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This study explores Arab university faculty's views on fully AI-generated assignments and research papers submitted by students, what reasons they give for their stance and how they react in this case. Surveys with a sample of 45 Arab instructors revealed that 98% do not accept AI-generated assignments and research papers from students at all. They gave numerous reasons for their position. If students submit AI-generated assignments or research papers, they would ask them to re-write them. The study recommends raising students' awareness of university policies regarding AI-generated content and introducing faculty and students to AI plagiarism detection tools. Faculty views and recommendations are reported in detail.

This study aimed to explore factors influencing students' transition from primary to secondary schools, the discrepancy of primary and secondary enrollments. The study used cluster sampling for identifying schools from the district of Assaba. The study aimed to explore the issue from teachers' perspectives. Classical Liberal Theory was adopted as a framework to guide this study. The theory argues that all individuals have the right to access education without any disparity. So, education systems are found to develop human capabilities and enable individuals to further their inherent skills. A qualitative approach was used as a study methodology, using a narrative inquiry approach to explore participants' perceptions about factors influencing the transition from primary to secondary. Interviews were the instrument used to collect data from 12 participants selected randomly from 3 schools. The study found that discontinuity of learning, home distance from schools, gender preference in education, and low income impact the transition from primary to secondary levels. The study recommends that school principals enhance counseling guidelines in schools for students, engaging parents' participation in the education process.

Background/Context: Amid rising immigration from the African continent to the United States, researchers have begun to explore the transnational identities and networks of African immigrants. There is a small body of literature about whether educational supports for immigrant youth are differentiated to address the particularities of African immigrant youth. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: Transnational theories presume that subjects use social networks to connect home and diaspora. They are encountering both perceived and lived social spaces to navigate belonging in and across space. This study asks, "How do youth from the African continent mediate transnational belonging in NYC?" Studying the experiences of youth has implications for the curricular and extracurricular spaces of schools wherein newcomer youth navigate how to belong in the diaspora. Population/Participants/Subjects: Research participants are 19 newcomer African youth from Centrafrique, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. Most of the youth are multilingual and speak French and English as third or fourth languages. Research Design: This qualitative study draws from participatory action research and visual methods. The study was conducted with Sankofa Club, a weekly afterschool student-led club. In the club, students responded to stereotypes by producing websites about the continent and carrying out research within the club to compare their homes and share their migration stories. Findings/Results: The article presents "Africa" as a Mediated Transnational Space, produced by hegemonic structures, that youth mediate as they connect homes. The study finds that youth wrestled with their identification as African. It reexamines transnationalism and positions Africa as a social field through which youth are produced (come to be) as African subjects, redress their belonging to that field by contributing their own symbols and experiences, and use it as they navigate an Africain-NYC that does not adhere to continental boundaries. Conclusions/Recommendations: Educators can support the belonging to home, Africa, and the United States by representing Africa as a generative space in curriculum and social practices.

This paper examines three interrelated factors outside of formal provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in sub-Saharan Africa that have undermined TVET systems. The first is the process, pace, and levels of industrialisation, which has had a direct effect on TVET provision: low numbers of well-paying jobs requiring technical expertise. This has an indirect effect, which is the second crucial factor: lack of economic development and change in labour markets. There are very few jobs that would be considered 'middle class' or 'mid-level' in wealthy countries. Most people are in survivalist work. An international consensus since the 2000s on palliative approaches to development which address the effects but not the causes of the lack of economic development in Africa has resulted in mass poor quality provision of education--the third factor. Education systems are rapidly expanding and achievement levels rising, in the context of very little possibility of labour market rewards for most people, and substantial labour market rewards confined mainly to graduates. This reinforces deeply embedded cultural preferences for general education, which originate in the type of education systems established by colonial powers, as well as the relationships between educational credentials and elite jobs.

This study investigated the sociodemographic determinants of school attendance in Mauritania. Data were drawn from the National Household Survey 2019 and a logistic regression econometric model was used to analyse the association between sociodemographic variables and the dependent variable outcome: school attendance. The findings revealed that sociodemographic determinants significantly influence school attendance in Mauritania. The article highlights that males have higher odds of attendance than females, while an increase in age decreases the odds of attendance. Additionally, having a phone and national identification is associated with higher odds of attendance. Living in rural areas decreases the chances of school attendance and being of foreign nationalities has varying effects on attendance. The study provides valuable insights into the challenges of ensuring education access for all in Mauritania and recommends further research and policy interventions to address these challenges.

