Factors that cause poor examination passing rates and high dropout rates among primary school girls in Malawi were analysed. First hand data was collected by conducting a survey in all the three regions of Malawi. The respondents to the questionnaire were girls (402) who are repeating the last class in primary schools (Standard 8), primary school teachers (481) and Head teachers (82). Secondary data sourced from the Malawi Ministry of Education and the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) was also analysed to validate the survey results. The perception by most primary school girls was that they do not perform well in their examinations due to lack of interest (30.2%). However, only a handful of Head teachers and teachers considered this as a problem (7%) suggesting that learners and teachers perceive problems in education differently. There was a strong relationship (P<0.05) between poor examination passing rates and dropout rates confirming that girls who fail exams eventually lose interest to continue with school but quit and opt to marry also due to over-age. This study concludes that factors affecting the girl-child education in Malawi are multi-dimensional hence need a multi-sectoral approach to solve. It is recommended that government need to critically examine problems facing the girl-child and institute relevant policies to avoid future implications.
Surface and groundwater from Pangani River Basin (PRB) were sampled in dry and wet seasons, analysed for dissolved organic and inorganic nutrients (N, P, Si and Urea). There was spatial and seasonal nutrients' variability, with enrichment of dissolved inorganic fractions accumulated from natural and anthropogenic sources. Silicates increased in dry season, whereas nitrate, ammonium, phosphate and urea increased in wet season; except for phosphate, other nutrients increased from upstream to the river mouth. High rate of chemical weathering possibly due to tropical climate and volcanic rocks has caused PRB to have higher concentration of silicates than average freshwater African Rivers. Contribution of PRB to the coast of Indian Ocean was 2.6, 39.0, 45.2, 67.4 and 5444.8 (mol/km/yr) for nitrite, phosphate, ammonium, nitrate and silicates, respectively, which were lower than most of the tropical rivers in the world. Levels of nitrate and phosphate for most of the stations were higher than recommended levels for aquatic ecosystem health. Furthermore, observed hypoxia condition in some stations threatens aquatic life. This study recommends the efficient use of fertilizers to reduce nutrients' uptake into the lakes and rivers so as to meet the recommended level for aquatic and human health.
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