in the framework of educational initiatives and projects are presented. It is emphasized that international support for the development of mechanisms to protect Ukrainian education, ensure its accessibility to all participants in the educational process, and create conditions for the quality provision of educational services under martial law is extremely valuable for the development of our country, which makes it necessary to study the experience and effective practices of international support for Ukrainian education during the russian-Ukrainian warn.

What’s the preferences of medical staff for providing health education service? – A discrete choice experiment in Beijing, China

ObjectiveTo quantify medical staff preferences for providing health education service in hospitals. MethodsThis study took medical staff in the department of internal medicine of hospitals in Beijing, China as the research subjects, and designed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to investigate the health education service provision preferences of them. Through various methods, 8 attributes and corresponding levels were determined. An online survey was conducted among the medical staff of the sample hospitals from May to June 2023. Participants’ preferences were analyzed using conditional logit and mixed logit models. ResultsFinally, 831 respondents completed the questionnaire, among which 600 cases passed the consistency test. All the attributes included in this study had an impact on medical staff’ health education service preferences (P < 0.001). The most important one with the greatest impact on the health education service delivery behavior of the respondents was "department working atmosphere-encouraging health education" (β = 4.062, P < 0.001). ConclusionIn this study, the departmental work atmosphere and performance bonuses emerged as crucial factors influencing the engagement of medical staff in health education work. Practical implicationsHospitals should prioritize measures to improve the health education working atmosphere in departments to increase the enthusiasm of medical staff to provide services.

Formation of Information and Digital Competence of the Modern Teacher of the New Ukrainian School

The article examines modern trends in the creation of an informational educational space, the issue of the introduction of information and digital technologies that ensure effective interaction of individuals in society; the essence of the concept of "informational and digital competence" of the teacher of the New Ukrainian School, the structure of the informational and digital competence of the teacher based on integration, namely: technological literacy, deepening of knowledge, creation of means of information provision of the needs of humanity, with the help of technical means; an analysis of international and domestic legal documents regarding the formation of information and digital competence of teachers was carried out. It was determined that in the conditions of the reform of modern education in Ukraine, the formation of the teacher's information and digital competence becomes relevant, and the specific tasks of the development of the educational process during the implementation of the Concept of the New Ukrainian School in general secondary education institutions, where information and digital competence is one of the professional skills of the teacher, are outlined. , the ability to apply information and communication technologies in the educational process of an educational institution, and the ability to receive information and operate it according to one's own needs and requirements in the development of programs, documents, and organization of cooperation. Priorities, technological principles of building an information and educational environment, implementation of effective methods of teaching and access to knowledge, formation of information and digital competencies of the teacher, which is a powerful tool that contributes to the improvement of the process of creation, storage, processing, and distribution of educational materials, intensification of the educational process, increase speed and quality of perception, understanding and assimilation of knowledge by students, as well as joint work with them; the definition of the concept of "information and digital competence" is clarified. The Digital Competence Framework for pedagogical workers is an important tool for the creation of educational standards, assistance in the creation and planning of educational initiatives aimed at increasing the level of digital literacy and the practical use of IT technology tools and services, the development of educational programs by providers of educational services (DigCompEdu), developed European Joint Research Center; their main provisions, the views of researchers regarding the information and digital competence of the teacher, defined according to the professional standard of the teacher, are disclosed because the use of digital technologies in education is currently one of the most important and stable trends in the development of the global educational process.

Assessing Public Service Quality in Emerging Autonomous Regions: A Case Study of Basic Education Services in Central Mamuju Regency

There is a limited amount of research being undertaken on emerging autonomous areas, particularly in the evaluation of local governments capabilities in meeting the demands of autonomy, especially concerning the enhancement of public service delivery. This study seeks to address the existing research gap by evaluating the quality of public services provided by the newly established autonomous region administration, with a specific focus on the basic education sector. This study focuses on the Central Mamuju Regency, a recently established autonomous unit within the West Sulawesi Province. The researcher employed a mixed method approach in their study. Data gathering for quantitative approaches typically involves the administration of surveys, whereas qualitative data is often gathered through Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The survey was administered to a sample of basic education service providers, comprising 116 elementary schools and 37 secondary schools, resulting in a total of 153 participants. The primary objective of this study is to examine the minimal service standards on four key components, specifically facilities and infrastructure, educators and education personnel, curriculum, and education quality assurance. Data analysis methods employ statistical techniques to describe and analyze quantitative data, while utilizing interpretive approaches to analyze qualitative data. The findings of the study indicate that the newly established autonomous government faces challenges in enhancing the provision of basic education services, mostly owing to constraints in infrastructure. Another factor that adds to the deficiency in quality is the insufficient quantity of teachers who possess proper certification as educators.&#x0D; Keywords: public service, service standard, local government, new autonomy area

