Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man Essay Example

Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man Essay In line with the doctrine of separation of powers, which is a cardinal feature of a democratic system, the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the independence of the Judiciary. The doctrine of seperation of power was introduced by French political philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu in order to protect the people from dictatorship or authoritarianism. Under this arrangement, three branches of goverment were formed: the executive, legislature and judiciary. The legislature is responsible for making laws, the executive implements while the judiciary interpretes the laws. It was Madisons system of Checks and Balances that would keep the three in check. No one branch would be able to exploit its power without the scrutiny of one of the other branches. Montesquieu did specify that the independence of the judiciary has to be real, and not apparent merely. The judiciary was generally seen as the most important of powers, independent and unchecked, and also considered the least dangerous. That the judiciary all over the world is regarded as the last hope of the common man needs not be over-emphasised. This is why stakeholders in the justice sector often refer to it as a strong fortress, standing sure and strong, providing succour and shelter for the defenceless and vulnerable of the society; a safe haven where the oppressed, the injured, the dismayed, the upstanding, the expectant, indeed the whole society, looks up to for succour, protection and justice. But in Nigeria today, many see this statement, not only as literary expression, but as a cliche that is fast becoming a mirage to the common man because of the multitude of problems plaguing this hallowed instituton. We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A well functional judiciary is a central element of the civil society. It is the sole adjudicator over the political, social and economic spheres. But despite the encomiums the Nigerian judiciary has received in recent time, the justice sector has practically collapsed under the weight of abject neglect by past administrations. The sector is slow in dispensing justice. Laws are archaic and antiquated, court infrastructures are obsolete and the prisons are over-crowded resulting in the collapsed of civil and criminal justice system. The Nigerian judiciary has come a long way since its establishment during the colonial era. The Nigerian legal system has had a lot of influence from English law on its growth. According to Obilade (1979), English law has a tremendous influence on the Nigerian legal system, and English law forms a substantial part of Nigerian law. Both the suspended 1979 constitution and the never implemented 1989 constitutions, as well as the new constitution promulgated on May 29, 1999 provide for an independent judiciary. In practice, the judiciary is subject to executive and legislative branch pressure, influence by political leaders at both the state and federal levels, and suffers from corruption and inefficiency. Under the 1999 constitution, the regular court system comprises federal and state trial courts, state appeals courts, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Supreme Court, and Shariah (Islamic) and customary (traditional) courts of appeal for each state and for the federal capital territory of Abuja. Courts of the first instance include magistrate or district courts, customary or traditional courts, Shariah courts, and for some specified cases, the state high courts. In principle, customary and Shariah courts have jurisdiction only if both plaintiff and defendant agree, but fear of legal costs, delays, and distance to alternative venues encourage many litigants to choose these courts. Trials in the regular court system are public and generally respect constitutionally protected individual rights, including a presumption of innocence, the right to be present, to confront witnesses, to present evidence, and to be represented by legal counsel. However, low compensation for judges, understaffing, poor equipment, bribery, special settlements, and a host of developmental factors decrease the reliability and impartiality of the courts. The Nigerian judiciary has indeed come a long way and has evolved over the years from the 1st republic through the various military interventions to the present 5th republic. The judiciary has not been immune to the turbulent and capricious changes in leadership. Nigerias chequerd political and social evolution has indeed taken its toll on this indispensable institution of Government. Our prolonged romance with military regimes has unarguably wrecked the greatest havoc on the judiciary. The military regimes, notorious for their trademark of arbitrariness, authoritarianism and contempt for the rule of law did not regard the judiciary as an arm of government. Instead, these corrupt and unconscionable military regimes with intimidation and inducements manipulated the judiciary and effectively debased this institution. The decay of the Nigerian judiciary can therefore be traced to the military era. The soldiers always suspend the constitution when they come to power and enact decrees that guide their actions. Intimidation, extra judicial killings and assasination of dissenters which is usually the hallmark of military government all contributed to the castration and destruction of the judiciary. The massive corruption that takes place under military regime also lures some unscrupulous and rapacious judicial officers who make themselves stooges in the hands of the evil men in power just for a share of the filthy lucre. So, the military rule has had a particularly corrosive effect on the judiciary. As Justice Agboola recently put it: The aberration of military regimes dealt a dangerous blow to law because military regimes engendered lawlessness. You cannot have law when sombody is above the law. Law must be supreme. Nigeria, as a country has not lived up to the expectations of her founders in terms of overall development in different aspects of life. Nigeria is still bedevilled by