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Sociological Assessment of Violent Female Ritual Killings and ‘Baby Factories’ in Nigeria. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4284/2018/s1n1a1
Kelechi Johnmary Ani, Ebere Florence Nnanwube & Victor Ojakorotu9
Ritual killings were hitherto traditional religious practices in many communities across Africa. However, the emergence of colonialism and Christianity that came with it led to the acclaimed elimination of such practices. Nevertheless, in recent times, the emergence of ritual killings in different parts of the country has become a worrisome threat to national insecurity. This study focuses on the challenge of killing young girls for ritual purposes as well as child trafficking from baby factories in Nigeria. The study uses secondary materials mainly from blogs and internet sources to identify the patterns and nature of the killings of young girls in the country. The study found that the ritual killings and child trafficking are threats to human security and national peace. The patterns of these killings include those perpetuated by family friends and relatives, and those carried out by religious leaders as well as those for multi-dimensional reasons. The study also found that the baby making and child trafficking industries in parts of Nigeria have grown into a huge criminal international business as patronage is received from beyond the shores of Nigeria. The study recommends multidimensional strategies of managing the dual crime that have affected the corporate Nigerian national security to human life and existence.
Burgeoning research in postcolonial and poststructural studies in sexuality demonstrates that engendering debates on queer pleasures and desires within the transnational rubric is self-defeating. This is because it continues to buttress notions of absence, consequently muffling or silencing queer expression through self-stylisation and the performance of queer desires within the domestic spheres of the home and geographical national boundaries. Whilst interrogating the idea that self-stylisation, expression and performance of queerness outside domesticity ‘liberates’ same-sex desires and subjectivities on the one hand, this articles further examines the limitations of this notion on the other hand. It achieves this aim through comparing and contrasting the manner in which Zukiswa Wanner and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie represent queer desires within the respective (trans) national spaces in which their works are set. I ask, to what extent does the setting and modes of representation challenge and rewrite fictions of absence and silence? This article suggests that the depiction of same-sex desire and love outside domestic spaces reinforces the same mechanisms of exclusion and silencing that it sets out to deconstruct within the domestic and diasporic spaces. I also argue that domesticity as space of the depiction of queerness is marred with contradictions and challenges that threaten expressions of same-sex relationships and desires.
Agglomeration economies are rarely a result of natural advantage; the economic actors need to act to trigger them. The university is a prominent actor in the economy and has intellectual capital that can be a centre of agglomeration economies. A functioning collaboration model is needed to lead fruitful integration of business and university activities. Intensifying the Triple Helix Model is beneficial for enabling businesses to have open innovation processes. Data were collected from a population that comprises universities and their innovation activities. The sample size of 180 provided qualitative and quantitative data. A mixed method approach was used to collect data from university-based innovation centres and incubators, to determine whether their current collaboration model results in agglomeration economies. This study shows that research on its own is insufficient to make universities centres of agglomeration economies. In the core of agglomeration economies, there is a functioning collaboration model; the Triple Helix Model seems to be a better fit to explain university involvement in innovation, and the Open Innovation Model is seen as being more appropriate to explain the open innovation process of businesses.
There is an increasing interest in ascertaining the role of personality traits and an individual’s perception of psychological contract breach in the tendency to engage in negative work behaviour. This study aims to examine whether the big five personality traits and perception of psychological contract breach influence workplace deviance among teachers. The research is a survey which adopted a cross-sectional design to recruit 299 secondary school teachers, including 120 males and 179 females. Participants were randomly selected from 12 secondary schools in a city in Nigeria with many education institutions. One hypothesis was partially supported as results showed a significant combined influence of personality traits and perception of psychological contract breach on workplace deviance. Specifically, higher level of extraversion, lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness were associated more with workplace deviance. In addition, results showed that males were less associated with workplace deviance than females. Based on the findings, the study recommends training to enhance levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness among teachers’ as these traits associated with reduced workplace deviance.
This study assesses the profiles and expectations of students enrolled in maritime programmes in public higher education institutions in Durban which is in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Through simple random sampling a survey questionnaire was administered amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students with the purpose to examining racial transformation and equity in public Maritime Education and Training (MET). Furthermore the study examined MET students’ motives and expectations for pursing maritime vocations. The findings showed that students enrolled for maritime studies have a positive image about the maritime sector and its future prospects. Regarding expectations, undergraduates identified the availability of employment opportunities after graduation as the main benefit from the programme, whereas postgraduate’s respondents identified that their qualifications are scarce and specialised. The study found racial transformation and equity in the enrolment of maritime programmes. On the one hand the study found that the students pursuing maritime programmes come from both coastal and inland towns, making students’ place of origin a less influential factor for undergraduates. On the other hand maritime work experience had a high influential factor for enrolling in maritime postgraduate studies. Thus this study provides the missing empirical contributions vital for understanding some effects of South Africa’s policies direction on the maritime sector through public higher education institutions post-1994 democratisation of the country.