This study provides evidence on the distribution of school attendance and educational attainment across African countries, focusing on the correlation with literacy rates in the population, level of resources and country institutional features. The study also estimate sample correlations between enrolment and macroaggregates, related to resources (GDP per capita, student/teacher ratio), computing some counterfactuals. The authors then move to micro-data, selecting three African countries as representative examples of low (Mauritania), middle (Uganda) and high (Ghana) educational attainment. Using social surveys conducted in these countries, the authors estimate the returns to education in terms of better quality of employment (for those who are in the labour market) and of higher monetary returns (for the sub-sample of those earning a monetary wage). In addition, the authors collapse the data at household level, in order to study the determinants of individual educational attainment of children aged between 5 and 25, showing the correlation between parental education, availability of schools at community level, external shocks (like drought, famine, war) and the individual probability of being in school.

Undergraduate student dropout is gradually becoming a global problem and the 39 Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) are no exception to this trend. The purpose of this research was to develop a method that can be used for early detection of students who are at-risk of performing poorly in their undergraduate studies. A sample of 279 students participated in the study conducted in a Mauritian private tertiary academic institution. Results of regression analyses identified the variables having a significant influence on academic performance. These variables were used in a linear discriminant analysis where 74 percent of the students could be correctly classified into three categories: at-risk, pass or fail. In conclusion, this study has proposed a new technique that can be used by institutions to determine significant academic performance predictors and then identify at-risk students upon whom interventions can be implemented prior to exams to address the problem of dropouts.

Four databases were searched to identify studies published by Arab researchers on parents' perceptions of autism spectrum disorder and studies conducted by US researchers and published in systematic reviews of this topic. The electronic search resulted in 14 studies published by Arab researchers and 55 studies published by US researchers. The results showed that autism spectrum disorder has many of the same effects on Arab and American families. Six major areas were identified in the results. Financial difficulties associated with raising children with autism spectrum disorder were mentioned more in Arab studies than in US studies. Arab studies had more emphasis on gender than US studies. The results related to quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Arab studies were equivocal. US studies included comparisons with families without a child with autism spectrum disorder, and addressed factors that were associated with quality of life indicators. More health, educational, and social services were available in United States than in Arab countries, but some frustration was reported by US parents in obtaining appropriate services in some studies. A higher percentage of Arab studies mentioned the role of religious faith than US studies. Finally, social stigma was evidenced in both cultures, but not much research was available.

The training of teachers of West Africa is carried out by the Academy of Rouen (France) and organized around an annual training plan approved by the AEFE. Each trainer only supervises twenty teachers for 5 days. Teachers from eight countries (Mauritania, Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso), come to Dakar for a week. We have been asked four times tn Dakar (Senegal) to provide training for teachers of West Africa. It is all about being trained in order to resolve reading difficulties for students using our scientific research. This paper presents the theoretical framework of phonological awareness and letter names and the 0 phase and the beginning of Phase 1 of our research. We use these predictors as remedial reading difficulties among students aged 8 to 11 years. We present the first results.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cannabis and amphetamine use and associated factors among adolescents in nine African countries. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 25,372 adolescents (mean age 14.3 years, SD = 1.6) from nine African countries that participated in the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) in 2009-2013. Information was collected with a self-administered structured questionnaire. Overall, past-month cannabis use was 4.1% and lifetime amphetamine use was 5.1% among students. In multivariable unconditional regression analysis older age, personal attributes (suicidal ideation, current smoking, school truancy, and having had two or more sexual partners), smoking status of the father and/or mother, and environmental stressors (having experienced hunger, been bullied, having been in a physical fight and having been attacked) were associated with both past-month cannabis and lifetime amphetamine use. Measures to prevent and control cannabis and amphetamine use should include personal attributes (suicidal ideation, school truancy, and HIV sexual risk behavior) and environmental stressors (food insecurity and violence).

This article aims at introducing the research on social work practice in Egypt and the Arab World as a thematic topic. It has started with the essence of the current Arab World and its definition. Social work practice and models of social work intervention in this specific region have been described in terms of its specific and topographic nature. Three main contributors and players to research on social work practice have been included namely social work practitioners, academic social work researchers, and doctoral dissertations granted by Western universities to Arabs. The discussions and implications to research on social work practice in Egypt and the Arab World have been addressed.

As one of the oldest surviving educational religious models in the history of Muslim education, Mahdara remains a poorly studied desert-based religious institution of traditional learning. In its Bedouin context, the Mahdara produced religious scholars no less competent in the mastery of religious Islamic sciences than graduates of other reputable Islamic learning institutions. This article explores the historical development of the Mahdara, its academic program, social system, and contribution to the Mauritanian community while highlighting the major problems modernity poses to it in its struggle to preserve its sociohistorical position in society.

