This paper reports research on levels of family socioeconomic status, religiosity and alcohol use among secondary school adolescents in Bushenyi Ishaka Municipality, Uganda (BIM). The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with quantitative method of data collection and analysis.Proportionate stratified, and systematic simple random sampling techniques were used to arrive at the final sample of participants. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire with standardized scales. The instrument comprised Bio-data, SES scale, religiosity, spiritual scale for Youth, and AUDIT Test for Alcohol use. Responses were obtained from a total of 404 participants who included females as the majority (54.7%). The mean age of the students was 15.91. Resultsshow that majority of the students came from families with moderate levels of socioeconomic status. It was further discovered that students had low levels of alcohol use and high levels of religiosity. Implications of the study findings are discussed.
Considerable investment in and prioritisation of teaching of sciences among secondary schools in Uganda have been made. But despite this, performance in sciences remains poor. We sought to understand why this is so, and to this end, the present study explores perceptions regarding reasons surrounding students’ poor performance in sciences. We used an exploratory case study to interview teachers of science, inspectors of schools, and a representative of the Uganda National Examinations Board. Also, documentary analysis was done for a deeper understanding of the study question. Qualitative analysis was employed in the identification of themes and sub-themes. In the findings, what our research suggested is that there is a combination of factors which have resulted in poor science results within schools – the quality of the teaching, the expectations and support of the school and the ability of the pupils themselves, although the quality of teaching seemed to be the major factor. Therefore, this would suggest that the teaching and learning of the sciences in Ugandan schools could benefit from adapting to new ways – teaching the necessary skills, developing the pupils’ scientific interest and skills, and improving facilities within the schools. Further inquiry could be channeled towards understanding apathy in the teaching and learning of sciences, support strategies in resource utilisation, and monitoring of the teaching-learning process.
Alcohol consumption among teachers is becoming an issue of concern in Uganda. Markedly, alcohol consumption among teachers varies by socio-demographic characteristics. This study establishes the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and alcohol consumption among secondary school teachers in Greater Bushenyi of Uganda. The study employed a cross-sectional design with a quantitative method of data collection and analysis. Multistage sampling was employed, first stratified proportionate and then simple random sampling. The study sample consisted of 266 participants from 11 secondary schools. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were the analytical strategies, using Stata 15.0 version. Significance was set at p = 0.05. The rate of alcohol consumption among teachers was 44.7%. Male teachers were more likely to consume alcohol as compared to females (AOR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.22-3.80, p< .01). As compared to Muslim counterparts, teachers identifying with the Roman Catholic denomination were three times more likely to consume alcohol (AOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 0.98-9.10, p = 0.05). Relative to comparable populations of adults whose alcohol consumption rates were already known, alcohol consumption among particularly male and Roman Catholic teachers in greater was high. It is recommended that school-based interventions should focus on male teachers.
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