Adult education ecosystem: Terminological field and interdisciplinary thesaurus modelling

Introduction. The relevance of the study is provoked by the rapid expansion of the educational environment, the emergence of new actors and educational service providers, which indicate changes in the institutional landscape of adult education and the development of educational ecosystems. Both in the world and in Russia, there is a growing demand for bridging the qualification gap and retraining a significant part of adults. Therefore, a comprehensive study of continuing adult education, including formal and informal education, that is inseparable from the demands of the platform economy, is becoming extremely important. There is a tendency to transform the idea of an educational ecosystem for lifelong adult learning into a well-thought-out educational policy. However, the problem is that the scientific and methodological substantiation of the ecosystem approach and the subsequent development of managerial work to develop the quality of human capital education are impossible without a unified terminological language of description.Aim. The article is aimed at theoretical substantiation of the terminological field and interdisciplinary thesaurus modelling of the adult education ecosystem.Methodology and research methods. The methodological basis is framed by evolutionary, systematic and interdisciplinary approaches to analyse adult education with regard to complex socio-economic and digital transformations. Using theoretical methods, such as critical, conceptual, comparative, thematic content analysis of Russian and foreign publications, the authors described the categorical field of the problem under investigation.Results. The authors have found that the conceptual and terminological field of the adult education ecosystem is shaped at the intersection of four disciplinary areas (ecology, economy, education, digital technologies). Based on the results, the authors identified the concepts and categories that reveal the processes in adult education; and proposed the idea of an interdisciplinary thesaurus and its conceptual model. Using the developed thesaurus, the authors gave a theoretical explanation for new phenomena and processes in adult education, carried out comparative analysis of the ecosystem with the traditional system of adult education. The authors define the adult education ecosystem as an open multidimensional self-regulating educational environment, where different types of education (formal, informal, corporate training) integrate via modern digital tools, providing symbiosis and co-evolution of participants, new patterns of links aimed at making a valuable offer for learners.Scientific novelty. For the first time, the idea and model of the interdisciplinary thesaurus have been proposed to describe transformation processes in adult education; the concept of “adult education ecosystem” has been revealed; the peculiarities of the adult education ecosystem in comparison with the traditional education system have been identified. The adult education ecosystem is explained as a theoretical construct, a socio-economic phenomenon and a management paradigm.Practical significance. The proposed thesaurus provides a unified description language that is in demand in pedagogical, managerial and scientific discourses. This is of particular importance for practitioners, designers of educational programmes, methodologists, managers, providers of various educational forms in the context of reforming the national adult education system, synchronising supply and demand in the labour market, developing tools for regulation and support of lifelong learning.

Usability and Acceptability of a Conversational Agent Health Education App (Nthabi) for Young Women in Lesotho: Quantitative Study.

Young women in Lesotho face myriad sexual and reproductive health problems. There is little time to provide health education to women in low-resource settings with critical shortages of human resources for health. This study aims to determine the acceptability and usability of a conversational agent system, the Nthabi health promotion app, which was culturally adapted for use in Lesotho. We conducted a descriptive quantitative study, using a 22-item Likert scale survey to assess the perceptions of the usability and acceptability of 172 young women aged 18-28 years in rural districts of Lesotho, who used the system on either smartphones or tablets for up to 6 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the averages and frequencies of the variables. χ2 tests were used to determine any associations among variables. A total of 138 participants were enrolled and completed the survey. The mean age was 22 years, most were unmarried, 56 (40.6%) participants had completed high school, 39 (28.3%) participants were unemployed, and 88 (63.8%) participants were students. Respondents believed the app was helpful, with 134 (97.1%) participants strongly agreeing or agreeing that the app was "effective in helping them make decisions" and "could quickly improve health education and counselling." In addition, 136 (98.5%) participants strongly agreed or agreed that the app was "simple to use," 130 (94.2 %) participants reported that Nthabi could "easily repeat words that were not well understood," and 128 (92.7%) participants reported that the app "could quickly load the information on the screen." Respondents were generally satisfied with the app, with 132 (95.6%) participants strongly agreeing or agreeing that the health education content delivered by the app was "well organised and delivered in a timely way," while 133 (96.4%) participants "enjoyed using the interface." They were satisfied with the cultural adaptation, with 133 (96.4%) participants strongly agreeing or agreeing that the app was "culturally appropriate and that it could be easily shared with a family or community members." They also reported that Nthabi was worthwhile, with 127 (92%) participants reporting that they strongly agreed or agreed that they were "satisfied with the application and intended to continue using it," while 135 (97.8%) participants would "encourage others to use it." Participants aged 18-24 years (vs those aged 25-28 years) agreed that the "Nthabi app was simple to use" (106/106, 100% vs 30/32, 98.8%; P=.01), and agreed that "the educational content was well organised and delivered in a timely way" (104/106, 98.1% vs 28/32, 87.5%; P=.01). These results support further study of conversational agent systems as alternatives to traditional face-to-face provision of health education services in Lesotho, where there are critical shortages of human resources for health. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04354168; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04354168.

