Leading an Educational Idea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Leading an Educational Idea - Research Paper Example This inquiry presents a literature review on how assessment informs learning, methodology used in the study and analysis of information obtained. Introduction Teachers have to administer complicated and challenging situations, harmonising the personal and communal pressures of a crowd of more learners while activating the circumstances for educational success. This process can only be achived through assessment. The question raised by the common Teacher, is therefore how does the idea of assessment fit within the context of Teaching and Learning. The process of educational assessment is an important part of instruction and learning. Established assessment activities assist teachers and learners appreciate what they have gone through, the situation they are in, and the next move. One single assessment cannot give adequate information to information and develop the teaching and learning process. Crick states that using diverse assessments as an element of teaching, provides realistic i nformation concerning learner’s development. Some of the terms that will be relevant within my inquiry are: Formative assessment This is the assessment that is ongoing and normally conducted during the teaching learning process. The instructor does teach and evaluates after teaching to find out if objectives have been achieved (Wang, 2007). Summative assessment; assessment conducted at the end of a program (Wang, 2007). Student-directed Assessment; This assessment allows students to become effective users of assessment information. Students can become proficient users of student-directed assessment strategies such as conferencing, self-assessment, peer assessment and goal setting (Wang, 2007). Assessments that straightforwardly involve learners assist them learn significant skills that they will be in a position to use as permanent learners. They become skilled at to be contemplative and approachable, to believe about their own hard work, to be productive in self- measurement and peer measurement, and to make available precise information that elaborates on the differentiation (Wang, 2007). Conferencing Conferences are more often than not short, relaxed meetings whispered with individual learners or a little group of learners and entail investigative listening, penetrating and responding. Questioning are conferences done to gather detailed information. They may require a collection of questions targeted for an exact reason or a prescribed set of on paper questions to which a learner responds in inscription. For illustration, instructors may call for information about a learner’s use of manuscript and use an official consultation or gathering to question in a straight line connected to a fastidious characteristic of the learners’ performance (Pontus and Thornton, 2008). Portfolios; A portfolio is a determined collection of learners’ work samples, learner personality -assessments and objective statements that reproduce learnersâ€℠¢ progress. Learners usually select the activities samples to identify in the portfolio; however, the instructor may also advocate that precise activities samples be incorporated. Portfolios are commanding tools that permit learners to see their educational growth from status to grade. Goal Setting; Goal setting follows of course out of personality -assessment, colleague assessment and conferences. Learners and

Effect of Policy on Hand Washing Effectiveness | Article

Effect of Policy on Hand Washing Effectiveness | Article In the article â€Å"Bare below the elbows: does this policy affect hand washing efficacy and reduce bacterial colonisation?† published July 2010, the authors Wijwardena Greatorex main focus was to establish whether dress code affects bacterial colonisation before and after hand-washing. Research was conducted using questionnaire and results were collected in the form of quantitative data. The result shows that there were no significant difference between BBE and NB (Mann-Whitney, P The authors’ use of a critical abstract in regards to the main findings, results, conclusion, subjects and methods gives a detailed overview of the research study, allowing the reader to assess and understand whether the research is relevant without having to examine the whole article (Galdon, Graves and Kelly, 2011). McNiff and Whitehead (2010) states that it is important for an abstract to always be succinct to allow the reader to gain an insight into the research and its importance (Chatburn, 2011). In addition, the abstract is clear, concise and free from jargons making it easy for the reader to understand and not become confused about the content of the research. Secondly, the complexity of the results collected, charted and plotted on the table and graph was simplified, making it easier for the reader to interpret and make sense of the findings. In addition, the results gathered also represent the research as a whole, for it clearly reflects the aim and objective of the study. Hence the research is valid and reliable (Wood and Ross-Keer, 2011). However, the research is plausible as to whether it can be applied into practice and good enough to be represented to the targeted population. This is due to the small sample size, which was sixty-sixty doctors, as a larger sample size can estimate population parameters (Sim and Wright, 2000). And also, there was an ethical aspect of the research which give cause for concern, as the authors clearly states that the participants were not give advance warning about the study and was conducted throughout the working day. This suggests that the participants did not give informed consent, as it was the authors’ obligation to fully inform participants of the study before carrying out the research (Cottrell and Mckenzie, 2011). In the article â€Å"Effects of ‘bare below the elbows’ policy on hand contamination of 92 hospital doctors in a district general hospital† published in December 2009, the authors Willis-Owen, Subramanian, Kumari and Houlihan-Burne, main purpose of the research was to establish whether the hands of doctors who are bare below elbows (BBE) compliant are cleaner than those who wore traditional attire (non-BBE). A prospective cross-sectional observational study was carried