Impact of COVID-19 on Adolescent Online Learning in Bangladesh

In this pandemic circumstance, the Bangladesh government started distance learning using broadcasting and online classes. This is a comparative study exploring the impact of online classes on adolescent learning during COVID-19 lockdown in Bangladesh. The study conducts a telephonic interview with 10 headteachers of urban and rural government schools through a semi-structured questionnaire. The study uses descriptive and documentary methods for analysis. The study finds the limitations and challenges facing by the teachers and the students to attend online classes. However, online examinations and assignments are more impactful than online classes to engage students and practice lessons but not enough to compensate for the learning gaps. Even parents are not satisfied with these. Many parents admitted their children to madrasah, and many parents want to continue their children's education after reopening the schools.

Stakeholder analysis to increase community participation in strengthening rural government (Case Study: Usto Village, Mare Subdistrict, Bone Regency)

The rural government spearheads development in villages and remote areas, where the area is very difficult to reach. In order for rural development to be realized and achieve the goal, the level of community participation becomes an important and inseparable part. This community participation determines a plan or programs in the village. In order for community participation related to rural development, the position and role of various stakeholders are well understood. The purpose of this research is to analyze the position and role of stakeholders in the development of Usto Village, Mare Subdistrict of Bone Regency. The research method used is quantitative method. The type of data used in the study is primary data sourced from respondents' answers with the number of respondents is as many as 5 people who are expert respondents. The data collection method used by this research data is a survey method with structured interview techniques. Data analysis method is carried out with ISM analysis (Interpretive Structural Modeling) with the help of PROFESSIONAL ISM software 2.0. Research results obtained; 1) Stakeholders in the development of Usto Village include; Village Head, Village Apparatus, BPD, Fishermen's Group, Pond Cultivator Group, Seaweed Cultivation Group, Farmers Group, Breeder Group, Karang Taruna and Ta'lim Assembly (DKM). 2) Stakeholders in the development of Usto village are spread in 3 quadrants, namely; Quadrant IV (A1: Village Chief), Quadrant III (A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, and A10), and Quadrant II (A8: Breeders Group). 3) A key stakeholder in increasing community participation for the development of Usto Village is the Village Head (A1).

Outsiders in the Village

A shortage of women doctors in Rajasthan’s rural government sector has left sizeable gaps in the provision of women’s healthcare. This chapter explores how, in their narratives, women doctors position themselves as outsiders in the village, unable to create successful careers and lives in rural spaces. Medical graduates considering a rural career must contend with the hierarchy of medical prestige that places cities above villages and the timescale that frames villages as ‘backwards’ spaces. In doctors’ narratives of the village, doctors used the village as code for low educational and class status—and by separating themselves from the geographical space of the village, they also put metaphorical distance between themselves and their subaltern Other. Women doctors’ reluctance to occupy rural space illuminates the ways that class, space, and gender overlap to shape the practice of healthcare, with impacts felt far beyond the careers of doctors.

Sustainable development and climate change mitigation at the rural municipal level in Austria: Tracing policy diffusion, process dynamics and political change

It is widely acknowledged that municipalities play an important role in the transition towards sustainable development and climate change mitigation. But how well do they really meet these expectations? Focusing on the diffusion of pertinent policies in local, rural Austria, we analyse whether the policy diffusion has induced procedural, political and programmatic effects and, if so, how it was accomplished. The results fall short of expectations.Although it is widely acknowledged that municipalities play an important role in the transition towards sustainable development and climate change mitigation, there is a notable lack of studies focusing on the diffusion of pertinent policies at the local level. This paper analyses the diffusion of sustainable development and climate change mitigation policies in rural Austrian municipalities. We scrutinise the policy diffusion rates and patterns. In doing so, we ask whether policy diffusion has induced procedural, political and programmatic effects within the rural government context and, if so, how these changes were accomplished. The results show that the lack of political commitment, political incoherency and insufficient support are major barriers impeding diffusion and implementation. Insufficient programmatic effects are explained by the fact that only “easier” measures have so far been implemented. These “easy” measures stop short of profoundly tackling structural problems or challenging current practices. In contrast to the high expectations regarding the role of municipalities in transitioning towards sustainability and climate-friendly practices, municipalities appear not to have the competencies nor the capacities to implement far-reaching, system-changing measures on their own.

Pedagogy for its own sake: teacher’s beliefs about activity-based learning in rural government schools of Kashmir

Purpose This paper aims to explore the contextual problems and priorities that create tensions in the implementation of activity-based learning reforms such as learning enhancement through active pedagogy in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). By doing so, it aims to understand the relevance of activity-based learning (ABL) in diverse contexts as perceived by stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach Using qualitative data drawn from semi-structured interviews with 29 teachers, this study uses an anthropological approach to policy implementation to unleash factors creating a disjunction between policy text and policy practice. Findings Narratives from teachers reveal how critical awareness about context raises tensions and shapes beliefs about ABL. Their beliefs about ABL can be summed as “pedagogy for its own sake”, reflecting the perceived ineptness of ABL in bringing about considerable improvements in students learning outcomes. Reference to “outcomes” was invoked as a crucial recontextualising discourse in teacher’s pedagogic orientation which resulted primarily from the poor learning attainments of rural children in the prevalent outcome-focussed educational setup. Research limitations/implications The study is the first of its kind conducted in J&K and amongst very few around the world elucidating tension around the implementation of pedagogic reforms in underserved areas. This is the only study providing a critical analysis of pedagogic reforms in the school education system in J&K. Practical implications The study has significant implications in terms of helping immediate functionaries such as headmasters, teacher trainers and administrators and policy planners in understanding the dilemmas faced by teachers in enacting pedagogic reforms. It also adds to the field of policy implementation in terms of understanding the tensions of policy implementation at peripheries. Originality/value The study is the first of its kind conducted in J&K and amongst very few around the world elucidating tension around the implementation of pedagogic reforms in underserved areas. This is the only study providing a critical analysis of the school education system in J&K.