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the critical role played by partnerships in improving teaching and learning in primary schools in South Africa. This study was informed by social capital which provides a framework for understanding the relationship between education and society. The paradigm used in researching this paper is qualitative involving focus group interviews with School Management Team, teachers and parents on the kind of interventions that work and those that do not work in the teaching and learning process in primary schools. The views by different groups were analysed and compared for purposes of establishing patterns leading to the value of team efforts as critical elements in the improvement of teaching and learning. This article found that education is so involving and intricate that it cannot be left for an organisation to execute it alone. It also established that teachers alone may not bring about significant improvement in teaching and learning unless supported by a number of other partners such as the parents, learners, community leaders, the Department of Education officials, business organisations. The study recommended that each of these partners has to be committed to continually improving the quality of teaching and learning for the betterment of the country and its people.
Given that the government of South Africa made efforts to address student’s grievances that led to the national riots and strikes across universities between the periods 2015 to 2017, this study focused on the root causes of riots that occurred in 2018 at the University of Zululand and University of Venda in South Africa. In this article, we critically examine other factors influencing student riots aside delay in payment of student financial aid, which has been the common acuities held by the masses, borrowing ideas from ultimate theory of triadic influence. The argument is that there are other external factors, which benefits on student financial aid dilemma to influence riots. An exploratory sequential research design guides the enquiry. Yamane’s 1973 formula performed the estimation of actual sample, which was drawn from a crop of students, academic staff members and non-academic staff members from both Universities. The participants were identified using simple random sampling. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview guide through one-on-one interaction, which was analysed through Atlas ti version 8. A Likert-type scale was used to confirm the factors that immerged which was analysed using SPSS 24 through frequencies. Major findings revealed students election campaigns (17%) as a leading cause, followed by motives to remove the Vice-chancellor (15%), and delay in disbursements of students’ study allowances (15%). Other factors includes: fear of examination (13%), Student Representative Council (SRC)’s stunts to exploit the institution (11%), students’ motives to loot, staffs ambition to carry unscrupulous activities and gimmicks to procrastinate penalties. The study recommends that regulatory measures and surveillances on staffs and students should be strengthened. Awareness on the need for qualified intellectuals should be enhanced. It could go a long way to review policies such that the SRC is neutralized from political structures.
The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the extent to which the Development Studies curriculum has been colonised with the objective of proposing how it can be decolonised. Prior to decolonisation and even more during the post-colonial era, calls from different walks of life have been made with regard to decolonising the curriculum to ensure that the entire education system contributes to development. Disciplines such as Development Studies are seen as some of those through which measures and strategies can be put forward to facilitate social and economic development strategies that can assist in reversing the effects of colonialism thus create space for home-grown approaches to development. It is the nature of Development Studies that it focuses on how people’s well-being and standard of living can be improved. With people being at the centre, the expectation is that this discipline ought to be guided by their needs, aspirations and interests. Further to that, this discipline encourages a people-centred approach to development. However, the Development Studies curriculum offered in many universities in Africa is still Eurocentric. This study adopted content analysis method as its main data collection strategy. It concludes by suggesting strategies that can be employed to contextualise the Development Studies curriculum such that it can meet the needs of the African people given the challenges they are faced with.
Since its contact with Europe, there have been radical changes in the form, content, and philosophy of education in Africa. With the introduction of western education, it has not only grown in terms of structures, it has also dislodged traditional knowledge and pedagogical system on the continent. Aided by its propagated euro-centric allure, it has produced from Africa, a cache of European-cultured intellectuals and researchers in African academicians now within and outside the continent. Despite the growth of research institutions and their intellectual outputs, the effects of intellectual growth has been marginal if at all, felt on the continent. This contrasts with the much advertised role of research and scholarship as essential tools in development. This knowledge-development gap suggests some disconnect between the inherited knowledge system and the developmental intellectual need in Africa. The interface between higher education and social development is an important dimension in the town-gown discourse, most of which has remained at micro-analytical level. Departing from this limited analysis, we adopt a socio-philosophical analysis of the tow-gown interface and critique the occidental narrative of education and development in Africa. It builds on a critical review of literature in explaining the gaps between expanding research capacity and output on one hand, and development in Africa on the other hand. As theoretical lenses, we adopt Prebisch’s dependency theory and Simon’s decision-making model. From a historical and socio-philosophical perspective, the paper advances remedies towards bridging this gap in Africa.
Many educational institutions are now leveraging on merging and emerging technologies to bring quality educational outcomes to their students. The adoption of these technologies has enabled these institutions to adopt a “blended learning” approach to deliver course content. Therefore, the aim of this study was threefold: to explore the adoption of merging and emerging technologies at UNISA, the usage of these technologies, and to explore the level of skills among the students for using technology at the UNISA Kimberley regional office. This article is based on the Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. The study adopted a qualitative approach through the use of focus group interviews with the UNISA students and one regional director at the UNISA Kimberly region who were selected using convenience sampling. Data was analysed using thematic categorisation. The findings show that although there is still room for improvement, UNISA has put relevant ICT infrastructure in place to enable teaching and learning to take place. Also of note is that a variety of merging and emerging technologies have been adopted to enhance teaching and learning. Furthermore, the findings show that more training is required by both students and lecturers to ensure that they use technology more effectively and optimally. Merging and emerging technologies have created opportunities that can enhance human interactions, and UNISA has taken advantage of these technologies, adopting them to stay relevant in the changing world. Therefore, it is recommended that for the Open and Distance Learning model to be successful, more relevant merging and emerging technologies should be adopted by all UNISA regional offices, and both students and staff should be equipped with the relevant skills to partake in e-learning.