out and the result was presented using qualitative method. In the author’s main findings, there were no significant difference in between those doctors who were BBE and those that were not. The aim of the research was clear and precise, as the authors avoided the use of jargons. In support to this, Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2013) report that, aims of a research should be clear, broad, achievable and unambiguous as this guides the reader on how to interpret and analyse the data from the result. This of significance as it outlines the author’s overall intentions for carrying out the research; as a result, the reader is given a clear outline on whether the research is of value and worthwhile (Taylor, Kermode and Roberts, 2006). Furthermore, the use of secondary sources used within this research to support findings, such as works from Fierer et al, informs the reader that there have been similar work done by other researchers (Brockopp and Hastings-Tolsma, 2003).This was also accompanied by a referencing system which clearly states all the literatures integrated, along with the dates so that the reader has enough information to find the original sources used within the study (Collins, 2010). This aids the reader to consider whether the literatures used were current and relevant to the study, and also gain an insight into how the authors went about conducting their research. On the contrary, the results gathered failed to establish the cause-effect of the research (Balakrishnan, 2010) of establishing the effects of BBE policy on hand contamination, which therefore lacks reliability (Wood and Ross-Keer, 2011). Consequently, the reader is unable to apply the findings provided into practice as it lacks logic and relevance. The authors’ use of language to analyse results in discussion was substandard, as they went to discuss patients’ preferences which was confusing, irrelevant and misleading. The article â€Å"The Feedback Intervention Trial (FIT)-Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in UK Healthcare Workers: A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial†, published October 2012, authors Fuller et al used randomised control trial to collect quantitative results. The main findings included all 16 trusts were randomised, 33 wards implemented intervention (11 Intensive therapy units, 22 acute care elderly), mixed effects regression analysis (all wards) accounting for confounders, temporal trends, ward type and fidelity to intervention (forms/month used). The authors carried out their study in a randomised control trial (RCT). RCT according to Andrew and Halcomb (2009) is a study whereby participants are divided into treatment and control group to determine the effectiveness of a policy and practice interventions. This was appropriate within this research as the number of participants that took part sixty wards and the result obtained can be used to represent the general population. Hence in quantitative research, Chow, Shoa and Wang (2003) states that it is important to have a larger sample size, for the research to be valid and reliable (Solomon, Cavanaugh and Draine, 2009) and assures accuracy and integrity (This means that the reader is able apply theory to practice obtained through the research due to the credibility of the research. In contrast, the research lacked purpose and an aim, as it does not address a significant problem that prompted research (Monsen and Horn, 2008). As a result fails to inform the reader about what the study is trying to achieve by carrying out the research. For this reason the research fails to grab the reader’s attention as there is no clear reason as to why the research is of significance. The authors illustrated that informed consent was established before the research was conducted. This is important within any research as this demonstrates that the participants were content to take part in the research and that ethical values were upheld. This is important to the reader as this shows that Cohen, L., Manion, L Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education. (7thed.). Abingdon: Routledge. Monsen, E. R. Horn, L V. (2008). Research: Successful approaches. (3rded.). USA: Diana Faulhaber. Andrew, S. Halcomb, E .J. (2009). Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Cottrell, R. R. McKenzie, J. F. (2011). Health promotion education research methods: Using the five-chapter thesis/dissertation model. (2nded.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC. Sim, J. Wright, C. (2000). Research in health care. Cheltenham: Stanley Thomes (Publishers) Ltd. Wood, M. J. Ross-Kerr, J. C. (2011). Basic steps in planning nursing research: From question to proposal. (7thed.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., Biondo-Wood, G. L. Haber, J. (2013). Nursing and midwifery research 4e: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. (4thed.). Chatswood: Elsevier. Balakrishnan, N. (2010). Methods and applications of statistics in the life and health sciences. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Kermode, S. Taylor, B. Roberts, K. (2006). Obtaining approval and support for your project. In B. Taylor., S. Kermode. K. Roberts (Eds.), Research in nursing and health care: Evidence for practice. (pp. 131-169). Australia: Cengage Learning. Chatburn, R. L. (2011). Handbook for health care research. (2nded.). Sudbury: Jones and Baartlett Publishers. Collin, H. (2010). Creative research: The theory and practice of research for the creative. Switzerlan: AVA Publishing SA. Brockopp, D. Y. Hastings-Tolsma. (2003). Fundamentals of nursing research. (3rded.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett. McNiff, J. Whitehead, J. (2010). You and your action research project. (3rded.). Abingdon: Routledge. Rees, C. (2010). Evaluting and appraising evidence to underpin nursing practice. In K. Holland., C. Rees (Eds.), Nursing: evidence based practice skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Galdon, R. J., Graves, W. R. Kelly, J. M. (2011). Getting published in the life science. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. Solomon, P., Cavanaugh, M. M. Draine, J. (2009). Randomized controlled trials: Design and implementation for community based psychosocial interventions. Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc.