various problems which has successfully impeded our adancement as a nation. Corruption is generally regarded as the bane of this country. Corrution at the different levels of government in different institutions has curtailed development in all critical sectors. Basic amenities like steady electricity, water and good roads are still beyond the reach of the citizenry. Free and fair elections have eluded us and power is still in the hands of a few privileged elite class who continue to manipulate the electoral process to install their stooges to continue the cycle of self enrichment and political aggrandizement. Corruption is indeed endemic in Nigeria; it is a way of life and in this situation, one would be stretching optimism to its greatest boundaries to expect the judiciary to be above board. With the pervasve and chronic corruption in this country and its evil offsprings: opportunism, nepotism, incompetence and mediocrity, no institution of government is wholly functional and efficient. Corrution has infiltrated all institutions and parastatals and even our learned judges are not immune. In a corrupt system like ours, meritocracy and competence are substituted with mediocrity and incompetence. A corrupt system throws up unscrupulous and incompetent individuals who are bereft of selflessness and patriotism. These individuals are greeedy and selfish, and are susceptible to financial inducements and gratifications. In such an unfortunate scenario, justice becomes a product which is sold to the highest bidders. The comon man, who do not have the finacial muscle to buy judicial favors or manipulate the process is left with the short end of the stick. In such an ill-concieved system, there certainly can be no justice for the commin man. The return of Nigeria to democatic rule was heralded by great joy and overflowing optimism. The Nigerian masses were full of hope that the years of suffering, poverty and injustice were over. The newly sworn in administration made mouth watering promises. We were told that our decaying infrastrucures will be revamped, that the educational and health system will be refurbished and upgraded, that there will be masive industrialization which will create jobs for the swarm of unemployed youths. The new government also promised to address the numerous human rights abuses of the autocratic military regimes and to respect the rule of law. Nigerians gullibly swallowed all the lofty promises and with high hopes, prepared themselves for the ride to the promised land. Alas, the implementation of the sweet promises proved not to only be an ardous task, but an impossible one. The first indication that the status quo was not about to change in the judicial system was the failure of the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa panel which was set up to investigate and resolve cases of human rights abuse during the military era. Victims attended the hearings and passionately presented their cases. But the various individuals, especially the ex military rulers indicted, snubbed the panel and refused to answer the summons. The government did nothing to make these people respect the panel which really undermined the credibility of the panel. Obviously, the hands of the government was tied because some of the indicted individuals bankrolled the campaign of the sitting president. At the end of the hearings, the renowned Justice Oputa and his colleagues made recommendations to the government which it contemptuously ignored and failed to implement till this day. Another case that comes to mind is that of the Apo 6 victims. These were 5 young men and a lady who were brutally murdered in cold blood on 7th june,2005 on the orders of a ruthless senior poice officer, Assistant commissioner of police Ibrahim Danjuma. At the time, the case generated much controversy and outrage. The police officers tried to lie by labelling the innocent victims armed robbers. These accusations were unanimously rejected by people who knew these young men as honest men engaged in legitimate business. Owing to the furore generated by the massacre, the federal government under former president Olusegun Obasanjo set up a judicial panel of inquiry which investigated the circumstances leading to the death of the victims. The panel rejected the police accusations and indicted the policemen for the gruesome murder of the innocent citizens. The federal government apologized to the families of the victims and gave them monetary compensation. The case was then transferred to court for the prosecution of the indicted police officers. One would expect that given the international attention attracted by the case and the intense media scrutiny, that the federal government would spare no efforts to ensure a expeditious and sound trial. Unfortunately, that was not the case, a year and two months after this welter of incontrovertible evidence was gathered, two of the accused, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Danjuma and Police Constable Emmanuel Acheneje were granted bail by Justice Isaq Bello of Abuja High Court. That was on Wednesday, August 2, 2006. The two were admitted to bail on medical ground. While Danjuma was said to be suffering from diabetes, ulcer and heart problem, Acheneje was said to have contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and in the Justices opinion, granting Bello bail would enable him seek adequate medical treatment while that of Acheneje was predicated on the excuse that he could afflict other inmates with other ailments, which come with HIV/AIDS. And you would have thought that if for any reason whatsoever, such a man standing trial for so dreadful a crime was to be granted bail, the conditions would be so stringent, particularly bearing in mind that Danjuma had made several attempts in the past to escape from detention and also the fact that one of the principal suspects, Othman Abdulsalam, the DPO of Garki Police Station at the time the crime was committed escaped from the police detention facility and is still on the run. The case narrated above is just one of numerous cases in which average citizens are denied justice and the privileged are allowed to commit crimes with impunity. I