Labour productivity in Arab countries is low by international standards and this problem occurs in Arab countries both inside and outside Africa. There are 10 Arab countries in Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Comoros. Enhancing labour productivity is a major challenge for Arab countries. Improving labour productivity should increase competitiveness, economic growth, job availability and living standards. Key factors in low Arab labour productivity include weak education and training systems, a mismatch between training outputs and labour market demands, lack of technology and innovation and poor management of the workforce. This article seeks to put forward innovative education and training policies which can enhance labour productivity. It does so after examining Arab education and training systems and their links with industry. It is concluded that modern governance arrangements need to be applied in Arab universities. Universities need to be re-envisioned so that curricula are market-driven and bridge the gap between education supply and market demand. Entrepreneurial teaching and learning practices need to be emphasized and improved technical and vocational training should be a priority. The Arab countries also have to adopt responsive and practical strategies for research and development and link the research and development institutes to industry.

Within the international momentum for achieving Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many African countries have made considerable progress during the last decade in terms of access to basic education. However, a significant number of children enrolled in the early grades of primary schools either repeat classes or drop out and never graduate. Moreover, there are currently about 30 million school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa who have never attended any form of schooling. In view of this situation, sub-Saharan African countries have been looking for alternative options to educate those who have not been accounted for in the formal school system. This note considers informal Koranic Education Centres (KECs) which are trying to fill the gap of schooling in the Sahel-Saharan strip. The author looks at the challenges this form of schooling faces and at how to meet them efficiently. He sounds out the possibility of using KECs to cater for those who have been left aside by formal schooling. Based on existing studies, data compiled by educational systems and a study conducted by the Working Group on Non-Formal Education (WGNFE) of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in four West African countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal) in 2013, the author of this research note came to the conclusion that a holistic approach, where the two systems (the Koranic and the formal) collaborate and support one another, could effectively contribute to alleviating the dropout predicament and to reducing the number of unschooled children. It could offer a second-chance opportunity to dropout and unschooled children in the Sahel and Saharan zone. However, before this can become a viable alternative, a number of major challenges need to be addressed. Through its WGNFE, ADEA intends to further investigate the holistic approach of combining formal "modern" and informal "Koranic" schooling to come up with tangible recommendations.

Arab countries have undertaken various measures to develop special education programmes and services over the last three decades; nevertheless, major challenges remain regarding the expansion of these programmes and services and improving their quality. "This article provides an update on disability and special education in Arab countries". Reflections on the historical development of special education in Arab societies are briefly presented. Major challenges currently faced by Arab countries in the field of special education are described, and some recommendations for action are offered.

This paper calculates a human Wellbeing Composite Index (WCI) for 42 countries, belonging to the European Economic Space, North Africa and the Middle East, as an alternative to the shortcomings of other well-known measures of socio-economic development (i.e. Gross Domestic Product per head and Human Development Index). To attain this goal, different data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are used as an aggregation tool for seven selected socio-economic variables which correspond to the following wellbeing dimensions: income per capita, environmental burden of disease, income inequality, gender gap, education, life expectancy at birth and government effectiveness. The use of DEA allows avoiding the subjectivity that would be involved in the exogenous determination of weights for the variables included in WCI. The aim is to establish a complete ranking of all countries in the sample, using a three-step process, with the last step consisting in the use of a model that combines DEA and compromise programming, and permits to obtain a set of common weights for all countries in the analysis. The results highlight the distance that still separates Southern Mediterranean countries from the benchmark levels established by some European countries, and also point to the main weaknesses in individual countries' performance. Nordic countries, plus Switzerland, top the list of best performers, while Mauritania, Libya and Syria appear at the bottom.

"Talibe" children are children sent to Quranic schools (daaras), where they are completely dependent on a master, known as a marabout. This is a very common system of education in formerly French-speaking countries in West Africa. In the last 10 years or so, numerous cases of violence towards "talibe" children have been reported in the media. This paper presents an analysis of the risk factors involved in the physical violence perpetrated by the marabouts towards these children. It is based on a study carried out in Mauritania. Using a probit model, this study has revealed that there are three main risk factors for this violence: the age of the children, their relationships with their families, and the number of children attending the school. In conclusion, a change in the rules for regulating daaras and criminalising violent marabouts is necessary. (Contains 2 tables.)