A Feminist Perspective of Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venic

A Feminist Perspective of Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice      Ã‚  Ã‚   Isabella's only power could be in saying 'no', her 'no' to Angelo that she would not leave the world despoiled and soulless, 'no' to Claudio that she would sacrifice herself, 'no' to the nunnery that she had wished to enter or 'no' to the Duke's offer of marriage. Isabella's role ability to be self-determining was quite different from Portia's advocacy in The Merchant of Venice, for Isabella was the tool of the Duke, fulfilling his scripting. Her nun's garb should have ensured a neuter role, and she intended her pity and love for her brother to involve her in this world only so far as to counsel him in honour. Despite her self concept, two men of the world with power over her saw her as a beautiful sexual object to be acquired. Against this, Isabella's strength was in theological purity, going straight to the sense of the Gospels. We cannot cast the first stone. We must have mercy for others, because "he which is the top of judgement" had mercy on us. Because the censors usually eliminated the word 'God', references were oblique, but there could be no real substitution of 'Jove' or 'the gods' here where the sense was so very New Testament. Isabella was preaching to a society which had gone far in condemnation and execution in the name of religion; she was a beacon of clear light. Portia actively sought mercy as the greatest response and carefully gave Shylock every option to release the bond which held him when she stage-managed the last-minute dramatic revelation, showing that he too could be forfeit. Significantly, the advocacy of both Portia and Isabella was the same: mercy must be applied to the law. Could a Duke's one gateway denouement be... ...d expanded, and the whole prospered on the servitude and devotion of women. Petruchio did his bit, as did Isabella's Duke, so that protectionism was the right end and repository for women's identity and role. Yet in the next section Benedick will meet his match, and that paragon, Portia, will tactfully remain within the rhetorical framework of male supremacy, costuming her more able endeavours.... i Jill Bavin-Mizzi, Ravished (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 1995). ii Margaret Thornton, "Women as fringe dwellers of the jurisprudential community", in Sex, Power and Justice (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 190. iii Charlotte Lennox (nà ©e Ramsay), 1729 -1804, actress and poet, Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900, An anthology of criticism, ed. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997), pp. 17-18.

Should we reinstate the Selective Service Draft or continue to rely on a volunteer army?

This paper seeks to determine whether the Americans should reinstate the Selective Service Draft or continue to rely on a volunteer army. This paper posits that it is more advantageous to rely on volunteer army than military draft. . No need to reinstate the military draft One of the strongest arguments why America need not reinstate the Selective Service Draft and instead continue to rely on volunteer army is the positions presently taken by the Bush Administration.Burns said, â€Å"The Bush administration sees no need to reinstate the military draft, but it is pushing for improved Pentagon management of the 1.4 million-strong force in order to meet wartime needs, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday. † He further quoted Rumsfeld saying , â€Å"†I don't know anyone in the executive branch of the government who believes it would be appropriate or necessary to reinstitute the draft,† to the Newspaper Association of America's annual convention. † The system of military conscription that was abandoned in 1973 just came from some members of Congress on whether the long-term nature of the global war on terrorism might require a return to same. It was Sen.Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. , who raised the possibility that compulsory military service might be necessary. Burns quoted Hagel as seeing the nation as engaged â€Å"in a generational war here against terrorism† and â€Å"It's going to require resources. † The main argument of Sen. Hagel was for burden sharing, hence, he was quoted as saying: â€Å"Should we continue to burden the middle class who represents most all of our soldiers, and the lower-middle class? † â€Å"Should we burden them with the fighting and the dying if in fact this is a generational – probably 25-year – war? â€Å"Burns found Rumsfeld not addressing the issue of burden-sharing, except to say the old system of conscription had â€Å"a lot of difficulties,† including lo opholes that permitted many to avoid being drafted. Rumsfeld was found to have said that the military simply does not need to abandon its all-volunteer approach and to have said the following statement, â€Å"†We have a relatively small military. We have been very successful in recruiting and retaining the people we need†¦ Although the military is strained by its commitments in Iraq and elsewhere, it is working on ways to get more combat power out of the existing force.† Burns also reported Rumsfeld arguing that the Army, for example, is reorganizing to increase the number of combat brigades from 33 to as many as 48 over the next several years and the Pentagon is finding ways to pull troops out of jobs that could be done by civilian Defense Department workers or government contractors, thus freeing more troops for combat-related duties (Paraphrasing made) . Hence it would mean that there is no need to reinstate the Selective Service since under the present circumst ance, volunteer army is a possible option.In trying therefore to analyse the statements of Rumsfeld, Selective Service draft should only come as an option if the present number of army could not be augmented through other means like pulling troops out of jobs that could be done by civilian Defense Department workers or government contractors. Why resort to compulsory service then when there are easier ways. As state earlier, the main argument for selective service is the shared burden principle between rich and poor. Equitable Spread of burden of military serviceGreenberg, David (2003) said that the proposal for selective service by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N. Y. is based on the argument that in our anomic culture we need mandatory service to instill common values, provide a shared experience for young people of all races and social stripes, and equitably spread the burden of military service. Hence, in writing in the New York Times, Greenberg found Rangel recently to have urged a â⠂¬Å"return to the tradition of the citizen soldier,† and arguing that â€Å"if we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle must be that of shared sacrifice.