am sure that there are cases that are far worse than this, but this one happened to come to limelight. The situation in Nigeria today is that the ordinary man has lost hope in the Nigerian judicial system. The problems are numerous and apart from corrruption, which is clearly at the root of all problems in this country, the system is run by unpatriotic and mediocre people. Approximately seventy percent of the inmates in all the prisons in this country are awaiting trial. The judicial process is so tardy and sluggish in this country that some people serve out the term of their alleged crimes before the completion of their trials. The case is even worse for poor people who may not be able to afford legal representation. The Nigerian prison system is a mess and the conditions in most of them are worse than that in Hitlers concentration camps. The police have no respect for the rule of law and ordinary citizens are sometimes treated like animals. Sometimes, people arrested for various crimes are held in police detention for extensive periods of time without reference to the stipulations of the law book for the maximum period people can be detained without trial. The police force being one of the most corrupt institutions in this country also exploits the masses blatantly by charging outrageous fees for bail and demanding financial inducements from the weak and desperate. Most analysts and stakeholders have concluded that unnecessary and frequent delays experienced in judicial proceedings have great adverse effects on the administration of justice in Nigeria. This situation is brought about by the congestion of cases in the courts as well as unnecessary adjournments sought by counsels in both civil and criminal proceedings. Recently, eminent jurist, Justice Chukwufudi Oputa, (JSC) identified delay and huge expense as twin weaknesses of Nigerias justice system. Justice Oputa said: The administration of the justice in our courts suffers from two major constraints, namely delay and expense. If it takes seven to ten years to decide a case, prospective litigants may decided not to go to court at all. But the one thing that frightens prospective litigants from the court is the inordinate expense which has to be incurred with the result that a very large proportion of our countrymen are as it were, priced out of our legal system. The present administration of President Umaru go slow Yaradua which made lofty promises of respecting the rule of law has failed to live up to expectations. There has been no reforms designed nor implemented in this institution and the status quo has been maintained. The rich are still sheltered from justice and there are still cases of judicial witch hunt. This is evidenced by the shabby handling by the EFCC of the prosecution of the corrupt ex-governors like James Ibori. The Federal government if anything has gone out of its way to protect these corrupt politicians fro the hands of justice. We all watched with shame as the Attorney general succesfully frustrated the prosecution of Ibori and his accomplices by the United kingdom. such a macabre dance can only make credible nations to scoff at the governments anti-corruption battle and further distance themselves from this cursed land. It is well known that there are two sets of rules in this country,one for the poor and another for the rich and privileged. The only area in our judicial system where we have recorded marginal success is in the election petition tribunals although it can be argued that this does not directly apply to the common man, because in most cases,the litigators are affluent members of the society. Nevertheless, this piece cannot be complete without mentioning the landmark judgements that has come out of the election tribunals in recent times. The success of Gov peter Obi at the electoral tribunals and his subsequent reinstatement by the supreme court is worthy of mention. Also, the victory of Adams Oshiomole was also remarkable given the fact that he was clearly elected on a popular mandate. Some other noteworthy judgements were bastardized by the sleazy and stinking INEC, Nigerians corrupt electoral body notorious for being an appendage of the ruling peoples democratic party. This is evidenced by the cases in Kogi,Enugu and most recently, Ekiti where the gubernatorial elections were upturned only for the shameless electoral umpire to reenact the same electoral sham. Lately, Nigeria once again made mockery of itself in the international community following the mayhem that occured in some northern states during the crash of the radical islamic sect, Boko harem with security agencies. The leader of the sect was captured and killed in police custody igniting widespread international condemnation. It is indeed, very unfortunate and distressing that in the year 2009, when less endowed countries are making progress and undergoing widespread advancement, Nigeria is still indulging in extrajudicial killing. No matter the magnitude of the crime committed, every individual is entitled to fair hearing. All accused remain innocent until convicted by a legitimate court of law. This is a basic knowlege and for the police force to disregard that shows that we still have a very long wy to go as a country. In conclusion, the fate of the common man in the hands of the Nigerian judiciary is bleak and forlorn. Infact, there is no justice for the common man in our present judicial system. The judicial system needs to be completely overhauled for it to function in line with international standards. Of course, reforming the judicial system cannot be effective without overhauling the police force which is in an even worse shape. We have to purge this country of corruption for us to make any tangible progress in this regard. We need responsible, honest and committed leadership and only a credible electoral process can produce that. Only a responsible and selfless government can implement people-oriented reforms which will impact on the various institutions in this country including the judiciary so that they can function in line with the prevailing standards in developed countries. Till then, the fate of the common man in this country remains in Gods hands.

