English: On-Campus & Online Classes for Academic Writing are Available!

 QETC Academic Writing – English Course (AWEC) is a four-month program, tailored to aid students to improve their technical, academic, and professional writing skills. Its curriculum is primarily designed to meet the needs of university students, local and international NGO workers, marketers, secretaries, corporate officials, et cetera. 

On-Campus Academic Writing – English Course 

LEVEL: Upper-Intermediate and Advanced 

CREDIT HOURS: 32 hours 

COURSE CODES: AWEC 201 and 202 

NO. OF SEMESTERS: TWO (2) NO. OF CLASSES PER SEMESTER: 16 Course 

Course Schedule

1. Thursday (29/04/2021) to Monday (6/05/2021): Registration and Payment

2. Saturday (8/05/2021: Diagnostic test will be conducted

3. Sunday, 09/05: Orientation and First Class

Venue: Addis Ababa Medical University, Ali Jirde Hotel Area.

Course duration: 4 months

Payment is $200 which means $50 per month. 

We receive payments per semester and since this course is one semester, you are required to pay at once but if you find this difficult, you can pay twice ($100 on two occasions).

Description and Objectives: 

About Qalam Educational and Technical Center (QETC) is an international recognized academic institute with partnership with JP International Examinations in the UK and AlMadina International University in Malaysia. 

The institute offer diploma and certificate courses in the areas of English language (i.e. UK Functional English, Applied Spoken English, English for Doctors, English for Journalist, Academic Writing, IELTS, TOEFL and SAT preparation, etc.), Journalism and ICT. It is the only college in the country where all academic staff are professionals with foreign exposure. 

The main campus of QETC is located at Total Area, Jiciir Road in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Instructor: All instructors/lecturers at QETC are specialists who have got either PhDs, Masters or Bachelor’s degree in education or English language with over 10 years of teaching experience.

 Course Description: QETC Academic Writing – English Course (AWEC) is a four-month program, tailored to aid students to improve their technical, academic and professional writing skills. Its curriculum is primarily designed to meet the needs of university students, local and international NGO workers, marketers, secretaries, corporate officials, et cetera. 

Certification: All participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded a diploma in Academic Writing. 

Learning Outcome 

By the end of the course, students will be able to: 

 Understand the expectations for reading and writing assignments in university courses

 Use technical academic writing tools effectively and efficiently 

 Correct errors in any given academic writing task(s) 

 Understand and apply general strategies to complete university-level reading assignments efficiently and effectively 

 Recognize specific types of writing assignments frequently included in university courses  Understand and apply general strategies for managing university-level writing assignments 

 Determine specific reading and writing strategies that work best for you individually 

Evaluation Elements:

 Individual writing assignments (3 assignments worth 10% each)

❀ Individual writing assignments      = 30%

❀ Attendance and class participation= 10% 

❀ Group presentation (2 per semester)= 20% 

❀ Monthly and final exams (3 monthly exams and 1 final exam per semester) =40% 

❀ 

Total =                                                    100% 

Note that over 80% of the total grade will be based on individual assignments and monthly assessments, and 30% on group presentation. Learners who demonstrate advanced productive skills in the use of technical writing tools like punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, text structure, grammar and vocabulary will receive good grades. 

Requirements for Graded Work:

 1. Presentations/Participation: 

 Group Presentation: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment. 

 Individual assignment: The individual assignment or work grade will be based on in-class innovative and applied oral and written responses to given tasks, which encourages audience active participation throughout. 

Note: Students are expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled. Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course. Students with unexcused absences from more than one class session will be penalized with a reduction of 5% of the presentation component. More than five absences will result to 20% off the individual assignment component. And the penalty for having more than four (4) absences monthly is denial to sit monthly and final exams. 

2. Classwork: Please note that just submitting your assignments is not enough to warrant a full grade. You must ensure your work is academically and creatively presented (where and when necessary) in order to gain full marks. 

