School environmental factors, pupils' characteristics, and academic performance: The case of junior high school pupils of the Krachi west district of Ghana.

Background: Data suggest that Ghana has made significant improvements in the educational system, resulting in some accomplishments. Nonetheless, pupils' academic performance at the junior high school level and in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) remains poor nationally. Some factors have been identified to influence poor academic performance in some parts of Ghana, but none in the Krachi West district. Thus, it has become imperative to determine the local factors accountable for this trend and identify the most appropriate localised solutions. Materials and methods: An embedded research design was employed to ascertain the influence of pupils' characteristics and school environment factors on academic performance. In all, 361 participants (325 BECE candidates, 12 teachers, 12 head teachers and 12 PTA/SMC Chairpersons) were selected using cluster sampling, simple random and purposive sampling across 12 schools in the district. The academic performance of pupils was assessed using scores from six (6) subjects in the standardised district-level mock examination. Results: Based on the examination scores, half of the pupils performed poorly in the six subjects. Even though from the quantitative study, pupils' characteristics had no significant influence on academic performance, school location (ß = -3.29, p < 0.01), school type (ß = 1.15, p < 0.01), and school environmental factors (ß = 0.807, p = 0.024) were significant predictors of academic performance in the district. Pupils in private schools were thrice more likely to achieve average academic performance than pupils from public schools (OR = 3.2, CI = 1.06-9.47). Also, schools with good environmental factors were twice as likely to have average academic performance than schools with poor environmental factors (OR = 2.2 CI = 1.11-4.52). Conclusion: While school environment factors and pupil characteristics have a relationship with academic performance as suggested by the ecological theory, it was established in this study that only school location, school type and school environment factors were the significant predictors of academic performance in the Krachi West District. Therefore, education stakeholders need to consider these predictors when coming up with integrated but local strategies to improve pupils' academic performance in that district.

Toxocariasis in Ghanaian neighbourhoods: a need for action.

Background: Animal reservoirs of Toxocara spp., a neglected parasitic infection, are frequently found in many Ghanaian neighbourhoods. Despite various interactions occurring between these animals and humans which sustain zoonosis, not much focus has been directed at disease surveillance in Ghana, necessitating this study. Methods: The study was cross-sectional. It combined the collection of biological samples with the survey approach. The study used purposive and convenience sampling techniques to collect data from eligible participants in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Besides the collection of biological samples from animals which were processed using molecular techniques, semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the pet owners. Results: In sum, 32.2% (95% CI, 27.6%-37.0%) of the targeted animals were positive for Toxocara canis, with most of the cases being found in dogs and rodents. Among the 204 rodents, more Praomys tulbergi were positive for this parasite compared to the others. From the survey, some risk factors culminating in high disease exposure were identified: more than one-third of pet owners did not deworm their pets although about a fourth shared bed with them. In addition, many respondents' kids played with these pets but not all supervised them to practice hand hygiene. Also, a good number of pet owners confirmed the frequent exposure of their pets to rodents. Conclusions: The relatively high prevalence of T. canis recorded in animals and the increasing exposure of humans to this parasite point to a higher risk for human toxocariasis. Furthermore, T. canis found in cats cannot be ignored and merits further investigations. For Ghana to achieve SDG 3 by 2030, priority must also be placed on neglected diseases which calls for an integrated approach to disease surveillance and a redirection of research focus using the one health concept.