Hitler Good leader Compared to Odysseus Essay Example

Hitler Good leader Compared to Odysseus Essay Example Hitler Good leader Compared to Odysseus Paper Hitler Good leader Compared to Odysseus Paper The Odyssey Was Hitler a good leader? He was a good leader; Hitler was well spoken, very charismatic and very persuasive. He had a way to get others to follow and believe in his visions and beliefs. 1. He is both a good leader and hero. Hero he never backed down from a fight, he left Ithaca not knowing he will return. He is a leader because he is fearless, cautious and sneaky. Fearless in any obstacle he has to face, he has everything he has against monsters, gods. He fought Circe when she turned his men into pigs, and facing all those suitors that try and take his place as king. As he approaches obstacles, he always finds a solution. As he approaches the Sirens, he orders his men to put beeswax in their ears to prevent them from crashing their ships due to their beautiful and enchanting songs. Without Odysseus cautiousness, his crew would have risk everyones lives by going into dangerous situations. A hero is someone who does something courageous or valiant, anyone can be a hero. A leader is someone who can easily take control of a situation and direct, take charge of people, or motivate people; only a select few people are truly natural leaders. Not all heroes are leaders, some in situations think of themselves and not the big picture. Most leaders can be heroes, it takes a lot of courage to take upon a responsibility and carry that throughout. Like Odysseus he was both a hero and a leader. He saved his men multiple times making him a hero and he was a great leader in which everyone respected him for. When trapped in the cave of Polymers Odysseus acts like a leader coming up with a brilliant plan that help his men escape, making him a hero in the end. Leaders need to have certain attributions such as Honesty- Leaders have o be honest, those under your charge must trust you, and if they do not then they will not follow. Responsibility- Making decisions and living up to the consequences. Good leaders do not blame others for what they have done, they deal with the situation. Confidence- Believing in one self is important for a leader because if you do not and others see they will not trust or follow. Enthusiasm-Having energy and emphasizing the importance of what you mean. If you cannot get a crowd to move or get their attention then no one will listen or follow. Reliability- Being a leader people kook for you to be the back support of a group. They rely on you to get them to the situation. Patience- Needed in order to be able to explain, teach, and demonstrate the charges or simple things to anyone. Determination- See tasks through to the bitter end, and keeps your charges motivated to continue. Loyalty- Being committed to whatever you believe and making people have the faith in you. Courage- As a leader, you must have courage in order to be decisive. You cant be afraid of failure, or else you will not be able to function as a leader. Have the courage to stick to your invocations or go with a gut instinct. Dont be afraid to try a new approach. Cyclops, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, I shall tell you. My name is Nobody: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nobody (9. 395-398) Steer wide; keep well to seaward; plug your oarsmans ear with beeswax kneaded soft; none of the rest should hear that song (12. 57-60). Mimi took my house to still alive. Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide heaven, contempt for what men say of you hereafter. Your last hour has come. You die in blood (12. 38-43).