Development of Website-Based Stunting Prevention Educational Media Services (Case Study: UPT Puskemas Tirto Pekalongan)

UPT Puskesmas Tirto is a public health center located in the West Pekalongan sub-district that provides maternal and child health poly services. This poly provides educational services related to the problem of stunting in children through Posyandu activities. However, providing educational services is less effective and efficient because some parents do not have much time to attend counseling so information is not conveyed properly. This research aims to optimize the provision of educational services to parents, prospective mothers, and young women through the use of information technology by developing a website-based stunting prevention educational media service using the ReactJs framework. The development process of this research is carried out by prototyping method. Based on the results of testing using the Blackbox method, it shows that the main features such as nutrition check services, consultation services with Puskesmas nutritionists, and literacy services in the form of articles in the application can run well according to their functions in providing stunting prevention information with 100% results.

Factors Affecting Adoption of Wheat Row Planting Technology in Girar Jarso Woreda, North Shewa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia. However, low production and productivity of wheat, which is mainly associated with poor adoption of technologies, is persistent in Ethiopia. In this regard, this study was conducted with the aim to find out the adoption level of wheat row planting technology and to identify factors that affect the adoption of wheat row planting in Girar Jarso woreda, North Shew zone, Oromia regional State, Ethiopia. In order to achieve these objectives, 118 rural households were selected by using three stage sampling procedure. Both primary and secondary data were used. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model. The study result shows that about 45.76% and 54.24% of sample respondents were found to be adopter and non-adopter of wheat row planting technology respectively. A binary logistic regression model result shows that, age of the household head, education level of household, year of farming experience; total labor availability, total annual income and frequency of extension contact were found to be significant in affecting the adoption of wheat row planting. Therefore, the study recommends, the government, development workers, and policymakers should consider the provision of education and extension services. This study also suggests that, policymakers and development organizations should consider infrastructure development (particularly access to markets), and credit is important.

Enabling local provision of assistive products in rural South India: an organisational survey of needs, barriers, and facilitators

Objective: Access to assistive products (APs) is essential to maximising function, participation, and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Challenges to AP access in low- and middle-income countries include stigma, costs, supply, and rehabilitation capacity gaps. This study aimed to examine AT access in the context of a low-resource setting in rural South India. Objectives were to examine rehabilitation professionals’ perceptions of AP needs, barriers and facilitators of AP provision, and AT knowledge.Methods: A descriptive study design with a 2-part online survey methodology was utilized. This study was conducted in April-September 2020 at a non-governmental organization (NGO) serving children and adults with disabilities in 3 districts of rural South India. Purposive sampling of NGO’s multidisciplinary rehabilitation professionals (N=62) was used. The survey was developed based on WHO’s Assistive Products List (APL). Barriers and facilitators were classified according to the principles of AT access. Analyses revealed acceptability, affordability, and availability as the top three barrier themes across disciplines, including poor acceptance by clients/families due to stigma, high AP costs, and a long waitlist for government-provided devices. Acceptability, affordability, and accessibility were the top three facilitator themes, including community awareness, availability of AP funding, client/family education, and AT service provision training.Impact: Our study identified key enabling strategies for AT access, aimed at reducing reported barriers. Enabling AP provision was determined to be multi-factorial, aimed at users/ families, service providers, organizations, communities, and policymakers. Local stakeholder groups are crucial to understanding challenges and opportunities to AP provision within a low-resource context.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MODEL FOR IMPLEMENTING A CASE METHOD FOR INTERACTIVE STUDY PROCESS MANAGEMENT MONITORING