Socio-demographic profile of drowning deaths in a rural region - An autopsy based study

Drowning is one of the forms of violent asphyxial death due to aspiration of fluid into air-passages, caused by submersion in water or other fluid. Fatal drowning cases are subjected to medicolegal autopsy. During autopsy, many times the findings are nonspecific and hence the diagnosis of drowning rests on combination of circumstantial evidences and autopsy findings. The purpose of this study is to analyze socio-demographic factors of drowning deaths in rural region and to suggest the preventive measures. It is a five-year retrospective autopsy based study carried out in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Government Medical College and Hospital, Ambajogai Dist. Beed, Maharashtra, India from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 to study the various socio-demographic factors such as age, sex, seasonal distribution, education, marital status and residence in drowning deaths.Predominance of males was seen i.e. 50 cases (58.8%). Age group 11-20 years was the most commonly involved i.e. 20 cases (23.5%). Maximum deaths were reported from well/pond 37 cases (43.5%). Least deaths (2.4%) were observed in post graduates. Maximum deceased were living in rural region i.e. 62 cases (72.9%).Drowning deaths are commonly encountered in autopsy practice.It was seen commonly in males and in age group 11-30 years, in summer season and in well/pond. Students were more commonly involved. Maximum deceased were married and belonged to rural region. Proper safety precautions and water safety education can decrease incidence of accidental drowning.

Why don’t they do it? Handwashing barriers and influencer study in Faridabad district, India

Background: Handwashing has been widely accepted as the simplest protection against communicable diseases. However, despite proven effectiveness and cost-efficiency, adoption of regular handwashing is still poor in developing countries. As children in school-going age are vulnerable and continue to suffer from preventable illnesses, this study aims to spot barriers to handwashing among children while simultaneously recognizing the influencing factors to aid the solutions narrative for effective water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) strategies. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional, mixed-method study was conducted in Ballabhgarh block, Faridabad district, India. A predesigned, pretested, structured questionnaire was administered to 106 class V students in five randomly selected rural government primary schools. Due permissions, consent and ethical clearances were taken. Results: The majority (>91%) of children were found to have low illness threat perception. The inability to visually see germs came out as one of the biggest barriers (46%) that were preventing children from practicing regular handwashing. Family, teachers and peers were found to be the most important sources of information for children and not any particular media channel. In fact, role of peers was found to be critical as 72% children said that they would wash hands if their friends were also washing hands. Conclusion: This study suggests children’s need for visible proof of germs and associated casual attitude toward illness threat as a hitherto unexplored potential barrier to practicing regular handwashing. In addition, the human channel of communication seems to be the most relevant regarding public health messaging in rural heartlands. Despite 100% penetration of mobile phones and commonplace presence of television, it is the community ecosystem that is still the most trusted sources of information and influence. The unique role of peers found in this study could have strategic implications for future behaviour change interventions making a case for peer-to-peer behaviour modeling.

Private Health Insurance in Malaysia: Who Is Left Behind?

Despite various efforts introduced, private health insurance coverage is still low in Malaysia. The objective of this article is to find the factors associated with not having a private health insurance in Malaysia. We analyze data involving 19 959 respondents from the 2015 National Health Morbidity Survey. In this article, we describe the prevalence of not having health insurance and conducted binary logistic regression to identify determinants of uninsured status. A total of 56.6% of the study population was uninsured. After adjusting for other variables, the likelihood of being uninsured was higher among those aged 50 years and above, females, Malay/other Bumiputra ethnicities, rural, government/semigovernment, self-employed, unpaid workers and retirees, unemployed, lower education level, without home ownership and single/widowed/divorced, daily smoker, underweight body mass index, and current drinker. The likelihood of being uninsured also increased with increasing household size while the inversed trend was seen for household income. A substantial proportion of population in Malaysia did not have private health insurance, and these subgroups have limited preferential choices for provider, facility, and care.

Stakeholder Mapping Analysis on the Scaling-Up Nutrition Movement during the 1000 Days of Life between the Urban and Rural Government Areas

The Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement was an intervention to overcome chronic malnutrition through integrated stakeholder collaboration. Furthermore, the roles of stakeholders' in the SUN-Movement were not optimal and their characteristics were not yet known based on the groups and government areas (cities and regency). This study aims to map the SUN-Movement stakeholders' roles in different groups and government areas based on their attitudes, powers, and interests. This is an observational descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Totally of 30 institutions as stakeholders were involved in this study and divided into 3 different groups, namely Decision Maker (DM), Provider (P), and Clients & Representatives (CR). The DM group have the power to influence programs. Also, the P group was better at handling technical issues, however, it cannot build collaboration with other stakeholders. The CR tend to build this collaboration passively, nevertheless, it does not consider the SUN-Movement to be important. Consequently, each stakeholder views their roles differently. Different perceptions about stakeholders' roles in various indicators and government areas reveals an implementation gap in the SUN-Movement. Therefore, in conclusion, strengthening advocacy, coordination, routine socialization, and communication between stakeholders could bridge the needs, constraints and challenges that cause malnutrition and stunting.