Black Board Struggles: Teacher Unionism Under the ‘Democratic’ Rawlings Regime 1992-2000
Introduction hana’s return to liberal democratic rule formed part of what has been generally accepted as the third wave of democratisation in Africa, when internal frustrations with growing corruption, repression and unemployment in most African countries, conjoined with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, triggered waves of democratic protests, which eventually led to the birth or rebirth of new democracies across Africa (see Bratton & Van de Walle 1997). In Ghana, by December 1991, when the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), the quasi-military regime that was formed after the 1981 coup, observed its tenth anniversary, the move towards constitutional rule had taken firm roots. Two significant developments in 1992 sealed the rebirth of a democratic Ghana. The first was a
The teaching profession in the history of Ghanaian education
This article presents part of the data gathered for a study of Ghanaian elementary teachers' job satisfaction and their attitudes to their profession and other job alternatives. Since cne of the central objectives of the study is to see how the teachers view their profession vis-a-vis alternative avenues of employment in Ghana and how such comparisons influence their wort beh||yfpjar and plans, we examine in this article historical evidence on the influence which such factors as salary and conditions of Service, teacfiers' asSocia&ojns and their prestige and prof essional * status have had on their work behaviour and plans. Other points which we shall examine are teacher education and factors which have helped to improve the teachers' general conditions of service.
Use of laser scanning confocal microscopy for morphological taxonomy and the potential for digital type specimens (e-types)
The use of laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) for creating taxonomic descriptions of copepods is investigated. A new technique is described, which employs a contour filter to process digital LSCM images, allowing taxonomic information to be quickly and accu- rately distilled into a simple illustration. LSCM allows the imaging of whole specimens, which can be rotated and viewed from any angle—a major benefit over light microscopy. Using this tech- nique, it is suggested that taxonomic descriptions can be rapidly produced in a fraction of the time required to produce similar descriptions using traditional light microscopy and hand drawing techniques. Good staining of specimens is, however, essential to produce accurate descriptions and more research is required in this area. The use of LSCM for morphological taxonomy shows great potential, not only for producing taxonomic descriptions, but also providing a comple - mentary adjunct to traditional type specimens in the form of 3D digital 'e-types' deposited in recognised international databases.