† (Paraphrasing made). Greenberg further said, â€Å"Cries like Rangel's have arisen in every war and quite often in peace as well. In 1940, inaugurating the first-ever peacetime draft, Franklin Roosevelt argued that the new policy â€Å"broadened and enriched our basic concepts of citizenship. † A quarter century later, Lyndon Johnson called the draft â€Å"a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy. † Indeed, appeals to patriotism and democracy have often accompanied the imposition of mandatory sacrifice. † Equality contradicting libertyThe laudable purpose of equality is not however unopposed because of the element of coercion which convinces many that equality need not liberty. Thus, Greenburg agreed difficulty of selling conscription because equality coul d be contradicting liberty. He said, â€Å" Despite these fine words, though, conscription has always been—and probably will always be—a tough sell. The reason isn't that Americans crave an unjust system, although they haven't shown too much regret over the draft's inequities. Rather, the draft's perennial unpopularity stems from an abiding national regard for freedom from state coercion.For all Rangel's rhetorical bows to the â€Å"citizen soldier† and â€Å"shared sacrifice,† his proposal addresses America's historic concern for equality but skirts its even more primary veneration for liberty. † As to the validity of the claims equality in the sharing the burden, perhaps it would be proper to take a look at the past. Had people readily accepted conscription in the past? Greenburg said â€Å"Indeed, the notion of the citizen soldier of the Revolutionary War to which Rangel hearkens—the common man trading plowshare for sword to fight an imm inent threat—actually points up the flaws in the argument for conscription.The Revolution's vaunted Minute Men were, after all, volunteers who needed no official prodding to take up arms against a threat to their liberty. The Continental Army certainly had its manpower problems—in the winter of 1776, Tom Paine decried the â€Å"summer soldier and the sunshine patriot†Ã¢â‚¬â€but even in those trying times, states rejected George Washington's plea for national conscription. When individual states did hold drafts, they allowed wealthy conscripts to hire substitutes, who were predominantly poor and unemployed. Service was hardly a shared experience. †If President Washington plea for national conscription was rejected when the country needed the citizen then to defend it was rejected, would it be easier to accept today? Could this happen with Bush administration when his defense secretary was saying that there is no need for military draft? But going back stil l in the past, it was found that draft really existed but it was just temporary to address an emergency. Thus, Greenburg added , â€Å"Whatever problems hobbled the Continental Army, the new nation's founders remained convinced that state encroachment on personal freedom was the greater danger.The Constitution's drafters conferred on Congress the power to â€Å"raise and support armies† but not to conscript citizens—an omission notably at odds with the practice in Europe. Virginia's Edmund Randolph, one of the few founders to raise the issue during the constitutional debates, argued that a draft would â€Å"stretch the strings of government too violently to be adopted. † Such sentiments carried the day even when British troops invaded American soil two decades later. During the War of 1812, President James Madison sought a draft.But even though Secretary of War James Monroe promised it would be just a temporary, emergency measure, Congress opposed it, in Sen. D aniel Webster's words, as â€Å"Napoleonic despotism. † It never got off the ground. † If success in the past may have to be used as a justification to put one today, would it be more acceptable? Historically this was not supposed to be the case since success seemed t far from good. Greenburg said, â€Å"In the Civil War, both North and South continued to rely mainly on enlistment, although they did adopt conscription when the volunteers dried up.Even though the Civil War drafts were extremely limited—only 8 percent of Union's 2 million soldiers were draftees—they were far from successful. The Confederate government gave exemptions to those in certain occupations, sparking popular protest. Meanwhile, the delegation of such vast powers to the Confederate government baldly violated the principle of â€Å"states' rights† and undermined the South's rationale for its rebellion. † The limited number then of military draft appear to post now a stron g objection to reinstating military draft now that they situation was not as dangerous before.There could be problems with impracticality because a forced military service may just cause desertions or non reporting which. This actually happened. Greenburg confirmed this when he said, â€Å"Fifty years later, with Europe at war, Woodrow Wilson courted the animosity of isolationists left and right by pushing through Congress a sweeping (but temporary) conscription program. To ensure fairness, the law barred the hiring of substitutes and the offering of bounties for enlistees.But the draft's more fundamental flaw—its coerciveness—still fueled protest. Waves of conscripts, perhaps as many as 3 million, refused to register for the draft, and of those actually called to serve, 12 percent either didn't report or quickly deserted. Local vigilantes took to shaming or brutalizing resisters into service. Civil libertarians sued the government, arguing that the draft was unconsti tutional under the 13th Amendment, which outlawed involuntary servitude, but in 1918 the Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional.† What could be more depriving than coerciveness? We have seen coercion generating protest but it does not mean that military draft is not without use and purpose. Hence Greenburg explained that the draft was scuttled when peace returned, but in 1940, when Germany invaded France, FDR sought to resurrect it. There must be a war to justify the draft. But how was it accepted then because of the war? Greenburg said, â€Å" Again, opposition was fierce; Sen.Arthur Vandenberg, for one, accused FDR of â€Å"tearing up 150 years of American history and tradition, in which none but volunteers have entered the peacetime Armies and Navies. † But FDR won out, and resistance faded after Pearl Harbor. As it was in so many ways, the experience of the â€Å"good† war proved an exception to a historical pattern. Yet FDR's policies also set a preceden t for the more questionable Cold War draft, which would last 25 years. † In the cold war , America had the draft during the Cold War but the Vietnam experience have taught them a lesson.Greenburg confirmed this when he said, â€Å"It took the catastrophe of Vietnam to end the draft. By the late 1960s, the mounting body counts and anti-war sentiment made it increasingly hard for President Johnson to justify sending young men to die in battle. Until 1969, Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, the head of the Selective Service, blocked efforts to reform or end the draft, but when Richard Nixon assumed the presidency he saw draft reform as a way to silence the peace movement and steal the Democrats' thunder without a precipitous pullout.Nixon forced Hershey into retirement, set up a lottery to make the draft fairer, and indicated he would move toward an all-volunteer force (AVF). In a debate over whether to continue the draft in 1971 or adopt an AVF, it was Nixon and Gen. William Westmorel and who argued for the AVF, while leading Democrats in Congress such as Ted Kennedy and one Charlie Rangel pressed to keep the draft in place. † Given past events, will America repeat the same mistake?The Americans have spoken about their positions in the last 2006 elections by giving more seats to Democrats over the Republicans. The constitutionality of mandatory military service One of the issues that may be invoked in trying to oppose the military draft is through constitutional means. Smolla, R. said, â€Å"The military draft has been rhetorically attacked as a form of involuntary servitude that violates the Thirteenth Amendment, [23] but, despite the hyperbolic utility of the argument, it has never been taken seriously by the Supreme Court.As early as the 1918 Selective Draft Law Cases, [24] the Court stated that as we are unable to conceive upon what theory the exaction by government from the citizen of the performance of his supreme and noble duty of contributing to th e defense of the rights and honor of the nation as the result of a war declared by the great representative body of the people can be said to be the imposition of involuntary servitude in violation of the prohibitions of the Thirteenth Amendment, we are constrained to the conclusion that the contention to that effect is refuted by its mere statement.[25] † It is therefore clear that legal battle appears a weak option because the court could still sustain legality so the decision is political and which using the result of the recent elections would show that the volunteer army is the better option. Conclusion: The evidence would go for continuing volunteer army instead of selective service draft. To serve ones’ country it is best to respect voluntary service.Americans need not be reinstated the military service if it could continue with volunteer army To force young Americans to join the draft was a difficult experience in the past where enlisted personnel failed or dese rted, constituting a big percentage. The compulsory draft in the past was made to address to an emergency. The executive department through the defense chief declared the lack of need to restore the military since the government can still have volunteer army.Forcing people to render a military service is being viewed as having the element of coercion which is one the greatest objection to selective military draft but the latter is arguing on the basis to shared sacrifice and therefore invoking equality. However, opponents of military draft rationalized that equality need not violated liberty which the Constitution was made to promote. The present jurisprudence however holds that force military draft is constitutional and hence the issue of legality may still allow the decision to pursue military draft over that of volunteer army.Since there is no emergency to invoke military draft, then said option must not be pursued. Works and Cases Cited: Burns, Robert, Defense Chief Sees No Need to Reintroduce the Military Draft, The Associated Press , Agonist Discussion, Re:WILL THE US FEEL A DRAFT SOON? , Reply #26 on: April 22, 2004, 03:44:24 PM, {www document} URL, http://discuss. agonist. org//? board=1%3Baction=display%3Bthreadid=18596%3Bstart=0,, Accessed November 28,2006.Greenberg, David. Rough Draft, The revive-conscription movement has history against it., 2003 {www document} URL http://www. slate. com/? id=2077346, Accessed November 28,2006 Millett, J. , The Organization and Role of the Army Service Forces.. Publisher: Office of the Chief of Military History, Washington, DC, 1954, p. 261 Schenck v. United States, 249 U. S. 47, 50-51 (1919) Selective Draft Law Cases 245 U. S. 366 (1918). Smolla, R. , The Constitutionality of Mandatory Public School Community Service Programs. Law and Contemporary Problems. Volume: 62. Issue: 4. Publication Year: 1999. p. 113

Land Pollution in Ibadan