Ever since the historic Berlin Conference partitioning of Africa, there have been political, social and ontological changes in Africa. These changes have battered the psyche and worldview of the Africans in dramatic ways. The challenge to an Africanist ontology has consequently unsettled Africans; they have lost anchor and identity, making them seek solace in escapist imaginaries. One of the facets prevalent in Africa is a liberal religion which conspires with colonial violence to parade as a source of inspiration, strength and belonging for the disoriented African. Instead of these religious formations articulating what Africans aspire to become, the charismatic heads of these churches are money driven. The paper investigates the aftermath of the partitioning of Africa and how that led to the introduction of religion which advocated liberalism. From that premise, the paper examines the effects of liberal religion, demonstrating in the process how liberal religions promise overnight wealth and prosperity. The paper concludes by suggesting a developmental approach that could contribute towards bringing back the dignity and identity of Africans through an Afrocentric religion.
Many students find the learning environment overwhelming especially when they enter a higher institution of learning for the first time. They are always in reactive mode and are unable to complete their tasks in time. Time management plays an important role in student academic life. The students struggle in the absence of mentors, supervisors such as parents, family, and teachers. This paper probed the lack of time management skills on undergraduate student’s academic performance at a rural university in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative approach was used to collect the data. A purposive sampling solicited data from six (6) students selected from level one to third-year. The findings confirmed that there was a serious lack of time management on the part of students. Work overload and stress made it difficult to address tasks adequately, and hence their poor academic achievements
School feeding programmes provided by the government of South Africa are intended to alleviate the scourge of food insecurity. This study used qualitative approach to assess the effectiveness of feeding schemes programmes as a right based in-kind social safety net implemented by the government in addressing the discourse of food insecurity on a rural setting. This is a case study of one rural school found in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Quota sampling in the selection of respondents was used coupled with interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis as data collection methods. The findings of this study were analysed by organizing the data and presented it in a descriptive manner. The results disclosed that the provision of feeding scheme at schools have the capability to stimulate an enabling environment which can empower rural families with adequate resources essential for eliminating food insecurity. The feeding scheme marginally created employment, reduced poverty, reduced hunger and increased health and nutrition education among the community members. Recommendations are centered much upon reviewing the implementation process for proper and positive results.
This study intends to explore trends in the field of pre-service teacher education from 2010 to 2017. Trends were identified by a thorough review of three education related databases in South Africa. These are the South African Journal of Childhood Education (SAJCE), the South African Journal of Education (SAJE), and the South African Journal of Higher Education (SAJHE). A total of 1326 articles were examined from the selected databases altogether. Out of this number, 60 related to pre-service teacher education in South Africa.Topical issues as well as methodological trends (research methods, data collection instruments, sampling levels and data analysis techniques) were investigated. Content analysis was employed to analyze the sampled data using codes according to categories. Themes were generated for some research questions. The results showed that topical issues mostly investigated in pre-service teacher education in South Africa within the trend period were: interactions (experiences, mentoring, and reflections),dispositions (attitudes, perceptions and views), pre-service teacher outcome (motivation) and demographics (gender), respectively. Methodological trends showed a preference for the qualitative research method. Interviews were the dominant data collection tool used while interpretative analysis (generation of themes) was the most preferred data analysis method. We conclude that there seems to be a preference for an Interpretivist Approach towards the study of pre-service teacher education in South Africa. This presupposes that it is not easy to establish a direct cause-effect relationship in dealing with the experiences of pre-service teachers within the field of education.
Pre-service teacher education is the dominant method for preparing competent and confident beginner teachers. Teachers internationally are expected to be assessment literate and have the requisite knowledge and skills to assess and accurately report student achievement. The Minimum Requirement for Teacher Education Qualification (MRTEQ) in South Africa requires that newly qualified teachers must be able to use the results of assessment to improve teaching and learning, because assessment is an integral part of effective teaching and learning. In the process of formative assessment, teachers elicit evidence about student learning using a variety of methods and strategies, for example observation, questioning, dialogue, demonstration and written response. The main aim of this research was to establish the experiences of Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) pre-service teachers with the implementation of formative assessment during teaching practice. The study is underpinned by social constructivism which views knowledge as actively constructed by learners in response to interactions with environmental stimuli. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study and data were collected through focus group interviews. The findings subsequently revealed that PGCE pre-service teachers do indeed implement formative assessment strategies during practice teaching, namely, classwork, project, homework, scaffolding and feedback.
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