Risks in Public Private Procurement mass housing project (PPP-MHP) initiatives are emerging and this requires early risk identification and allocation to achieve the goal and sustenance of the scheme. The study, being a follow-up of a Delphi survey, elicits the opinion of respondents on the probability of occurrence and severity of identified risks in PPP-MHPs in Nigeria. The study adopts a quantitative research design approach by administering structure questionnaire survey on identified PPP-MHPs partners in Abuja, Nigeria. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as Mean item score (MIS), standard deviation, and Kruskal Wallis analytical techniques with the aid of SPSS software packages. The findings show that all the listed risk factors were found to be extremely high, very high, high, or moderate in terms of occurrence while all the listed risk factors recorded a very high level of severity on the delivery of PPP-MHPs. The top ten (10) risk factors frequently associated with PPP-MHPs are non-availability of finance, high finance cost, non-involvement of the host community, poor execution of housing policies, corruption and lack of respect for law, wrong perception of housing need by low-income earners, Illegal title to land, land acquisition and site availability, level of demand for the mass housing projects and unstable value of local currency. The respondents differs significantly on 29 risk factors in terms of occurrence and 40 risk factors in term of severity. The study, therefore, recommends that risk management culture should be highly encouraged among the PPP Partners in the sector. The study intends to enumerate the rate of occurrence of some itemized risk factors and their severities on the delivery of PPP – procured mass housing projects in Nigeria and the need to bookmark these risk factors in ensuring the sustainability of the PPP mass housing scheme.Full article

The study accessed the critical risk factors in public-private partnership (PPP)-procured mass housing project (MHP) delivery in Nigeria. The research design adopts a quantitative approach, using well-structured questionnaires distributed to stakeholders involved in PPP-MHPs i.e. consultants, in-house professionals, contractors, and the organized private sector (OPS) registered with PPP departments in the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) Abuja, Nigeria. The instrument relates to the background information of respondents and the risk peculiar to PPP-MHP. Sixty-three (63) risk factors were submitted for the respondents to rank using Mean Item score (MIS) for risk occurrence and its severity, while risk significance index (RI) was used to determine the risk impact. Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) method was subsequently applied to determine the risk criticality groups and the overall risk level in the sector. The fuzzy set theory deals with ambiguous, subjective and imprecise judgments peculiar to decision making in construction project risk assessment. It aims to provide a synthetic evaluation of an object relative to a fuzzy decision environment with multiple criteria that requires qualitative linguistic terms. The findings show that thirty-one (31) risk factors were critical in the sector while financial and micro-economic risk group is contributing most significantly to the overall risk level in PPP-MHPs in Nigeria. The top 10 risk factors in the sector include availability of finance, high finance cost, the unstable value of the local currency, lack of creditworthiness, influential economic events (boom/recession), high bidding cost, poor financial market, financial attraction to project investors, interest rate volatility, inflation rate volatility, corruption and lack of respect for the law, non-involvement of the host community and poor execution of housing policies. The implication for practice is that having known the risk group contributing most significantly to the overall risk level in PPP-MHPs, adequate financial and budgetary allocation should be made available before embarking on such venture so as to sustain the scheme in the country. The study is one of the recent researches conducted on housing, since the procurement option is novel in the sector. The study is of immense value to PPP actors in providing necessary information required to formulate risk response methods in minimize the identified risk impact sector.Full article

The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and training on Disaster Risk Reduction among Social Studies teachers’ trainees’ in the Selected Colleges of Education in Ghana. Embedded mixed method and a cross-sectional design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised Social Studies teacher trainees in St. Monicas, Berekum, Tamale, and John Bosco Colleges of Education. Homogenous purposive sampling technique was used to the four (4) Colleges of Education, convenient sampling technique was used to sample three hundred and nineteen (319) for the quantitative data while homogenous purposive sampling technique ten participants for the qualitative data. The main instrument used for data collection were close-ended questionnaire and interview guide. Legitimation process was adopted to ensure validity and reliability of the data collection instrument. The findings of the study revealed that Social Studies teacher trainees possessed low level of disaster risk reduction kits in their schools. The study also indicated that there was low level of extracurricular activities through which DRR knowledge could be impacted, such logistics should be provided by the various college authorities to help them mitigate disasters.. It is therefore recommended that clubs and Social Studies associations on disasters should be formed in the colleges by the college authorities. Discussions and programmes to be carried out in such associations will enable teacher trainees acquire the necessary knowledge and training needed for disaster risk reduction. It is also recommended that discussions should be tailored to reflect the types of risks and disasters which are not only common to all the colleges of education, but also peculiar to each of them.Full article