Different Learning Paradigms can be presented by different educators as a result of utilizing several types of Information and Communication Technologies in the Learning Process. The three abstract Learning Delivery Models are: "Traditional", "Distance", and "Hybrid Learning". Hybrid Learning attempts to maintain the best of Traditional Learning, and provides the hopes and objectives of Distance Learning in a model that maintains the "Learning Process" on the right road. Hybrid Learning shall be making use of different technologies available, exactly as does Distance Learning. Research that has focused on adopting Intelligent Technologies in Classrooms is not widely presented and deployed. Besides, the widespread of Web 2.0 resulted in the appearance of the acronym (e-Learning 2.0). E-Learning 2.0 is supposed to make use of different Web 2.0 capabilities. Web 2.0 is a big resource that changed the way everyone around thinks about and accesses the Internet, and greatly will touch the coming generations, the generations to which we are currently presenting education. This paper presents a proposed pedagogical and technical framework to empower classroom lectures with intelligent and Web 2.0 technologies that hopefully will enhance the learning process in learning institutions. Adaptive Lecture as a concept tends to help instructors providing more personalized lectures through utilizing Intelligent and Web 2.0 technologies. The growing number of students that is hardly met by the growing number of instructors is a challenge. In order not to let this challenge affect the performance of the lecture, it became important to utilize Web 2.0 technologies in the "formative assessments" within classroom. Moreover, in order to powerfully reach students, their data shall be gathered and further analyzed to make them feel more "Lecture Personalization" and get deeply "involved" with the lecture activities. Intelligent features can play an important role in achieving this task. (Contains 9 figures and 1 table.)

As technology continues to advance, libraries in Europe and America continue to improve upon their virtual reference services by employing new Web technologies and applying them to existing services. West African academic libraries have begun providing resources electronically to their users but still typically lag behind in the services they offer. This research investigated virtual reference services offered by 79 academic libraries in ten West African countries. It was found that less than 40% provide any virtual reference service including phone, fax or email, and almost none take advantage of more advanced technologies such as chat or text messaging. (Contains 2 tables.)

This case study analyzes the introduction of democracy and human rights into the educational program of Tostan, a nongovernmental organization working in Africa. The authors show how Tostan's original educational approach created a meaningful context for integrating democracy and human rights into its curriculum, a process that took place from 1995 to 2003. The integration produced unexpected results: a participant-led social movement to end harmful practices such as female genital cutting and child and/or forced marriage. After describing the phases of curricular revision in the case, the authors draw out themes to show how the phases interacted to produce social transformation. A visioning exercise at the beginning of the program created a discursive context for the introduction of democracy and human rights, the democracy and human rights sessions created critical reflection about past practices, and awareness of an international human rights framework emboldened participants to undertake actions that created new social norms.

Countries throughout the world have initiated Associated Schools Projects, intended to promote international understanding and peace at the elementary and secondary school levels. Activities of these projects are described by country. (RM)