Genocide in Rwanda Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Genocide in Rwanda - Dissertation Example The two groups had different economic roles and responsibilities, the Tutsis were pastoralist while the Hutus were farmers. These are the main economic activities between the two major groups. The Hutus arrived and settled in the region long before the Tutsis came later. The Tutsis are Nilotic and taller slender and having a paler skin with thin lips. On the other hand, the Hutus are shorter, darker and stalker, having a flat nose and thick lips. This means the two ethnic groups were very different both economically and physically. The colonial powers considered Tutsis superior to Hutus in terms of their appearance and skin color; paler. The German and Belgian colonialists use the Tutsis in extending their colonial agenda. The colonial governments passed laws that required everybody to carry identity cards that classified ten as Hutu or Tutsi. This broadened the breach amid the two sets even further. Studies show that the nation`s populace concentration is one of the highest globally . The populace concentration tops that of the populous nations in Africa. It then started by small violence a form of resistance by Hutus against Tutsis. This spirally escalated into a big problem as the struggle spread into other areas of society. In later years, the economic growth of Rwanda was hindered by the drought that affected the country and exposed the two communities to many environmental problems; fertility loss, soil erosion, and deforestation. All this forms the essential links to what created the problems and led to ethnic clashes. In the late 1990s, the then Tutsi activist Habyarimana took a Tutsi led attempted invasion on Rwanda. This according to studies, this led to the first civil war that caused more than a million Rwandan to be physically displaced and they fled into settlement camps (Bloxham 45). The situation causes young and desperate Rwandan to join militia groups in readiness to avenge. The need for vengeance as a way of solving immediate problems meant th at more blood had to be shade. From the previous fact that Rwandans population has since been bloated and it still grows, any unstable environmental factor brought with it. The droughts caused social stress on the resources that were scarce because of an increased population; Hutus were fighting for the scarce farmland while the Tutsis thought they had bigger powers to control the pastoral lands in relation to their political dominance. This meant that ethnic clashes were inevitable reaction given to one problem resulted in another problem. For instance, the Hutus struggled and formed militia groups as a formidable force for battle.

Stress Levels at Work in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stress Levels at Work in Canada - Essay Example Their prime focus is to train the employees and contribute to their knowledge building process which makes them competent enough to handle the stress generated from incompetency and job insecurity amidst technological changes. Â  This is why the specific code of conduct and leadership opportunities are available at Ericsson Canada to develop their personality and assist them in their personal strategies to cope with stress. Employee empowerment is also a part of the initiative (Ericsson n.d). Â  Health Canada is a healthcare organization which puts greater emphasis on stress management of employees because they ultimately have to provide caregiving and health care services to other patients. Their prime objective in the stress management drive is to reduce the instances of non-healthy habits which employees resort to when stressed. As such, it involves cessation of smoking, programs for weight control and dietary habits and overall stress management techniques (Loo 1993). Â  Thus, its stress management and wellness program emphasizes more on physical fitness and developing capabilities to remain fit and fine. This will ultimately improve the caliber of employees to handle the work pressure and reduce the levels of stress. Â  Devon Energy is an energy company in Canada where employees face common instances of job insecurity and compensation concerns due to fluctuating oil prices and global turmoil. Being regulated more by political and economic pressures, the company has put in place stringent ethical and compliance rules which do not allow the employees to cross the acceptable behavior boundary (Ethics Point 2010). Â  Emergency health services and better perks and incentives are introduced to motivate the employees for better performance. This allows them to take a little amount of stress in a positive way and as a challenge to develop their abilities.