The supervisory role of kindergarten teachers is primarily concerned with supervising and managing the efforts of their learning environment to create safe, positive learning environments for all learners. The purpose of this study was to assess teachers’ supervisory practices of learners in Kindergarten schools in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem municipality. (K.E.E.A) Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The study employed the qualitative research approach using the interpretivism paradigm. The instrumental case study design was adopted for this study. Population of the study comprised public kindergarten schools in KEEA Municipality. A multi-stage purposeful random sampling technique was used to select sixteen (16) respondents for the study. The semi-structured interview and observation checklist were the main instruments employed in the data collection for this study. The qualitative data was analysed by the use of the interpretative method based on the themes arrived at during the data collection. The themes were related to the research question and interpreted on the number of issues raised by respondents. These were based on question on the semi-structured interview. The study indicated that, kindergarten teachers do not supervise their learners during out-door activities or at playground, thinking it is the available time to relax after learners are out to play. The study also revealed that, kindergarten teachers do not pay close attention to learners and their physical environment to detect danger and threats. Also, in relation to proximity in supervision, the study found that, kindergarten teachers do not maintain physical closeness supervision of their learners to promptly salvage them from occurring danger during supervision. It is recommended that, the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ghana Education Service (GES), and other Agencies in Education (AiE) should strategically and periodically organize workshop trainings and seminars on teacher supervision and safety for kindergarten teachers. It is also recommended that, Tertiary institutions like the teaching universities and colleges of education should mount courses specifically for Teachers Supervision and School Safety for pre-service teachers and school administrators.Full article

The purpose of this study was to examine Religious and Moral Eduction teachers’ usage of the flipped classroom model Model and its Influence on JHS Students’ Academic Performance in the Nzema-East Municipality of Ghana.The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. The population for this study comprised all JHS Religious and Moral Education students and teachers within the Nzema-East Municipality of the Western Region. With the help of the Krejcie and Morgan’s sample determination table, a sample of 110 comprising 10 teachers and 100 students were selected for the study through multi-stage sampling. The instruments used for data collection were tests and questionnaires. The study indicated that, the flipped classroom is a very potent method of teaching RME. This is so because the study provides enough evidence that the flipped classroom significantly improves the performance of learners more than the traditional approaches to teaching. This is even more appropriate in a technological era such as ours. The study also revealed that, teachers have a positive view of the use of the flipped classroom in teaching RME. Junior High School RME teachers are ready to adopt the flipped classroom model in their teaching provided challenges students face are eliminated. It is recommended that, School Improvement Support Officers and Headteachers should ensure that teachers use the flipped classroom to bring variations in lesson delivery so as to improve the academic achievements of learners. It is also recommended that government should provide technological devices to schools and teachers and ensure that teachers employ the various technological devices at their disposal to the benefit of their students.Full article

The purpose of this study was to examine Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in the Curricular of Colleges of Education in Ghana. Mixed method approach and cross-sectional research design were employed in the study. Population of the study comprised all Social Studies teacher trainees, Principals and tutors of the Colleges of Education, officers of the Ghana Education Service and NADMO officials. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 319 Social Studies teacher trainees (99 students from St. Monicas, 67 from Berekum, 73 from Tamale and 80 from John Bosco) Eight (8 Social Studies tutors, four (4) principals, four (4) personnel from the human resource unit of GES of each district, and four (4) NADMO officials. The main instruments used for data collection were questionnaires and interview guide. The study revealed that the extent of the coverage of DRR issues in the curricula of the colleges of education was low. This development leads to a low level of usage of DRR kits and the organization of extracurricular activities on DRR for students. The study also concluded that both teacher trainees and the officials of the Ghana Education Service appreciate the low level of the coverage of DRR in the teaching curricula and the need to take pragmatic measures to address the gaps. It is recommended that, NaCCa, Universities mentoring the colleges of education in Ghana, the Ministry of Education, through the GES, should consider mainstreaming DRR in the curricula of the colleges of education by developing a full subject on DRR for students. This will give teacher trainees and the pupils they teach an in-depth knowledge about disasters and how they could be mitigated. Emphasis should also be placed on how teacher trainees will impact the knowledge to students through the use of logistics and field work.Full article

The present article seeks to provoke a discussion into how video games can be used in anxiety treatments and social stimulation tools among middle-year students and children of that same age. To do so, we initially start this article by reflecting on how the covid-19 pandemic disparate all anxiety alerts in our society including mental health issues such as depression and special anxiety disorders. Then we compare how the numbers of anxiety among children and young adults were already alarming before the lockdowns imposition and the social distance measures, especially in urban centers. This rising anxiety condition can be felt especially in the years that followed the social isolation of children especially because their social connection and recognition were just starting to grow and to establish important connections between their peers in-person and in virtual environments, throwing light on how to screen media and children`s homes are related with the anxiety increase and how we can investigate that phenomenon without succumbing to excessive positivism to today`s technology or to a deconstructive pessimism that leads us to distrust those media that are already in contact with middle-year students and children`s in that same age. To do so, we will resort to philosophical tools such as Edusemiotics and Cultural Studies to understand how games such as Minecraft and Roblox can be used in school environments to help students and teachers manage anxiety levels and surpass socialization issues past covid-19 lockdowns. To finish our reflection we also bring some data related to how those same media and games helped middle-year students to surpass social isolation and family disconnection during the pandemic while their kept exercising school content in those games, sharing and debating with their peers on virtual platforms.Full article

