KovsieJournals - University of the Free State (UFS)
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The gender-responsive church: Models of religious community in realising alignment for women
Full text linkThis research investigates the persistent disparity in evaluation, treatment, and access to opportunities across gender lines that pervades everyday life. Gender-based inequities, biases, and exploitation are entrenched within structural and cultural spheres. Within this framework, the church as a faith-based institution is called upon ecclesiologically to effectuate a ministry attuned to gender sensitivities. Employing qualitative methodologies, this study focuses on female congregants of the Nazarene Church in the Java-Bali district. Data collection was facilitated via Forum Group Discussions (FGDs) across five women’s groups in the said district. The objective of this research is to elucidate a paradigm for church ministry that aligns more closely with gender-responsive principles. Through this examination, the study delineates four innovative ministry models in pursuit of gender egalitarianism: facilitative, participatory, assistive, and advocative
School principals’ understanding of managing public-private partnerships related to information and communication technology in under-resourced public secondary schools
Full text linkThis study investigated principals’ perceptions of their responsibilities in managing technology infrastructure in underresourced public secondary schools within the Tshwane West district, using a public-private partnership (PPP) approach. 2017,the Telkom Foundation initiated the ‘Connected Schools Project’ 2017, which introduced advanced tech-enabled resources and support to enhance technology-driven education in select underresourced public secondary schools in Gauteng’s Tshwane West district. This study explores how school principals interpret their roles in managing this infrastructure and executing these responsibilities within a PPP setting. Public-private partnerships are cooperative ventures between government entities and private sector organisations designed to achieve specific goals that serve the public interest (Robertson, et al., 2012). In the education sector, PPPs involve collaboration between state institutions and private entities to undertake various initiatives to improve education. For this research, PPPs specifically refer to the collaboration between the Telkom Foundation, a private entity and four public secondary schools in Gauteng.
This study was grounded in the interpretivist paradigm and adopted a qualitative research approach with a case study design, utilising individual interviews for data collection. The research was conducted across four under-resourced public secondary schools in the Tshwane West education district of Gauteng Province, as well as at the Telkom Foundation office complex and the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) district office. The participants included each school’s principal, the information and communication technology (ICT) coordinator, a Telkom Foundation representative, and a GDE district official responsible for facilitating the partnership, totalling ten participants. Data analysis used an inductive approach to interpret the interview responses. The findings indicated that the principals understood their responsibilities in managing ICT infrastructure within a PPP framework. In doing so, they established effective management structures that streamlined ICT infrastructure oversight. These innovative structures offer a replicable model for principals seeking to effectively manage ICT resources in schools
The (possible) influence of neoliberalism on learner ill-discipline in South African schools
Full text linkNeoliberalism absolutises economic and market rationality and foregrounds values that serve the economy\u27s exclusive needs. As a result, it not only alters the aims and objectives of education but also erodes, marginalises and replaces authentic pedagogical and social values with marked values such as individualism, competition, performance, self-interest, self-reliance, accountability, etc. These market values negatively affect school discipline by transforming what it means to be a teacher and a learner. In addition, it also changes the teacher-learner relationships, with both teachers and learners being disengaged from the teaching and learning process. This conceptual paper argues that South Africa\u27s adoption of neoliberal education policies negatively impacted teacher and learner value systems and teacher-learner relationships, resulting in a decay in social values in schools and creating a favourable context for exacerbating ill-discipline in South African schools. It proposes Ubuntu as an ethical and moral framework for restoring teacher-learner relationships and reversing neoliberalism\u27s negative influence on learner discipline in South African schools.
 
Gendered barriers to education for refugee girls in Tongogara Camp, Zimbabwe
Full text linkIt is widely recognised that education plays a critical role in achieving gender equality, yet refugee girls face significant challenges in accessing education globally. This study, grounded on feminist theory, explores girls’ gendered barriers to education in Zimbabwe’s Tongogara Refugee Camp. Through focus group discussions and face-to-face interviews with 124 girls and boys, 45 parents/ guardians, and 30 key informants (Ministry officials, teachers, camp officials, and NGO workers), the study examines how gender intersects with the vulnerabilities of displacement to create a complex web of challenges. These include the prioritisation of boys’ education, increased domestic burdens on girls, limited access to menstrual hygiene products, and heightened protection risks. The study underscores the remarkable resilience of refugee girls to persevere in their education despite facing significant challenges. The findings emphasise the need for gender-transformative interventions that address the root causes of educational inequality and empower refugee girls to access quality education. The study proposes a model of gendered barriers to education. It recommends that policymakers, practitioners, and humanitarian actors promote educational equity and empowerment for refugee girls in Zimbabwe and beyond. This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the intersection of gender, displacement, and education, with implications for humanitarian interventions and educational policy in refugee settings
Future-ready buildings: Nigeria’s transition to low-carbon, climate-responsive housing
