Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions about Stakeholders’ Attitude towards Non-assessed Subjects by Punjab Examination Commission

This study investigates the elementary teachers’ perceptions about stakeholders’ (parents, heads, students) attitude towards subjects not assessed by Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) in public elementary schools. The study focuses on the quantitative research method and survey research design. The study includes population of 254 elementary public schools of Sialkot. However, the researchers have chosen only 95 public elementary schools of Tehsil Sialkot as the target population. Likewise, the study has focused only 48 public elementary schools of Tehsil Sialkot as sample for this research using simple random technique. Similarly, the study deploys Self-tailored questionnaires for data collection. The study has analyzed the collected data on the theoretical framework of the descriptive (Mean, Frequency), inferential (t test), and p value. The study concluded that the respondents’ attitude towards non-assessed subjects in public elementary schools Sialkot has been at a low level. The study recommends that government must revise teachers’ evaluation policy, which is only based on students’ scores. The study suggests that the teachers’ evaluation criteria must be broadened in order to and some other factors may also be considered while evaluating teachers. Keywords: Stakeholders’ attitude, teachers’ perception, Punjab Examination Commission, non-assessed subjects

Characterization of the physical education environment and practice in public schools

This cross-sectional, stratified, random sample study aimed to identify the school environment for teaching and engaging in physical education in elementary public schools. An inventory assessment was made and interviews were held with school managers in 12 teaching units in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The data obtained were categorized as follows: lesson availability and frequency, recess, extracurricular activities, facilities, and installations in place. The descriptive analysis used absolute and relative frequencies values. The results showed that all schools involved in the study provide two weekly physical education classes. None of the schools engaged in the development of recreational activities during recess. Data showed that 75% of schools participating in the study provide free extracurricular activities, among which futsal was the most popular (58.3%). Also, 75% of schools had indoor sports facilities, whereas some schools did not have adequate space to hold classes. In the group of schools with facilities, 90% had crossbars and 70% had at least one type of floor markings for sports such as futsal, basketball, and volleyball. Only one school had a recreational room, patio, and a green area. We concluded that the results point to a favorable direction for teaching and engaging in physical education in schools. We discussed how an adequate environment in schools helps students make better lifestyle choices and provides teachers with the opportunity to fully develop their classes and promote student’s health.

Private school investments and inequalities: negotiating the future in transnational Dakar

As in many parts of the world, the school system in Senegal has suffered from state budget cuts associated with structural adjustment and neoliberal reform in the 1980s. As a result, the quality of elementary public schools has been compromised; meanwhile a significant private sector developed. This article analyses the proliferation of private schools in Dakar and the ways in which Senegalese parents navigate the multiplicity of school types (French, Franco-Arabic or Franco-English, Catholic or secular), to understand how families struggle to ensure their social and material reproduction in a neoliberal economy. I suggest that educational investments are situated at the intersection of global and intra-family inequalities. International migration has made global inequalities apparent within and between Senegalese families, who are unequally positioned depending on whether they include members living abroad.

SOCIAL INCLUSION AND SOLIDARITY IN STRICT POST-GRADUATION: EXPERIENCING THE LABORATORY "SCIENTIFIC WAKE FOR THE FUTURE" (PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION)

Objective: To stimulate and awakening the interest of students of high school or elementary public schools in research and science through scientific initiation stages in the Postgraduate Program in Translational Surgery. To stimulate and awakening the interest of students of high school or elementary public schools in research and science through scientific initiation stages in the Postgraduate Program in Translational Surgery. Method: The target audience for the development of scientific activities were students enrolled in mid-level course (second year initially) and have approval of their participation in this project by the school and by legal guardians. The inclusion criteria were: physical proximity to the higher education institution, signing the consent form by the legal responsible for the students, and for the board of the school unit and the researcher. Initially, students performed diagnostic evaluation about the prior knowledge of biology, science and scientific research. From there, the classes were prepared based on the result of this test, then started the activities of Junior Scientific Initiation in basic education. Results: The school chosen for this initial phase of the pilot project was the State School Rui Bloem which has 13 classrooms for the second year of medium education in a total of 390 students. Of these, 160 (41%) were interested but only 16 (10%) were eligible to start the pilot project in Translational Surgery Laboratory of Unifesp. These students showed average yield of 50% in diagnostic test and should start the next training in cell and molecular biology laboratory and also to attend scientific meetings. Conclusion: In the initial phase of the project, was observed the great student interest in scientific career, but at the same time, a great need for improvement. The choice of public school was for access to university and proximity. In addition, these students have more shortcomings and deficiencies. But this does not mean that the fascination for scientific career cannot turn them into great researchers thus contributing to the economic, social and intellectual growth of our country through scientific research.

Impact assessment of an intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables by students and teachers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an intervention that promoted the consumption of fruits and vegetables on the intake of these products by students and teachers in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. METHODS: This is a one-group pretest-posttest study of students and teachers from elementary public schools in Rio de Janeiro. The intervention included a training course for promoting healthy eating; distribution of educational materials; and holding of a one-day health fair. We assessed the activities that had been carried out, teachers' habitual fruits and vegetables intake, students' fruits and vegetables intake at school, and intervention-related issues. RESULTS: Before the intervention, 65.1% of the students consumed the school lunch and most (>79.4%) accepted and consumed the fruits and vegetables served. Most teachers (>75.0%) consumed fruits and other vegetables regularly, but only 36.4% consumed leaf vegetables regularly. The intervention was implemented only moderately (52.7%) but was well accepted by the teachers. The students of schools that implemented the intervention more extensively showed better acceptance of vegetables (p=0.009). Teachers' fruits and vegetables intake did not change. CONCLUSION: Students' fruits and vegetables intake changed modestly. This study contributes to the design of intervention studies for Brazilian schools because it coordinated the National School Food Program with educational activities.