In this article, we discuss a new proposed concept of economic engineering that seeks to innovate a new model by combining the theories of Karl Marx and Adam Smith, taking into consideration main economic factors to create a sustainable and inclusive economic system that addresses existing challenges and provides a roadmap for future economic growth. Through a brief analysis of the existing gaps between Marxist and Smithian economics, we developed a new economic matrix that leverages the strengths of both theories while also incorporating the latest insights from modern economic research. Our novel approach to economic engineering represents a fresh perspective on the economy and offers practical tool for addressing the most pressing challenges facing society today.Full article

Background: Prolonged decline in the ability of the kidney to regulate acid–base balance, eliminate waste products, and manage water homeostasis and entered chronic phase, toxic metabolic accumulates and erythropoietin secretion by the kidney is decreasing and causes hematological changes including decrease of HCT, MCV, RBCs and platelet counts. Hemodialysis became a practical treatment for kidney failure and is the most common method used to treat advanced and permanent kidney failure. Anemia is one of the most common complications in hemodialysis patients. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anemia among hemodialysis patients and investigate the variations of hematological parameters among anemic hemodialysis patients in the Tripoli region. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on 250 renal failure patients, attending Tripoli Center for dialysis and 100 normal healthy subjects. The study Ethical Committee of the medical centers and the Libyan Academy of graduate studies reviewed and approved the study design and patient consent statements were taken from each patient. Information's about the patients were recorded in a questionnaire. A blood sample of 5 ml was drawn by venous puncture from each normal healthy individual and hemodialysis patient. 2.5 ml of the blood sample was collected in K-EDTA tubes for the hematological examinations and another 2.5 ml of the blood sample was collected in a plain tubes for biochemical tests (serum urea, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations). The hematological parameters (RBCs count, Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, WBCs count, differential count of WBCs, and Platelets count) were determined using an automated hematology analyzer Sysmex (K- 4500) machine. The data were compared using GraphPad Prism version.9. The statistical significance of differences between groups was evaluated with the independent t-test. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of anemia among hemodialysis patients was 89.8%. The degrees of anemia were 17% severe, 71.66% moderate, and 11.34% mild anemia. The types of anemia were 13.36% microcytic hypochromic, 82.59% normocytic hypochromic, and 4.05% macrocytic hypochromic anemia. RBCs, WBCs & platelets counts, Hct, MCHC, and Lymphocytes % showed a significant (P<0.01) decrease, and MCV was a significant (P<0.01) increase in the anemic hemodialysis patients compared with the healthy individuals. But, a significant (P<0.05) decrease in MCH was observed in the anemic hemodialysis patients when compared with the healthy individuals. A significant correlation was observed between RBCs and their indices with most of the hematological parameters. A significant (P<0.01) negative correlation was observed between serum urea with Hb, and RBCs count and Hct. While, a significant (P<0.01) positive correlation was recorded between uric acid with platelets count. A significant (P<0.05) positive correlation was observed between gender with platelets count, while, a significant negative correlation was recorded between gender with serum urea (P<0.01), creatinine, and uric acid, and Hb (P<0.05). A significant (P<0.01) negative correlation was observed between blood groups with serum uric acid. A significant (P<0.01) positive correlation was observed between durations of hemodialysis with RBCs count and Hb, while, a significant (P<0.05) negative correlation was recorded between durations of hemodialysis with body weight, and MCHC. Conclusion: It can be concluded that a higher prevalence of moderate, normocytic hypochromic anemia among hemodialysis patients. Also, results showed a significant variation in hematological parameters among the anemic hemodialysis patients. So, hemodialysis patients advice to examine the hematological parameters and treated from anemia if detected.Full article

There have been various concerns about the environmental impact of construction works. This generates a need to take a more proactive approach in evaluating the environmental impacts of construction operations and further explore ways to reduce the environmental impacts. Enormous opportunities exist within the building industry to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of the study is to develop a framework for the evaluation of improvement opportunities for environmental impact for onsite and offsite building construction works using life cycle assessment (LCA) and value-stream-mapping concepts. Various tools for LCA exist; however, there is a need for the development of an LCA framework and improvement opportunities that can be localized to various communities to evaluate improvement opportunities for building construction. This study conducts a review of methods to evaluate the LCA of buildings on local construction sites. A procedure for establishing improvement opportunities is also developed. Based on the author’s knowledge and experience, including site visits, using value stream mapping (VSM) techniques, a conceptual framework of the present state map and future state map of residential construction works was developed. The study presents a procedure for the evaluation of improvement opportunities for the environmental impacts of construction operations.Full article