3. End of the Month and Final Exams: this covers 40% of the total grades. 

COURSE OUTLINE COURSE CONTENTS 

First Semester – AWEC 201 

1. An overview of English Grammar – From Morpheme to Sentence 

2. Sentence Faults and Structures 

3. Standard Paragraph writing: Types and Structure 

4. Academic Writing Process 

5. Academic Writing Structure/Outline 

6. Essay and Its Types – 

 Expository,  Descriptive,  Narrative and  Argumentative 

6. Plagiarism 

7. Paraphrasing and Quotations 

8. Citation 

9. Referencing/Bibliography 

10. APA vs MLA 

11. Note making and summary writing 

12. Minutes Writing Mid-Semester Examination and Feedback 

Second Semester - AWEC 202 

13. Correspondence: 

 Memo Writing  Official Letter and Email 

14. Standard CV/Resume Writing 

15. Interview 

16. General Report writing 

17. Academic Report Writing 

18. Field Report Writing 

19. Project Proposal Writing 

20. Standard Technical Writing Skills 

21. Editing of Academic Texts 

22. Final Exams 

23. Computation of Results and Feedback 

For further enquiries, contact: 063-4338868, 0633330094, or email us at info.qetc@gmail.com 

Mutiu Olawuyi, 

Executive Director, Qalam Educational & Technical Center (QETC), Hargeisa, Somaliland.

E-mail: e.director@qalamedutech.com, Website: www.qalamedutech.com

Reaching the zero malaria target: Somalia scales up efforts to eliminate malaria from 6 pilot districts

 26 April 2021 – Ahead of World Malaria Day, marked annually on 25 April, WHO congratulates the Somali health authorities for taking bold and pragmatic steps to eliminate malaria from 6 pilot districts aiming to halt indigenous transmission of the disease. 

While the world was grappling with the rapid and fast-spreading pandemic of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Somalia has continued to scale up its fight against malaria despite disruption of essential health services in the country.  

Somalia has a high burden of malaria, and between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 759 000 cases and 1942 deaths from malaria have occurred. Various control efforts undertaken by the Government with the support of WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and funded by the Global Fund have resulted in the reduction of incidence from 2.6 cases per 1000 population in 2014 to 1.8 per 1000 population in 2020, showing a 25% reduction.    

Recognizing that as long as malaria exists as a disease, it will continue to threaten the poor and vulnerable communities of Somalia, in February of 2020, WHO, UNICEF worked with Somali health authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of the malaria programme. Based on this review, supported by the Global Fund, the Government updated the National Malaria Strategy and Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (2021–2025), which is a part of a multi-pronged approach to reduce the prevalence of the disease in the country. 

After months of deliberation and analysis, the country decided that conditions were right to target 6 districts for elimination as a pilot project – Odweyne in the region of Togdheer; Ainabo in Sool; Burao in Togdheer; Sheikh in Sahil; Burtinle in Nugal; and Goldogob in Mudug – all in Somaliland and Puntland. Planning for other regions would have been a challenge, mainly due to insecurity. As a result, from May 2021 onwards, led by the Somali Government and supported by the Global Fund, WHO and UNICEF will roll out national malaria elimination programmes in these 6 districts towards reaching the zero malaria target in some districts. 

Sharpening the focus of the malaria elimination programme   

"By updating the national malaria strategy, we have sharpened our focus on reducing the burden of malaria that Somali communities endure, one district at a time,” said Dr Mamunur Malik. “Even though we have a long road ahead of us, we are redoubling efforts to ensure we draw a line under this disease. With evidence to drive our strategies, commitment from the Government and donors, and a renewed sense of hope after observing the positive journeys of countries who have managed to eliminate malaria recently, we are confident that we will make it.”

The updated national malaria strategy outlines 4 pillars to achieve the goal of attaining zero deaths due to malaria and reducing malaria incidence from the current incidence of 1.8/1000 in 2020 to at least 0.5/1000 population by 2025.

Two of the pillars would result in creating more inclusive and well-coordinated malaria prevention and case management interventions; strengthening the capacity of institutions; and using effective strategies to boost malaria elimination and maintain no local transmission in at least 15 districts. The third and fourth pillars would enhance the generation and use of strategic information to guide interventions, as well as create an enabling environment for the nationwide malaria response, in areas such as programme management, resource mobilization, stewardship, and securing of commodities among others.       