The importance of this research topic lies in the need to gather, store, analyze and disseminate accurate information on the management status of educational institutions to guarantee the provision of quality educational services. This is particularly crucial in the current trend towards digitalizing educational work and utilizing the internet to facilitate practical management tasks. The study aims to construct a case method model to supervise educational process management outcomes. For that purpose, the study scrutinises the implementation methodologies of existing case models to monitor and analyse the situation without human intervention. Also, the investigation entails creating an implementation algorithm and a simulation model of an interactive case method to monitor educational activities. The formalized logical-semantic apparatus is used to address the research problems. The algorithm development and simulation modeling enabled correlation of the obtained answer with the assigned task, automating the results output. Generating answers in the case method involves considering rules based on the base word, answer keywords, and constraints (true/false). These elements are part of the thesaurus specific to the survey domain and are included in the test's base vocabulary. To test an answer against a question, each inductive step is viewed through a logical formula. Logical statements such as conjunction, disjunction, logical negation, implication, and equivalence are represented by formulas. This method enables the evaluation of the respondent's answer based on the nodes within the statement tree integrated into the test. The progression from the initial word to the node-connection generates an automated assessment of individual educational process management standards. This study enables the enhancement of automated monitoring capabilities for the University's educational process results. The research suggests the potential for developing models and algorithms to form question sets and enable individualized assessments based on the respondent's performance. As a consequence, the devised algorithm and simulation model for the interactive case approach are showcased. During the testing, the key words and example words were compared with the responses of the participants and specific results were obtained. Additional case vocabulary terms need to be added to address the limitations encountered during the model testing and the testing period.

Large increase in ASD prevalence in Israel between 2017 and 2021.

Accurate estimation of annual changes in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) prevalence is critical for planning the expansion of diagnostic, education, and intervention services at an adequate rate. Previous studies from Israel have reported that ASD prevalence among 8-year-old children has increased from estimates of 0.3% in 2008 to 0.65% in 2015 and 1.3% in 2018. Here, we analyzed data acquired from the National Insurance Institute of Israeli (NII), a governmental organization that approves and monitors all ASD children who receive welfare services in Israel, and Clalit Health Services (CHS), the largest Health Maintenance Organization in Israel that provides health services to ~52% of the population. Data from both sources included annual data files from 2017 to 2021 containing the number of ASD cases per year of birth for 1-17-year-old children. This allowed us to estimate annual ASD prevalence among 3.5 million children born between 2000 and 2020 in Israel. Both data sources revealed a nearly two-fold increase in ASD prevalence among 1-17-year-old children from 2017 to 2021. Estimated prevalence rates differed across age groups with 2-3-year-old (day-care) children increasing from 0.27% to 1.19% (>4 fold change), 4-6-year-old (pre-school) children increasing from 0.8% to 1.83%, and 8-year-old children increasing from 0.82% to 1.56% in NII data. These results demonstrate that autism prevalence continues to increase in Israel with a shift towards diagnosis at earlier ages. These findings highlight the challenge facing health and education service providers in meeting the needs of a rapidly growing autism population.

Exploring Sustainable Public Transport System for the Provision of Quality Education Services in Public Universities: A Situational Analysis

This study was conducted to explore the experience of university community regarding the use of available public transport in public universities in Tanzania. The study intended to explore the common transport systems used within the public universities; the risks and challenges of using the available transport systems in execution of day-to-day core functions of the university; and lastly, the effective and efficient transport systems in promoting the teaching and learning process in public universities. A cross-sectional survey design with mixed research approaches was employed. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used to get a total sample of 125 respondents from public universities in Tanzania. Data were collected by using self-administered semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interview. The findings revealed that common transport systems used within the campuses included motorcycle hire, commuter buses, walking, bicycle hire, private bicycle, private motorcycle, university buses, bajaji (rickshaws) hire, and taxi cabs. Moreover, the study revealed that the risks and challenges of using the current transport system within the university campuses included time consuming, costly, and getting late to classes, accident, tiredness, and theft. Furthermore, the study revealed that the effective and efficient transport system within university campuses included the commuter buses, motorcycle hire, private motorcycle, walking, and private cars. The study recommends establishing an internal transportation pool which will be able to offer sustainable, reliable, effective and efficient transportation means within the university. Understanding the campus impediments may help universities design more attractive and useful transport facilities. The current study will inform the university management about the need to promote bicycling and walking which are ecological friendly; improve social interactions; as well as spur physical well-being among the students, staff and university community.