Curleys Wife Essay Example for Free

Curleys Wife Essay What methods does Steinbeck use to present Curley’s wife and the attitudes of other to her? And How Does Steinbeck present attitudes to women in the society in which the novel is set? The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set in a very patriarchal society, a society in which men dominate women and use them for their own needs. Women, who lived within this society, were not seen equal to men. Steinbeck uses many different language techniques to describe Curley’s wife. She plays a complex and misfit character in the novel and is made to sound like a ‘tart’ as mentioned by George himself. Curley uses her for his own needs and controls her. As Curley’s wife walks through the bunk house, ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’, describing the fact that it goes dark, a sign of evil and danger. A very strong sense of foreboding is given and this continues throughout the text yet, getting stronger. Curley’s wife is kept away from the men. ‘A girl was standing Looking in’. Curley’s wife is standing at the doorway like there’s an invisible barrier, preventing her from entering the men’s dorm. This is because the men don’t want her mixing in with them. They are afraid to talk to her as it would result in losing their jobs. She is ostracised and excluded from the male fraternity. She knows her beauty is her power, and she uses it to flirt with the ranch hands and make her husband jealous. She is utterly alone on the ranch, and her husband has seen to it that no one will talk to her without fearing a beating. For this specific reason, Curley’s wife uses ‘I’m lookin’ for Curley’ as a pick up line to get through to the other men even if it means getting a hello. She mentions this twice throughout the text. Once when she’s talking to George and another when she’s talking to Slim however, the men still keep their distance in fear of Curley. Because of her beauty, ‘Lennie’s eyes move down over her body’. Lennie finds her attractive and wants to touch her like he did to the girl in the red dress. As mentioned in the beginning of the novel, the ‘girl in the red dress’ was trouble for George and Lennie. This is creates an atmosphere of foreboding. Curley and his wife’s relationship isn’t very tight so for this reason, Curley’s wife tries to seek companionship but goes about it the wrong by openly flirting and dressing to impress. She had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes. Heavily made up’. She covers her face in make-up and puts on an innocent look however it creates the thought she’s seducing in the readers head. As well as this, she uses a flirtatious but coy voice,’ her voice has a nasal, brittle quality’. Brittle meaning fragile, proves that she talk the way she does for friendly attention. Not just to gain sexual attention. As I have previously mentioned, Curley’s wife has a very complex character in which she is, at some points, made to sound naive and at some points very seducing. To back up my point, during mid text, Curley’s wife ‘puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward’. At this point, Curley’s wife starts to seduce. She does this because, her pick up line didn’t gain much attention from George as he simply replied, ‘he was in here a minute ago, but he went’. Curley’s wife does so much for someone to talk to her but doesn’t go about it the right way. On the other hand, Curley’s wife has a lot of importance in the novel. At the beginning of the text, Steinbeck uses the colour ‘red’ many times. In this particular piece of text, ‘red’ isn’t just an ordinary colour but has much more depth to. It’s repeated in the first paragraph thrice. ‘Her finger nails were red†¦and red mules†¦red ostrich feathers’. ‘Red’ is mainly associated with Curley’s wife who is symbolic to Eve- the female character who, in the biblical story ( the garden of Even) bring sin and death to the society. However, ‘red’ also represents the anger of a bull, which, relating back to the novel, attracts Lennie similar to ‘the girl in the red dress’. It also signifies love, impurity and desire, the type of attention Curley’s wife is looking for. Yet, also, ‘red’ in a traffic light, stop and look. As I previously mentioned, the novel was set in a patriarchal society. The women had no dignity and no rights to speak up for themselves or make their own decisions. Similarly, Curley’s wife is treated with a very low level of respect and is isolated from the male society. She has no possession of her own name and is classified as a ‘tart’. The men don’t try to talk to her because of the fear of Curley and the consequences they would face after. Finally, Curley’s wife gets worried when she finds out that Curley went back to their house. She was suddenly apprehensive†¦ and she scurried away’. Curley likes to fight with big men, so if he finds out that his wife was in the bunk house with the big man, he’ll be sure to pick out a fight once he finds her. To conclude my essay, Curley’s wife is treated like a no ‘one and has no importance in the eyes of the men . She is treated similar to Candy and Crooks like she’s good for nothing and only good to be used as a toy. Steinbeck indirectly mentioned the rights of women and discrimination in this novel through the way Curley treats his wife and the way the men are scared to talk to her.