“While we have targeted 6 districts for malaria elimination, we continue to intensify our control efforts in the rest of the country. Our vector control efforts will help reduce the transmission of other vector-borne diseases, such as chikungunya and dengue fever,” said Dr Jamal Amran, Malariologist working for WHO Somalia country office.  

Making bittersweet discoveries 

Between 2019 and 2020, the Somali national malaria control programme made 2 new discoveries that will pose as speed bumps to the national goal of elimination of malaria by 2025. The first was the discovery of an invasive malaria vector (Anopheles stephensi), found mostly in urban areas, by 2 independent entomologists in Bossaso and Berbera from 2019 to 2020. The samples of this vector were sent to the United States of America (USA) for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation. 

The other discovery, of the Plasmodium falciparum with gene deletion, which makes it harder to detect through the rapid diagnostic tests, was made by Dr Abdikarim Musse, WHO National Malaria Focal Point in Somaliland, in 2020, through the study of blood samples collected from infected patients who were registered at the Borama Hospital; the Sheikh Ali Jowhar Mother and Child Health clinic in Awdal; and the Hargeisa Group Hospital in Marodijeex. The discovery of this species was further validated by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The detection of this vector and parasite were a milestone, given the severe strain on the programme and health care workers caused by COVID-19. However, while these new findings will help guide the response of the Somali national malaria control programme, they also worsen the malaria burden in the country, and require additional strategies and resources to curb the multiplication of these kinds of vectors and parasites. 

So far though, the dominant species of malaria throughout the country has been P. falciparum, the deadliest of the 5 known human malaria-causing agents globally, which has been responsible for over 98% of infections.

Dr Ali Abdirahman, National Malaria Control Focal Point for Somalia, explains how the programme’s efforts are helping to empower young Somalis among others, and provide sustainable solutions to prevent the spread of malaria. 

While we work on malaria control strategies, we are also training young Somalis, teachers and health workers to learn how to participate in community interventions, such as reducing the chances of mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water. With support from the Global Fund, we have been teaching people on site and also hold specific regular training to equip people with skills, said Dr Ali Abdirahman.

Progress made so far 

In 2020, 341 341 suspected cases of malaria were tested, of which 27 333 were positive. All these cases were treated with artemisinin-based combination therapy. Compared with 2019, the number of confirmed malaria cases treated declined by 31% (39 687 confirmed cases of malaria were treated in 2019). 

In order to offset the anticipated effect of COVID-19 on malaria control and elimination, WHO scaled up control efforts in high-risk areas. To that end, 1 473 529 long-lasting insecticidal nets were distributed to 2 947 058 people in malaria-prone areas. WHO also supported indoor residual spray activities in the flood-affected areas as a core intervention to reduce and control the risk of a surge in malaria cases. An estimated 269 685 people were protected by these control interventions.

“According to WHO, children under the age of 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa continued to account for approximately two thirds of global deaths from malaria. With continued support from our partners and communities’ renewed efforts, such as reducing ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the use of treated mosquito nets, and continuing research around vector control, we can take huge strides in malaria control,” said Dr Fawziya Abikar Nur, Minister of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia. 

The road ahead 

In addition to the rolling out of malaria elimination activities in selected districts as a start, the national malaria programme has plans to reach zero malaria in other areas by strengthening primary health care systems that ensure access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services, without financial hardship, for everyone living within their borders – regardless of nationality or legal status. The programme also intends to conduct additional research on the recently identified vector and parasite; strengthen the malaria surveillance system; and strengthen vector control core measures, including Larval Source Management, the use of insecticide residual spray and long-lasting insecticidal nets. The programme will also raise awareness around malaria prevention; increase cross-border collaboration, including with Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, to avoid the importation of vectors and parasites as a result of unmonitored and free travel within the region; and consider ways to collaborate with private sector health institutions to curb the spread of malaria. 

Source

Somalia: A Prominent Doctor killed in Mogadishu by Unknown Gunmen

 Unknown gunmen on Thursday killed a prominent Somali doctor, Hassan Osman Isse, known as Dr. Burane, in Mogadishu.