A TOWN PAPER ON LAND POLLUTION IN IBADAN, THE CAUSES, EFFECTS, REMEDIAL MEASURES AND HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE. COMPILED BY ONIFADE SADIAT T MATRIC NO. 073862 TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OGBOMOSHO. COURSE CODE: URP 305 COURSE TITLE: PLANNING STUDIO III LECTURERS IN CHARGE: TPL A. O AKINDELE TPL E. A TOYOBO MARCH, 2010 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION LAND POLLUTION Land Pollution is the degradation of earth's land surfaces. Land can be polluted through soil or water. Human activities are the main factor and their misuse of land resources. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. Indiscriminate disposal of domestic (solid and liquid) and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors. Taking Ibadan as a case study, we are going to discuss the causes of land pollution in Ibadan, the effects, the remedial measures and how effective they are. BACKGROUND OF STUDY Ibadan was historically an Egba town. The Egba occupants were forced to leave the town and moved to present-day Abeokuta under the leadership of Sodeke when the surge of Oyo refugees flocked into the towns as an aftermath of the fall of Oyo Kingdom. Ibadan grew into an impressive and sprawling urban center so much that by the end of 1829, Ibadan dominated the Yoruba region militarily, politically and economically. The military sanctuary expanded even further when refugees began arriving in large numbers from northern Oyo following raids by Fulani warriors. After losing the northern portion of their region to the marauding Fulanis, many Oyo indigenes retreated deeper into the Ibadan environs. The Fulani Caliphate attempted to expand further into the southern region of modern-day Nigeria, but was decisively defeated by the armies of Ibadan in 1840. The Ibadan area became a British Protectorate in 1893 and by then the population had swelled to 120,000. The British developed the new colony to facilitate their commercial activities in the area, and Ibadan shortly grew into the major trading center that it is today. At independence, Ibadan was the largest and the most populous city in Nigeria and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg. It is located in south-western, 128 km inland northeast of Lagos and 345 km southwest of , the federal capital and is a prominent point between the region and the areas to the north. The population of Ibadan was 2,550,593 according to 2006 census results, including 11local government areas. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yorubas. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study are; To identify the major sources of waste in Ibadan To identify the factors leading to land pollution To identify the effects of land pollution CHAPTER TWO WASTE GENERATION Waste which is one of the sources and causes of environmental pollution has been defined under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (2000) as any solid, semisolid liquid or contained gaseous materials discarded from industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations and from community activities. Waste also includes garbage, construction debris, commercial refuse, sludge from water, control facilities and other discarded materials. Most of the solid wastes, like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, and even used cars and electronic goods are not bio-degradable, which means they do not get broken down through inorganic or organic processes. Thus, when they accumulate they pose a health threat to people. Decaying wastes also attract household pests and result in urban areas becoming unhealthy, dirty, and unsightly places to reside in. Moreover, it also causes damage to terrestrial organisms, while also reducing the uses of the land for other, more useful purposes. Some of the sources of solid, liquid and gaseous waste that cause land pollution are: *Wastes from Agriculture: This comprises of waste matter produced by crop, animal manure, and farm residues. *Wastes from Mining: Piles of coal refuse and heaps of slag. *Wastes from Industries: Industrial waste matter that can cause land pollution can include paints, chemicals, and so on. *Solids from Sewage Treatment: Wastes that are left over after sewage has been treated, biomass sludge, and settled solids. *Ashes: The residual matter that remains after solid fuels are burned. Garbage: This comprises of waste matter from food that are decomposable and other waste matter that are not decomposable such as glass, metal, cloth, plastic, wood, paper, and so on. WASTE GENERATION IN IBADAN Solid waste Although it is generally agreed that enormous quantities of solid waste are generated in Ibadan daily, the exact figures have not been determined, probably owing to the use of diverse methods of calculati on. Maclaren International Ltd (1970) found that the average per capita quantity of solid waste generated was 0. 37–0. 5 kg/day for the traditional areas of the city and 0. 53 kg/day for the newer areas. According to Egunjobi (1986), 38 million kg of solid waste was collected in the suburbs of Ibadan in 1986. The suburbs constitute about 21% of the city. On this basis, it can be estimated that 181 million kg of solid waste was generated in the city as a whole in 1986. This gives a per capita waste-generation rate of 0. 31 kg/day, using the 1986 estimated population of 1. 6 million for the city. In 1982, PAI Associates recorded the volume and weight of solid waste generated per household per day in Ibadan. The study revealed that waste generation varied according to land use, with residential land use taking the bulk of the hare. The generation rates were 3. 4 kg/household per day in the traditional areas, 3. 2 kg/household per day in the newer areas, and 3. 3 kg/household per day in the whole city (altogether giving a per capita generation rate of 0. 33 kg/day). Several researchers have studied the volume of refuse generated in the city. For example, Maclaren International Ltd (1970) estimated this volume at 182 900 t. The latest study, conducted by Haskoning and Konsadem Associates (1994), estimated the per capita rate at 0. 