Essay --

What are our objective for today? †¢ Overview of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) †¢ Overview of health insurance coverage requirements in 2014 †¢ Explore media resources to learn about the Affordable Care Act †¢ Overview of Kaiser’s plan to advertise and implement affordable care †¢ Review and evaluation of Kaiser’s presentation of the ACA †¢ Affordable Healthcare is Here! †¢ On March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became federal law. It is one of the most significant reforms of the Healthcare system in a century (Hicks & Nicols, 2012). Beginning January 1, 2014, affordable Healthcare insurance will be made available to all American citizens and residents. †¢ Affordable Health Care 2014 †¢ The Affordable Care Act was developed to increase the accessibility, quality, and affordability of health care insurance in the United States. Individuals who are able to afford health care, must obtain health care coverage by 2014. The consequence of course is a monthly fee and/or tax penalties (this excludes those that meet certain financial criteria) †¢ (unknown, Understanding Health Care Reform, 2013) What Affordable Care Provides The law provides for: ï  ¶ Health benefits to all ï  ¶ Free preventative services ï  ¶ Improves Medicaid and CHIP programs ï  ¶ Mandates larger companies insure employees ï  ¶ Creates a Marketplace to compare and enroll in low cost insurance plans (unknown, Affordable Care Act Summary, 2013) What Affordable Care Eliminates The law eliminates: ï  ¶ Pre-existing conditions ï  ¶ Insurance companies dropping coverage ï  ¶ Gender discrimination in charges (unknown, Affordable Care Act Summary, 2013) Types of coverage? ïÆ'Ëœ Through your employer †¢ You are already covered and don’t have to do anything unless contacted by your insu... ...back in 2010. The delay in implementation of health care reform created disinterest and a sense that reform would never happen. ïÆ'Ëœ Mixed messages * Political partisan issues- all of us have heard the republican party criticizing health care reform. This has been confusing to some and infuriating to others, but it has definitely impacted the confidence most people have in health care reform (Moore, 2013). One of the fundamental goals of any individual is for health and well-being. Health care reform seems like an answer to our prayers. It promises a change in health care delivery; to provide better care for more people at reduced costs. Whether or not the Affordable Care Act accomplishes this goal remains to be seen. In the long term, we may find it was a brilliant plan, by educated minds, to provide our country with a healthy and more promising future.

E-Learning Questionnaire

This proposal focuses on only e-learning in one developing country, Malaysia. For this study, e-learning is used at tertiary level. The overall purpose of the research is to investigate, analyse and discuss the effectiveness of technology in the education system – theoretically and pedagogically. Since there are not many empirical researches in developing countries about the effectiveness of using technology in the education system, perhaps this paper may be able to contribute some ideas and new insights into the field. Many assumptions have been made nation wide about the fact that technology helps in the process of teaching and learning. However, they are not proven and as such the need to have more independent study on the effectiveness of e-learning is high. Another research concludes that the performance of e-learning students is at least the same as face-to-face (FTF) learning students. This comes with the same consideration for pedagogical designs, delivery and also the right amount of sources. Thus, the governments and education stakeholders have to look again at the investments on e-learning; if e-learning gives the same results as FTF, then perhaps educators can just choose to explore new FTF strategies. -Learning: Concept and practice in Malaysia To be more specific on the practice of e-learning, there is not yet a 100% e-learning. It is always a blended e-learning; a mixed mode e-learning whereby a combination of e-learning and FTF learning are used together. The e-learning concept allows for more working people to further their studies as distance and time are no longer the barriers to education. There are four objectives of this tertiary e-learning in Malaysia. The first is to introduce new concept of learning at a higher level of education. Secondly, it introduces interactive and productive method of learning. The third objective is to ensure students study independently and lastly to allow for balanced education in Malaysia. Learning model in e-learning includes independent study, on-line interaction, self-evaluation and graded assignments sent on-line. This proposal intends to use pre/post tests, examination results, questionnaires and interview as the basis of data collection and measurement for the effectiveness of e-learning. These designs are chosen because they can give an indicator for the effectiveness of e-learning. Pre/post test results can give a surface value on the effectiveness of e-learning itself. Meanwhile, questionnaires and interviews can gauge students’ awareness and belief on e-learning as a new tool of learning. Research questions This proposal has four research questions. They are, 1. 2. 3. 4. How does e-learning help in the process of teaching and learning? What are the relations between students’ academic achievement and e-learning? What are the differences in students’ academic achievement before and after e-learning treatment? What are the relations between gender, socio-economic background, academic ability and e-learning? Conclusion As this is a proposal on the topic of effectiveness of e-learning, collecting and analysing secondary data are still in progress. Students or subjects for the research have been identified and preliminary preparation is being made to organise groups, classes and materials for the students. At the same time, questionnaires are being prepared and will soon be pilot tested. The pre/post tests are being finalised. It is hoped that this research can be completed within its time frame as the findings may be crucial to the education system in Malaysia.