Witnesses said gunmen shot the doctor as he entered the Aynu Shamsi Health Center, where he was running. The center is located in Mogadishu’s Hodan district.

Dr. Burane was shot several times in the upper body, killing him on the spot.

The slain doctor was one of the few dermatologists operating in Somalia.

Security forces arrived at the scene and launched an investigation into who was behind the killing and the motive.

Government officials have not commented on the incident. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing Dr. Burane.

Source

Call for the Third Cohort for an Online and On-Campus IELTS Prep. Classes!

 ARE YOU A BUSY PROFESSIONAL, seeking a personalized IELTS trainer who can teach you according to your level, schedule, and band requirement, and also wishing to grasp an opportunity to sit IELTS test at your own place and pace?

Then your search ends here with QETC.

Course Description and Objectives: 
About QETC Qalam Educational and Technical Center (QETC) is an internationally recognized academic institute with a partnership with JP International Examinations in the UK and AlMadina International University in Malaysia.

 The institute offer diploma and certificate courses in the areas of English language (i.e. UK Functional English, Applied Spoken English, English for Doctors, English for Journalist, Academic Writing, IELTS, TOEFL and SAT preparation, etc.), Journalism, and ICT. It is the only college in the country where all academic staff is professionals with foreign exposure. 

The main campus of QETC is located at Total Area, Jiciir Road in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Instructor: All instructors/lecturers at QETC are specialists who have got either PhDs, Masters, or Bachelor’s degrees in education or English language with over 10 years of teaching experience. 

Snapshot of important course notes 
LEVEL: Advanced (Academic) 
CREDIT HOURS: 144 hours                     COURSE CODES: IELTS-P 211 &212 
NO. OF SEMESTERS: TWO (2)               NO. OF CLASSES PER SEMESTER: 36

Course Timeline

IELTS Prep. the course starts Mid-April, 2021

Diagnostic test: 12/04/2021 

Instructors: 
All instructors/lecturers at QETC are specialists who have got either PhDs, Masters, or Bachelor’s degrees in education or English language with over 10 years of teaching experience. 

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
 build up academic-related vocabulary and ideas suitable for writing any given academic topic.
 use language to convey specific messages to intended audiences;  use appropriate linguistic tools to present and communicate ideas in English formerly or informally. 
 demonstrate an understanding of the basic grammatical rules.
 assess their own speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, especially for academic clarity and contents. 
 choose specific language as well as writing and speaking techniques that make communication more successful, as they speak and write. 
 plan and write clear, concise, and correct academic documents and papers that exhibit global or university standard academic writing skills 
 effectively and efficiently use gesture and verbal communication skills to convey messages orally, with and without the aid of multimedia 
 develop spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation skills to aid independent listening skills in both academic and non-academic contexts.

Course Description: 
IELTS Preparation, as the name implies, is a six-month course, which focuses on the development and enhancement of skills in conventional academic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will generally learn how to utilize their language learning skills, especially as an L2 user, in any academic context(s), specifically at the college or university level, where English is used majorly as a medium of instruction.

 From QETC track record, none of our students has got less than 6.5 bands in the main IELTS exams. More importantly, QETC also provides a flexible fast-track IELTS preparation package for learners with upper-intermediate and advanced skills in English, ranging from 1 month to 3 months. 

Certification: 
All participants who successfully complete the course will be certified by respective examining authorities.

 Evaluation Elements:

•  Individual reading and writing assignments (6 assignments worth 5% each) = 30% 
• Individual listening and speaking assessment(4 assignments worth 4% each) =  20% 
• Group work/presentation (2 per semester) = 10% 
• Monthly and final exams (2 monthly exams and 1 final exam per semester)=  40% 
• Total =  100% 

Overall, 70% of the total grade will be based on individual assignments and monthly assessments, and 30% on classwork/participation and group work/presentation. 
Applied grammar and vocabulary development, critical receptive skills, and creativity academic writing and speaking skills will take a significant grading share.

 Requirements for Graded Work: 
1. Presentations/Participation: 
 Group Work/Presentation: 
The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade. 
Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
  Individual autographic and auditory assignment:
 The individual assignment or work grade will be based on in-class innovative and applied oral and written responses to given tasks, which encourages audience active participation throughout. 