6 kg/day, with a density of 300 kg/m3. The projections are based on an annual growth rate of population per year The solid-waste composition in Ibadan comprises leaves, paper, food waste, tins, glass, and rags (Maclaren International Ltd 1970). This is because Ibadan is located in the heart of a rich agricultural land and has a large old and unplanned section. PAI Associates (1983) made a comparative analysis of the composition of solid waste from two acres of Ibadan in 1970, which showed that residential land use accounted for 70. 1% of the waste generated, followed by commercial land use (18. 8%) and industrial land use (9. 7%). Institutional and other land use accounted for 0. % each. The mean percentage composition of solid waste in Ibadan in 1982 for different parts of the city is summarized in the table below. Mean % composition by weight GRABodijaMokola & SangoOke AdoAguguOjaba leaves7. 54. 333. 223. 532. 626. 5 Food remnants35. 519. 29. 13. 65. 46. 9 paper15. 126. 210. 719. 415. 216. 6 Cartons . 31. 54. 86. 84. 51 0. 9 Plastic & polythene4. 18. 93. 711. 54. 85. 1 Tins & metals20. 811. 415. 416. 47. 712. 8 Bones, ash dust & stones5. 916. 719. 118. 128. 821. 0 miscellaneous0. 811. 83. 00. 51. 02. 2 Liquid waste The Ibadan metropolis has a lot of problems with the management of its liquid waste. PAI Associates (1983) estimated the magnitude of liquid waste within Ibadan at 22 650 million L (an average of 6. 2 L per household), and Akintola and Agbola (1989) projected the amounts of liquid waste for 1990 and 1995 at 113. 7 million and 126. 5 million L, respectively. Liquid waste in Ibadan also contains tins, sticks, excreta, oil, pieces of iron scrap, and refuse. Outside of large institutions, such as the University of Ibadan’s Teaching Hospital and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan has no sewerage system. The city’s human waste is disposed of largely by means of septic tanks, pit latrines, and buckets. The uncontrolled disposal of liquid waste into open gutters, open spaces, along roads, etc. , poses serious health hazards. Bodies of stagnant water produce bad odours, breed mosquitoes, and sometimes obstruct the movement of people and goods. For instance, the 1983 study by PAI Associates revealed that 50% of the stagnant pools emitted bad odour, 70% bred mosquitoes, 24% obstructed the movement of people, and 12% bred worms and other germ-breeding pests. Poor practices for liquid-waste disposal are responsible for waterborne diseases that are common in the city, particularly in its inner core. The unwholesome environment forces the populace to spend appreciable portions of their low income and time on improving their personal health, with adverse consequences for general economic well-being. Industrial waste The industries in Ibadan generate a lot of waste, particularly chemical and toxic waste, explosives, and ash, but the exact quantities have not been measured. The industries make private arrangements for disposal of their waste, with little or no monitoring. Groundwater pollution is a possibility, as companies do not take precautions at disposal sites to supervise and ensure proper sanitary conditions. CAUSES OF LAND POLLUTION Some of the causes of land pollution according to Ukpong are; *Improper resources management *Destructive logging of the forest *Overgrazing and overcropping of animals *Flooding and wind erosion menace *Destruction of wetlands and marshes for development *Strip mining He also identified other indirect causes of land pollution to include population growth and population influx, lack of control of enforcement measures and jurisdictional overlap which are due to unclear authority and the use of inappropriate technology for farming and even for producing manufactured goods. This above listed causes persisted for the past decades (since independence) and will continue to be so in Ibadan because of the following factors: (i) High rate of illiteracy (ii) Ignorance (iii) Uncivil culture of indiscriminate waste littering (i. e. throwing of wastes on bare ground) (iv) People inability to maintain a sanitarily clean environment (v) Reluctance of people to cooperate with the authority by disposing solid waste in illegal dumps, rather than using the means provided by the Government; Other factors that militate against decent environment in Ibadan include i. Uncontrolled population creating slum condition; i. Poor planning; and iii. Violation of town planning regulations. EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION The increasing amount of solid waste and its disposal have become a serious environmental problem, leading to visual pollution, public health hazards, and water and air pollution. With the growth of the population and the wider use of ‘throw-away' bottles and cans , the problem of litter and waste spoils the beauty of our environment . In addition, the discarded solid waste , if untreated, will decay, producing bad smells polluting the air and water. EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION IN IBADAN Unarguably, one of the main problems facing. Ibadan City and which has become an intractable nuisance is open and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, human and animal faeces on land. Piles of decaying garbage which are substantially domestic in nature dominate strategic locations in the heart of the city including the Ibadan Lagos express way. The risks that may be anticipated include bad odour, aesthetic nuisance, fire out break, water pollution, proliferation of insects, flies, cockroaches, rats and other small and dangerous insects which can endanger public health through breeding of ailments such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, yellow fever, plague and filariasis. There is also reduction in the property value of land close to a dump site. Regrettably, this condition characterizes environmental culture in Ibadan. It is important to note that endangered public health situation can exert excessive pressure on the health budget, curtails productivity and worsens urban condition of health. CHAPTER THREE REMEDIAL MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT The government established three institutions charged with the responsibility of overseeing the environment of Ibadan city. They are; (i) Ibadan Solid Waste Board. (ii) The Local Government Councils, and (iii)Ministry of Environment. Prior to the enactment of edict No 8 of 1997, Ibadan city and its environs were constitutionally broken into (11) eleven Local Government Councils which now shoulder the collection and disposal of solid wastes in Ibadan. With the commencement of the edict, the functions of the Local Government councils in the Ibadan urban area under the 1979 Nigerian Constitution, and the instrument establishing them to collect, transfer and dispose solid waste were delegated to the new Authority. The functions of the Authority are: (a) Collection, transfer, and disposal of solid wastes for the Ibadan urban area directly or indirectly; (b) Collection and registration of private refuse contractors in the city. Each refuse collection firm will need to pay specified amounts to the authority annually; (c) To hire or lease out and sell its equipment to refuse contractors at profitable rates (d) To enforce all regulations concerning refuse collection, disposal and any other sanitation laws as obtained and as may be promulgated in the city of Ibadan; (e) To make effective use of Sanitary Inspectors from the Local Government Service and to impose sanctions on any refuse contractor or citizen in form of fines for the contravention of any of the law in accordance with provision under Offences and Related Matters; (f) To maintain land fill sites around Ibadan and to charge economic rates; (g) Holding meetings concerning planning and strategy to be adopted for the success of its operations; (h) Approving the budget estimates based on the planning and strategy; (i) Ensuring proper use of governmental budget allocated for solid waste collection; (j) Improving the management and operations continuously in such a way that the best service is given against the lowest possible cost; (k) Maintenance and proper use of vehicle and buildings from the State Government entrusted to the Board; (l) Preparation of management information on sanitation and environment; PROBLEMS FACED BY THE ADMINISTRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN IBADAN The problems facing administration of environmental pollution in Ibadan are multi-faceted. There are four main factors responsible for the problems faced by the Administration of Environmental Pollution in Ibadan. They are (i) Poor funding (ii) Culture of the people (iii) Limited technology (iv) Human resources (i) Poor Funding: Essentially, refuse collection and disposal in Ibadan city have become such complex, capital intensive and expensive project such that it is a futile effort to expect a single institution of local government or state ministry, talk less of a parastratal to finance it from its own limited source. (ii) Culture of the People: One of the factors that pose a great challenge to the management of environmental pollution in Ibadan has to do with the culture of the people. The city is not well organized and planned. The city has for long been a commercial centre for marketers of maize, yam and other food stuff that generate heaps of refuse which are unmanageable. The illiterate culture of the people seems not to respect human dignity and decency. Many houses are without toilet facilities especially in the core of the city. People defecate indiscriminately in any available plots of land which are uncleared or along the streams. Even when toilets are built by the Local government Councils, they are carelessly used and within a short period they get spoilt. Added to this, is the poor maintenance culture of our public facilities. The provision of water to service these facilities is, to the least epileptic, if it runs at all. Finally, the socio-cultural attitude, lack of awareness and traditional syndrome of dumping refuse very close to their houses constitute a serious health hazard. (iii) Limited Technology: A visit to the garage of the Ibadan Waste Disposal Management Authority revealed that most of its operational vehicles are grounded because of minor technical problem. Even at the dumping site at Aba Eku, the scavengers are self-employed with all the health risk. The compactors relatively new are grounded with just minor complaints and little expenditure to repair them. Again this condition affirms the underfunding of the Authority earlier mentioned. Still on technology, the land fill designed to be operated sanitarily are operated as open dump due to limited technology. Furthermore, it was observed that medical refuse are deposited at the dumping site which technically ought to have been sorted out. There is also the problem of plastic and polythene products which are not bio-degradable. CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATION Ibadan being the largest and most densely populated West African city should be a state on its own. Fund allocated to the state will be used in managing Ibadan only and this will therefore reduce the pressure on the fund allocated to the present day Oyo State. There should be an intensive teaching of heath education in primary and secondary schools hoping that the children would be able to influence their illiterate parents in complying with simple environmental habits and laws. Compact incinerator method should be introduced to neighbourhoods because this burns not only the waste but also the smoke and dust arising from leaves and a very small quantity of ashes i. e. about 10% of the original weight of wastes is left back in the incinerator. CONCLUSION This town paper concluded that the management of environment of Ibadan city is a function of the concerted efforts of the three agencies charged with the environmental sanitation being a capital intensive project coupled with adequate manpower and the government should regard the care of the environment as a social service by enlightening and educating the citizens on proper waste disposal methods, otherwise Ibadan city will continue to remain as the city of refuse.