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Governance and Student Leadership in South African Universities: Co-Governing with Those to Be Governed. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4284/2019/8n2a1
MP Sebola7
The purpose of this article is to analyse the manner in which the South African university management governs with the student leadership. The internal stakeholders of a university governance structure should primarily involve executive management, academic staff, administrative staff and the unions. Thus far in the South African university environment the academic staff, administrative staff as well as the unions hardly co-manages with the executive management on the Universities business affair. Instead in South African universities, the university business appears to be run by the executive management and the student organisations. This article uses literature analysis methodology to argue that more often in South African public universities, other internal stakeholders of do not seem to matter within the governance paradigm, and it may seem that only student matters take precedence as they co-manage with the executive management. In such co-managing arrangement, students seem to have an upper hand which dictate the decisions executive management should take. The article therefore concludes that only if the South African universities’ executive managements consider other stakeholders, then governance will yield good results for everyone in the university. The article recommends good governance which should ensure equal responsibility for all stakeholders in university education, at the limited co-governance of academic programme with student organisations, which results in poor academic output by student leadership in universities.
While some skills have become outdated in this ICT-driven age, map reading remains a vital skill for enhancing young people's spatial reasoning. This study examined Educators’ experiences, concerns and challenges while teaching map work in South African schools. The study’s focus is on the relevance of skills in cartography (Mapwork) by educators which forms an integral part of success in Geography. Survey research design was employed in the study. Forty Grade Twelve (12) Geography Educators who were selected through multi stage and simple random sampling techniques served as participants for the study. Four research questions were raised, while questionnaire and interview served as the major data collection instruments. Quantitative data from the field work were analysed, using descriptive statistics of percentage and frequency counts, while qualitative data obtained through interviews were analysed thematically. Findings of the study revealed that teaching of mapwork is a challenge to most of the educators sampled, especially the aspects that deals with calculations and Geographic Information System (GIS). Factors, such as educators’ qualifications, educators’ preparedness and inadequate teaching and learning resources were found to be responsible for the poor mapwork teaching among educators. The study recommended, among others, adequate training and deployment of qualified educators to schools, as well as adequate supply of relevant teaching and learning resources, not only to improve on the performance of learners in mapwork, but also to achieve the overall goal of geography as a subject in school.
The swift rise in the usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools in all aspects of life today has placed Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) under pressure to integrate such technologies in their teaching and learning. It is, however, unfortunate that the use of technologies in addressing specific teaching and learning issues faced by SAHEIs still remain a challenge. To contribute to the debate, using the case study research design and a mixed methods approach, this paper investigated options for successful integration of ICTs in the classroom.
The preliminary results obtained show that there are many factors to be considered before the implementation of e-learning at the institution can be successful, for example, the importance of staff training to equip lecturers with the necessary technological and pedagogical skills related to ICT use in learning and teaching. In addition, findings also demonstrate that several approaches to assessing ICTs usage in the perspective of teachers and students were grossly inadequate. Based on the findings, this study proposes some guidelines that are to be taken into consideration when introducing ICTs in the context of e-learning at institutions of higher learning.
This study explored teachers’ and learners’ views about factors that contribute to Physical Sciences underperformance in Grade 12 from a rural context. A mixed-methods research methodology was used where a concurrent triangulation research design was employed; where a structured questionnaire was used to solicit learners’ views, while an interview schedule was used to delve into the teachers’ views. Descriptive statistics revealed that learners viewed class-size, support, resources, and attitude towards Physical Science as factors that contribute to underperformance. Teachers indicated that it is difficult to give extra support without well-resourced laboratories and parental support. This paper contributes to the existing knowledge about the teaching of Sciences. It further recommends that measures be put in place to ensure that the recommendations of the National policy for the provision and management of Learning and Teaching Support Material are implemented in schools.