 Note:
 Students are expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled. Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. 
Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course. 
Students with unexcused absences from more than one class session will be penalized with a reduction of 5% of the presentation component. More than five absences will result in 25% off the individual assignment component. And the penalty for having more than four (4) absences monthly is denial to sit monthly and final exams.

2. Classwork: 
Please note that just submitting your assignments is not enough to warrant a full grade. You must ensure your work is academically and creatively presented (where necessary) in order to gain full marks. 
3. End of the Month and Final Exams: 
this covers 40% of the total grades.

COURSE OUTLINE COURSE CONTENTS – IELTS-P 211 
First Semester - IELTS-P 211 
A. IELTS Academic Writing 
Part 1 
 General Introduction to IELTS Grammar and Vocabulary.
 Understanding visual prompts and analyzing questions.
 Describing a line graph.
 Describing a chart.
 Describing a diagram.
 Interpreting a table.
 Working with two visual prompts.
 Making correlations. 
 Comparing and contrasting quantities and numbers.
 Selecting and organizing ideas 
 Connectives I: Signposting a sequence of events.

 Part 2 
 How to present an argument in academic writing.
 Generating ideas for an essay.
 Writing an introduction and conclusion.
 How to modify a statement.
 Connectives II: Signposting main points.
 Connectives III: How to use cohesive devices.
 How to develop supporting examples.
 How to develop and link supporting examples.

Part 3
  How to punctuate academic writing effectively.
  How to use appropriately.
  Paragraphing: How to write topic sentences.
  Diction I: How to use appropriate vocabulary.
  Diction II: How to avoid repletion in speaking and writing – Use of synonyms.
  Grammar I: Correcting errors in academic writing and speaking    Grammar II: Developing proofreading skills 

B. IELTS Listening (Academic) 
  How to complete a form.
  Matching 
  How to complete a table 
  How to complete a flow chart 
  How to answer multiple-choice questions 
  How to label maps and plans 
  How to complete a note 
  How to label a diagram 
  Classifying a text 
  How to match sentence fragments 
  How to choose answers from a list 
  How to answer short questions 
  How to complete sentences/summaries  
  How to select from a list.

 Second Semester - IELTS-P 212 
C. IELTS Academic Reading
 Matching headings.
 Completing tables and diagrams.
 Answering short-answer questions.
 Matching sentence endings.
 Matching information.
 Matching features.
 Answering multiple-choice questions.
 Completing sentence and diagram labels.
 Completing notes, summaries, and flow charts.
 Identifying information: Answering true/false/not given questions.
 Identifying writer’s views or claims: Answering yes/no/not given questions.

 D. IELTS Speaking (Academic) 
IELTS Pronunciation/Phonetics 
 Strong and weak form of preposition.
 Expressing enthusiasm.
 Word Stress 
 Long and short vowels 
 Consonants 
 Sentence Stress and Schwa 
 Past tense –ed ending and diphthongs 
 Silent letters 
 Extra stress IELTS Morpho-syntactic Presentation 
 Vocabulary: Learning a new word/knowing a word 
 Expressing opinions 
 Speculating 
 Using complex sentences 
 Expressing attitude 
 Phrasal verbs 
 Expressing ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ 
 Effective use of ‘used to’ and ‘would’ in oral communication 
 Describing places 
 Using future forms in oral communication 
 Indirect self-expression IELTS Speaking Test Tactics 
 Planning your answers 
 Fluency 
 Giving answers that are the right length 
 Using news articles to improve your answers 
 Giving yourself time to think 
 Coherence 
 Sounding polite 
 Clarifying, paraphrasing, and giving examples 
 Predicting questions 
 Type of speakers and self-identification 

For further inquiries:
contact us: 0634338868 or 0633330094, 063-4755882, or email us at info.qetc@gmail.com 

Mutiu Olawuyi, Executive Director, Qalam Educational & Technical Center (QETC) Hargeisa, Somaliland. e.director@qalamedutech.com 
Official website: https://qalamedutech.com/