Full text linkThe global climate crisis is compelling nations to adopt building resilience practices to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future. In tropical regions, where the impact of climate change is predicted to be most adverse, elevated outdoor temperatures may render existing housing unliveable. In Nigeria, much attention is not paid to designing climate-responsive buildings, making new and existing buildings vulnerable to extreme future climates. This study evaluates Nigeria’s readiness to transition to low-carbon and climate-responsive housing, using a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data. Weather data for 2020 and future projections for 2100 (based on RCP 8.5 scenarios) were generated using Meteonorm (v8) and analysed using Python in Jupyter Notebook. In addition, 68 peer-reviewed references were sourced from reputable online databases and informed a thematic analysis. The results show an average temperature increase of 5.2°C by 2100, with significant regional variability, highlighting the urgent need for climate-responsive building strategies. The thematic analysis identified financial constraints, weak policy frameworks, as well as technological and knowledge gaps as the primary barriers to sustainable building adoption in Nigeria. The study concludes that, for the habitability and sustainability of buildings, future-proofing strategies must prioritise solar shading, thermal mass insulation, passive cooling and ventilation, renewable energy integration, and low embodied energy materials. These measures must be supported by robust policies, incentives, and an effective building assessment framework to ensure the resilience and sustainability of Nigeria’s housing supply
Bridging academia and industry: A framework for enhancing graduate attributes in South Africa’s Construction 4.0 landscape
Full text linkThe Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is transforming industries globally, including the construction sector, through Construction 4.0 (C4.0). The study investigates the critical role of graduate attributes (GAs) within the South African Construction Built Environment (CBE) to develop a framework that enhances collaboration between industry and academia, equipping graduates with the skills and adaptability needed for C4.0. Adopting an explanatory sequential, mixed-methods approach, the data were collected from 288 registered Quantity Surveyors (QSs), Construction Managers (CMs) and Construction Project Managers (CPMs), supplemented by qualitative insights from ten in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that GAs such as adaptability, critical thinking, and problem-solving are essential for navigating the technological and collaborative demands of C4.0. Despite the significant focus on knowledge and skills in current curricula, the study emphasises the critical importance of attributes in supporting lifelong learning, resilience, and innovation. Using the CHAT as an analytical lens, this research offers a framework to realign higher education curricula with industry needs, emphasising the interrelation of KSCA. The study contributes to global discussions on aligning educational outcomes with industry requirements in the context of 4IR. It provides insights to recalibrate South African higher education curricula, ensuring graduate preparedness, and enhancing the employability of future construction professionals
Fourie, Ruhan. Christian Nationalism and Anticommunism in Twentieth Century South Africa. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2024. ISBN: 9781003413257.
Full text linkAs a historian of the American and South African far-right, I eagerly picked up Ruhan Fourie’s monograph, Christian Nationalism and Anticommunism in Twentieth Century South Africa. Fourie’s investigation of the significant role of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in the anticommunist imaginings of Afrikaners is timely for those interested in the contemporary rise of global white populism. As scholars call for greater intellectual engagement with “Christian Nationalism,” Fourie’s work is essential reading, as the concept of “Christian Nationalism” remains dominated by American analyses. Fourie offers critical explanatory power to the DRC’s post-2000s debates around “liberalism,” which he grounds in the “echoes” of the [anticommunist] past (p. 209)
An economic history of the Land and Agricultural Bank of Southern Rhodesia, 1924-1963
Full text linkThis paper explores the economic history of the Land and Agricultural Bank of Southern Rhodesia from its establishment in 1924 to the end of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1963. Drawing on a rich selection of archival material, including government correspondence, the bank’s annual reports, correspondence, constitutions and amendments, and newspapers, the paper demonstrates how the bank became a useful tool to promote settler hegemony in Southern Rhodesia. It achieved this by financing settler agriculture and any other demands from settler farmers and the settler community, ahead of the demands of African farmers and the broader African community, to ensure that white supremacy prevailed. The bank, therefore, became an instrument of colonial rule in the colony, ensuring that white farmers stayed on the land even during difficult times such as the Great Depression, the Second World War, the post-1947 drought period and throughout the Federal period, where it retained its focus on Southern Rhodesia’s white settlers. Throughout its entire existence, the bank operated on a racial basis, only advancing limited loans to a few African farmers in Native Purchase Areas after 1930 for political reasons
Exploring students’ lived experiences with artificial intelligence in higher education: A case study of ChatGPT
Full text linkThis study adopted a phenomenological perspective to explore 84 university students’ experiences and perceptions of using Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), an artificial intelligence (AI)-based software that generates contextualised responses. This study aimed to capture individual experiences and to understand how students interact with and perceive this AI tool; to fulfil this purpose, we addressed the following question: What are university students’ perceptions and experiences of using ChatGPT in their academic activities? The triangulation strategy was employed, which allowed us to analyse the results by combining information from different sources: narrative interviews, literature review, and direct unstructured observations. The results indicate that student responses reveal a positive perception towards ChatGPT; however, when examining lived experiences, concerns arise about the potential impact on developing critical and analytical skills. Such concerns underscore the ongoing need to investigate the role of AI in education, emphasising the importance of better understanding how students, from their subjective experience, interact with and relate to technology to inform and refine educational practices. We conclude that, despite the usefulness of ChatGPT, it is crucial to recognise its limitations and make informed decisions, especially in contexts that require a deep understanding of human intentions and emotions. Furthermore, it is important to consider the context in which ChatGPT is used and be aware of its potential biases or inaccuracies, as it may be influenced by biases present in its training data, which could result in misleading or incorrect responses