This study examined the effects of age and education on environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour among market women in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The descriptive research of the survey type was adopted and 403 market women were selected from different markets in Ibadan using simple random sampling technique. Survey items adapted from Fah & Sirisena (2014) and Abdullahi & Tuna (2014) were pilot-tested among female artisans and Cronbach’s coefficient of .947, .70 and .766 were obtained for environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour respectively. The questionnaire was personally administered with the help of four trained research assistants to the respondents. Six research hypotheses were raised for the study and data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics of T-test and Analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of the analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant difference among young and old market women’s environmental knowledge and behaviour but no significant difference exists among young and old market women’s environmental attitude. The results also showed that there was a significant effect of education on environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour among market women. Hence, it was suggested that lifelong learning opportunities should be provided for all so as to have a more literate society and there should be a conscious effort at encouraging market women to acquire a basic level of education.
Female students have been vulnerable to sexual harassment for many years. Today, sexual harrasment has twisted its shape to include online sexual harrassment. This study explored the coping strategies employed by female students who experienced online sexual harassment at a selected Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) in South Africa. In adressing this objective, a qualitative exploratory design was adopted, and this gave leeway for the victims’ experiences to be understood through their eyes. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from twenty female participants. To identify these participants at the IHL who had experienced online sexual harassment, purposive and critical case sampling were employed. The main strategies of coping with online sexual harassment were blocking of harassers and complete disregard of the harassers.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa has been plagued by negative media reports which have tarnished her reputation. The media could harness the power of its public to initiate changes in a social context which will in turn influence policymakers. Hence, this study focuses on identifying the impact of the media on the reputation of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa. Questionnaires were used to gather data from the target population. An analysis of responses from staff at local schools and communities in the King Cetshwayo District municipality were also documented. The results received from respondents shows that the media plays a major role in influencing public perception about community issues. Furthermore, findings indicated that, through the public’s engagement in social media platforms, only the negative outcomes of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) were heightened. The recommendations of this study is based on the idea that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) ought to place greater emphasis on utilizing the social media as a tool to communicate with its stakeholders as well as enhance its reputation through the tactful application of contemporary Public Relation activities. The establishment of strategic media relations skills is required to form a constructive relationship between the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the media in order to ensure an ongoing collaboration and as well keep stakeholders actively informed about all aspects of their priorities and outcomes.
In South Africa), there are public and private institutions that have been put in place to encourage the start-up and growth of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). There is a need to evaluate the impact of those services provided by these institutions in order to identify the gap(s) that needs to be filled and suggest areas where there is a need for improvement. This study used a quantitative research approach. From a sample of 384 SMMEs in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa., this paper assesses SMMEs’ satisfaction vis à vis the services provided by the supporting institutions. Specifically, this work seeks to identify the relationship between the frequency of receiving support from the institutions and SMMEs’ satisfaction. Spearman correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to depict the significance and the effect of receiving support from supporting institutions on Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) satisfaction. Findings reveal that the frequency of receiving networking support, training, business advice and funding is significantly correlated with SMMEs’ satisfaction while the frequency of receiving guidance on licensing procedures, assistance with access to business premises is not. This paper suggests a regression model that could assist supporting institutions in their attempt to increase SMMEs’ satisfaction.
Successful educational leadership entails possessing the knowledge, skills and understanding of effective leadership skills in the education sector along with the personal ability to effectively implement those skills. In Zimbabwe the occupational and leadership status of women in general is still suffering a wide gap, as there is unequal representation in leadership positions between men and women. This study was conducted in a rural school district in Zimbabwe and it is aimed at understanding the challenges facing women in school leadership positions. In this article it was argued that there are cultural, social and structural constraints among others that impede the effective operations of women in school leadership positions. Using a qualitative research paradigm, six schools in one rural district in Zimbabwe were purposefully chosen for the study. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from six female school heads - three from primary schools and three from secondary schools. Focus group discussions were held with teachers from the same schools. The study established that despite several strides that have been made on gender equality, there are still cultural, structural, economic and social barriers facing women in school leadership positions and concludes that, even though women form a large proportion of the teaching force in Zimbabwe, they still do not hold a proportionate share of the leadership positions in schools, due to multiple challenges identified in this paper.