Patients living with HIV infection (PLWH) are at risk of acquiring HBV and HDV. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of HIV–HDV–HBV tri‐infection in comparison with HIV–HBV coinfection and to estimate severities and outcomes of associated liver diseases in Mauritanian PLWH. Two‐hundred‐ninety‐two consecutive HBsAg‐positive PLWH were included (mean age: 37 years). Clinical data were recorded. Anti‐HDV antibodies, HBV and HDV viral loads (VLs) and genotype were determined. APRI, FIB‐4 and FibroScan were performed to evaluate the severity of liver disease. The anti‐HDV antibodies prevalence was 37% and HDV RNA was positive in 40.7% of patients. Genetic diversities were found with HDV genotype 1 (93%) and HBV genotypes D (42.5%) and E (38%). The HBV VL was detectable in 108 patients at inclusion, and mutations associated with HBV resistance were found in 20. For almost all variables studied, including FIB‐4 and APRI scores, no significant differences were found between anti‐HDV‐Ab positive or negative patients. FibroScan examination, which was performed in 110 patients at end‐of‐follow‐up showed higher, but NS values, in HDV positive patients. After a mean follow‐up of 24.55 ± 8.01 months (n = 217 patients), a highly significant worsening of APRI and FIB‐4 scores was found. Moreover, patients with HDV showed more severe liver disease progression despite an efficient therapy. In a substantial Mauritanian cohort of relatively young PLWH, we found high HDV prevalence and worsening liver disease. In high‐risk countries, screening for HDV and providing appropriate follow‐up and treatments are warranted in PLWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, environmental degradation, and descent-based slavery are prevailing issues in Mauritania. The relationship between the three phenomena has rarely elicited investigation, in part due to the perception that chattel slavery is an institution of the past. Despite being the last country in the world to decree its abolition in 1981, Mauritania is alleged to have one of the highest incidences of slavery in the world today. This study explores the nexus between climate change and slavery in Mauritania. The paper seeks to elucidate how the environmental interactions of the Sahel have transformed slavery’s manifestation in this multiethnic northwest African republic for more than a millennium. The author contributes to the rich literature on slavery in Mauritania by arguing that in the twenty-first century, the nexus converges on the issue of development, and that the prevalence of slavery degrades the country’s precarious environment and contributes to its underdevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 33 million people suffer catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) from surgery and/or anesthesia costs. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate catastrophic and impoverishing expenditure associated with surgery and anesthesia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We performed a systematic review of all studies from 1990 to 2021 that reported CHE in LMICs for treatment of a condition requiring surgical intervention, including cesarean section, trauma care, and other surgery. 77 studies met inclusion criteria. Tertiary facilities (23.4%) were the most frequently studied facility type. Only 11.7% of studies were conducted in exclusively rural health-care settings. Almost 60% of studies were retrospective in nature. The cost of procedures ranged widely, from $26 USD for a cesarean section in Mauritania in 2020 to $74,420 for a pancreaticoduodenectomy in India in 2018. GDP per capita had a narrower range from $315 USD in Malawi in 2019 to $9955 USD in Malaysia in 2015 (Median = $1605.50, interquartile range = $1208.74). 35 studies discussed interventions to reduce cost and catastrophic expenditure. Four of those studies stated that their intervention was not successful, 18 had an unknown or equivocal effect on cost and CHE, and 13 concluded that their intervention did help reduce cost and CHE. CHE from surgery is a worldwide problem that most acutely affects vulnerable patients in LMICs. Existing efforts are insufficient to meet the true need for affordable surgical care unless assistance for ancillary costs is given to patients and families most at risk from CHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Sahel, land ownership is significantly influenced by the complexity of hierarchical, ethnic, and tribal aspects as well as communal, religious, and state rights. This complicates the development of large-scale ecological projects. This study investigates the positive and negative experiences that have changed the method and attitude of agencies in Mauritania to providing a holistic and ecosystemic approach to conservation and restoration. The physical environment and society's perception of applied restoration measures are of great importance for reducing environmental degradation and promoting future actions. Interviews with stakeholders helped understand the social reality and impact of restoration and management measures taken on the communities. The results of this study revealed that measures such as fencing plots, preventing the passage of livestock, and stabilizing sand dunes noticeably improved the vegetative cover of the soil in the Sahel. This improvement in vegetation cover has had direct effects on the improvement of soil quality indicators such as organic carbon content, pH, soil structure, color, and texture. Different stakeholders have shown considerable involvement in projects, positively valuing their implementation and observing improvements in their daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IN MAURITANIA, herbal medicine is an integral part of the culture of the society. However, ethno-medicinal data remain scarce and fragmentary. In this work, the ethno-medicinal knowledge in five regions inhabited mainly by two Mauritanian ethnic groups: the "Maures" and the "Peulhs" was explored. These regions present the climatic stages of the country from hyper-arid to Sahelo-Saharan. This suggests that the use of plants by the population in their health care will depend on their presence in the environment. Our methodology consists of a diagnosis of the current situation of this herbal medicine through an ethno-medical survey of healers in the regions of Tiris Zemmour, Inchiri, Adrar (North), Trarza and Brakna (South West). seventy-six informants were enrolled in this study. Results showed that (93.42%) of the informants belong to the 'Maures' community and that women (64.45%) are more involved in this practice The majority of traditional healers are married (97.38%). The older people and the least educated are the most present in the profession. The ethnobotanical study made it possible to inventory 56 medicinal species, used in phytotherapy, belonging to 25 families. The most cited are Ziziphus lotus, Ziziphus mauritiana, Vachellia tortilis, Adansonia digitata, Gymnosporia senegalensis, and Senegalia senegal. The modes of administration exhibit that the aerial part is the most used (53.50%). The majority of remedies are prepared as infusions (48%) and maceration (22%). The majority of medicines are administered orally (99.77%). Most of medicinal species in the five regions studied are prescribed for diseases of the digestive tract (53.50%). No difference has been observed in the use of this medicine among ethnic groups. these data will serve as a basis for researchers and as a reference for establishing action plans for the conservation of Mauritanian flora in general and traditional medicine in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]