What needs to happen for school autonomy to be mobilised to create more equitable public schools and systems of education?

The series of responses in this article were gathered as part of an online mini conference held in September 2021 that sought to explore different ideas and articulations of school autonomy reform across the world (Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, the USA, Norway, Sweden and New Zealand). It centred upon an important question: what needs to happen for school autonomy to be mobilised to create more equitable public schools and systems of education? There was consensus across the group that school autonomy reform creates further inequities at school and system levels when driven by the logics of marketisation, competition, economic efficiency and public accountability. Against the backdrop of these themes, the conference generated discussion and debate where provocations and points of agreement and disagreement about issues of social justice and the mobilisation of school autonomy reform were raised. As an important output of this discussion, we asked participants to write a short response to the guiding conference question. The following are these responses which range from philosophical considerations, systems and governance perspectives, national particularities and teacher and principal perspectives.

Midwifery Qualification in Selected Countries: A Rapid Review.

BACKGROUND: While the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) shows a decreasing trend, there is room for improvement. Midwifery education has been under scrutiny to ensure that graduates acquire knowledge and skills relevant to the local context. OBJECTIVE: To review the basic professional midwifery qualification and pre-practice requirements in countries with lower MMR compared with Malaysia. METHODS: A rapid review of country-specific Ministry of Health and Midwifery Association websites and Advanced Google using standardised key words. English-language documents reporting the qualifications of midwives or other requirements to practise midwifery from countries with a lower MMR than Malaysia were included. RESULTS: Sixty-three documents from 35 countries were included. The minimum qualification required to become a midwife was a bachelor's degree. Most countries require registration or licensing to practise, and 35.5% have implemented preregistration national midwifery examinations. In addition, 13 countries require midwives to have nursing backgrounds. CONCLUSION: In countries achieving better maternal outcomes than Malaysia, midwifes often have a degree or higher qualification. As such, there is a need to reinvestigate and revise the midwifery qualification requirements in Malaysia.

GeTe-Based Alloy Films Prepared by a Room Temperature Solution Process.

This article describes the preparation of GeTe-based alloy films using a solution-based technique. The dissolution behavior of GeTe was initially examined by comparing the weight loss of GeTe powder in different solvents, and it was found that, unlike in the cases of n-butylamine and NH4OH, KOH fully dissolved GeTe to form an agglomerate-free solution. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the reaction between GeTe and KOH resulted in the formation of rhombohedral GeTe, cubic GeTe4, and hexagonal Te structures after drying. GeTe-based alloy films were then prepared by the spin coating of the GeTe-containing solutions on a silicon substrate. The surface morphology and reflectance properties of the prepared films were found to be highly dependent on the spin speed, with optimization of the spin coating parameter resulting in the deposition of a continuous and smooth film.

Meta-analysis Reveals That the Genus Pseudomonas Can Be a Better Choice of Biological Control Agent against Bacterial Wilt Disease Caused by Ralstonia solanacearum.

Biological control agents (BCAs) from different microbial taxa are increasingly used to control bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. However, a quantitative research synthesis has not been conducted on the role of BCAs in disease suppression. Therefore, the present study aimed to meta-analyze the impacts of BCAs on both Ralstonia wilt disease suppression and plant (host) growth promotion. The analysis showed that the extent of disease suppression by BCAs varied widely among studies, with effect size (log response ratio) ranging from -2.84 to 2.13. The disease incidence and severity were significantly decreased on average by 53.7% and 49.3%, respectively. BCAs inoculation also significantly increased fresh and dry weight by 34.4% and 36.1%, respectively on average. Also, BCAs inoculation significantly increased plant yield by 66%. Mean effect sizes for genus Pseudomonas sp. as BCAs were higher than for genus Bacillus spp. Among antagonists tested, P. fluorescens, P. putida, B. cereus, B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens were found to be more effective in general for disease reduction. Across studies, highest disease control was found for P. fluorescens, annual plants, co-inoculation with more than one BCA, soil drench and greenhouse condition were found to be essential in understanding plant responses to R. solanacearum. Our results suggest that more efforts should be devoted to harnessing the potential beneficial effects of these antagonists, not just for plant growth promoting traits but also in mode of applications, BCAs formulations and their field studies should be considered in the future for R. solanacearum wilt disease suppression.