Commercial sex work is a worldwide phenomenon (industry) which has been legalised in countries like Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, and Latvia in Europe. Though in South Africa, commercial sex work is still criminalised. Commercial Sex work is the engagement in the sexual activities in exchange for cash or any other economic benefits. Commercial Sex work has become a common phenomenon in the South African context and it is also rapidly multiplying on daily basis. The main objective of the study was to investigate the perplexing encounters encountered by the female commercial sex workers.A qualitative approach and an exploratory research design were used in conducting this study as these approaches allowed participants to share first-hand experiences regarding the issue under investigation. Snowball sampling method was employed to select participants for the study. Twenty-five females were selected to participate in this study to share their experience of working on the street. The data obtained through semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically and supported by the relevant literature. The findings revealed that the female commercial sex workers encounter numerous challenges in their daily work. The challenges experienced by the female commercial sex workers are inter-alia, different extents of abuse, such as physical abuse, psychological abuse and verbal abuse. Moreover, the women are discriminated against and experience societal prejudices. The criminalisation of the sex work industry deems to be complex, as it restricts the women from accessing different services such as the legal aid, healthcare and social services. The study further revealed that the women are in most circumstances victims of their clients and they receive little or no support from the police.
The choice of career is a delicate matter that demands serious attention. Many people have become victims of circumstances of incorrect career choice due to the lack of proper career guidance and information. However, there is a debate among academic researchers in the field of career counselling and guidance that students in urban areas have more advantage in understanding career choice compared to their rural counterparts. Hence, this research examined and compared the extent to which communication influenced students’ career choice in rural and urban tertiary institutions. This was a quantitative research using a survey method while employing a simple random technique. The study indicated that friends, the Internet, and universities’ open day were the major channels of communication by which career services were provided to potential university students. The study also revealed that first-year students from Durban University of Technology (DUT) were well-equipped with knowledge of career choice than the first-year students of the University of Zululand (UNIZULU). Students from the two universities have similar views that parents, admission requirements and matriculation results were the major factors influencing their choice of study.
This article constructs key issues that affect unequal gender representation and participation in structures of governance, the procedures of administration as well as the delivery of administrations in South African politics. There is a developing global awareness of lack of gender uniformity and fairness in governmental issues, that is becoming the underpinning of comprehensive development. Giving equivalent access to open economic opportunities for both genders is a crucial factor to achieving an increasingly practical economy and enhancing national prosperity. Neglecting to do so will result in losing the human capital on the part of the citizenry, hence vigorously trading off nations' maximum capacity for development and national development. Therefore, an administration of good governance is a vital component to deliver gender equity results. However, gender disparities in power continue to be a relentless and fundamental component of the contemporary world and its foundations. Transformative plans of social change are compelled, not just by the advancement of the strength of market universality in some imperative fields of strategy and policy making, but by a movement in geopolitics, and new types of moral and socio-political issues that materialises at all levels, from global, national and sub-national. Qualitatively, this study adopted the theory of gender mainstreaming to put things in the right perspectives. In an attempt to achieving an increasingly practical economy and enhancing national prosperity, it recommends that giving equivalent access to open economic opportunities for both genders is a critical.
This cross-sectional quantitative study compared the likelihood of learners passing Grade 12 between the Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces. The secondary clustered data used comprised of 114775 (60748 [52.93%] Eastern Cape and 54327 [47.07%] Mpumalanga) learners who sat for examinations in 2008. This study demonstrated how the ordinary and the hierarchical logistic regression models handle clustered observations for binary study end-point. The results showed that the ordinary logistic regression model produced misleading, smaller standard errors, due to inflated sample size, and falsely narrower confidence intervals. The disaggregated approach’s crude and adjusted models indicated that leaners in Mpumalanga were significantly more likely to pass Grade 12 than learners in the Eastern Cape. Therefore, Mpumalanga provided better conditions for learners to pass Grade 12 than did the Eastern Cape. This paper argues that the analysis of clustered data is best achieved by the employment of statistical techniques that account for correlation between observations within clusters.
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