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Editorial
Get PDFAchieving inclusivity in contemporary cities is an elusive fit that has relegated most vulnerable households to theedge of destitution. Migrants, children, women, the elderly, and those living with disabilities are being forced to fendthemselves inhumanly as existing supporting mechanisms are failing dismally to respond to their needs. While themagnitude of exclusivity differs significantly across global cities, the reality of the matter is that there is consistentevidence to suggest that most governments are negating their responsibility in this regard. What is more worryingis the inability of some of these governments to provide systematic policy frameworks responsive to vulnerablegroups’ plight. This is a worrying scenario prevailing in the face of international policy frameworks inaugurated toliberate humanity from all societal ills. The ravaging effect of covid-19 has not only complicated the situation, butfurther debilitated governments’ financial situations to respond to pressing needs. Hence cities remain trapped in thisquandary. This first issue of the Journal of Inclusive Cities and Built Environment strives to interrogate dimensions ofInclusivity in Contemporary Cities. The issue contains Seven (7) double-blind Peer-reviewed articles covering variousaspects of inclusivity within cities. These articles are a collection of theoretical underpinnings that provide insightinto inclusivity and supported by empirical evidence from from various cities
Editorial
Get PDFThe discourse on inclusion and exclusion in contemporary cities goes beyond the mere physical manifestation of the various dimensions of inclusivity and exclusivity. While it is acknowledged that this discourse has been raging for years in the history of cities, its conceptual and physical manifestation has also been changing in line with societal dynamics. It is an undeniable fact that forces at work in contemporary cities are driven by power, race and class (among other factors) which in turn provide a platform for calculated and coordinated practices that contribute towards inclusion and exclusion. There is therefore need to consistently and progressively interrogate this phenomenon in order to create a dialogue that is responsive to contemporary cities in the 21st century. While conceptual, theoretical and epistemological frameworks might not provide instant solutions to challenges under consideration, their articulation of contemporary issues provide deeper insight and understanding which contributes towards achieving sustainable solutions. Would it be fair to interrogate the manifestation of inclusionary and exclusionary practices in contemporary cities without taking a nip from the past? The reality of the matter is that there are underlying perculiarities which provide continuous meanings – thereby offering comparative gazes for diagnosis, understanding, elaboration and which allow for subverting inclusionary tendencies, attitudes and practices. Therefore, those historical “moments” of action can be instrumentalised into plans of action for the new agenda in the creation of inclusive cities. However, contemporary cities are made up of a multiplicity of activities – therefore, it is this diversity which equally impact on inclusivity and exclusivity. It is the search for true answers that this issue articulate inclusion and exclusion issues around the following areas:• Environmental Justice and Equity• Social Exclusion and Inclusion• Inclusion and Safety• Inclusion and Resilience• Social Inclusion and Built Environment• Policies that addres the needs of the vulnerable within cities.• Survival strategies among vulnerable group• Innovative remedial measures that can be employed to counter exclusio
COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Telehealth Growth in India: Some Insights
Get PDFTelehealth is being rapidly embraced to deal with the COVID-19 health crisis across the world. Despite being a biggest exporter of software services, India has not been a big adopter of telehealth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled the Indian government to assess the current assets and facilitate the establishment and use of telehealth throughout the country. Different telehealth initiatives are being undertaken in the existing public and private healthcare institutions and patients are increasingly embracing the services. We briefly highlight the potential role played by the start-ups in addressing the challenges. 
"We’ve been taught to understand that we don’t have anything to contribute towards knowledge": Exploring Academics’ understanding of decolonising curricula in higher education
Get PDFUniversities in the global South continue to grapple with the ethical demands of decolonising and transforming the public university and its episteme orientations. In the South African context, the 2015-2016 student movements re-centred the public university as a colonising institution, whose curricula, teaching, assessment, institutional culture(s) and research are still rooted in the colonial and neoliberal regimes of performance management, academic productivity, sanctions, rewards and progress in the academy. In this paper, we contribute to the emerging body of work in the global South that attempts to make sense of the transformation and decolonisation discourses through exploring academics’ understanding of decolonising curricula in South African higher education. Through the use of purposive sampling, we interviewed eight Education academics who are teaching in a historically white teachers’ college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We relied on the late French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory to think through the historically white teachers’ college as a contested and structuring field constituting of various actors and agents who are struggling to make sense of and understand the calls for decolonising and transforming of curricula. The findings suggest that academics largely understand the decolonising of curricula as responding to the need to tackle and explicate the Eurocentric thought in curricula; re-centring African epistemic traditions and as well as navigating what they refer to as the confusion, ambiguity and the discomfort of decolonisation. We end this paper with some empirical and theoretical reflections on how exploring academics’ understanding of decolonizing curricula is central to the broader project of achieving social justice in the Global South
Determinants of career development self-efficacy: The role of self-directed learning among students at a rural campus in South Africa
Get PDFWe explored the determinants of student career development self-efficacy. The concept of career development self-efficacy is argued as an important precursor in the making of career decisions. Calls exist in the literature for studies that explore further the concept of career development self-efficacy, especially using neglected sample groups bearing in mind not just issues of their location but also material conditions on the ground. In this study, we narrowed the focus and were guided by the literature on three potential variables, namely a) self-management, b) desire for learning, and c) self-control, and we sought to ascertain how these influence student career development self-efficacy. We incorporated a quantitative research approach hinging on the survey research design using a convenience sample of 150 students enrolled at a rural campus located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. We found all three potential variables to be having an influence on career development self-efficacy. We therefore argue (based on the findings of the research) for interventions that assist the students as well as those working within institutions of higher learning in seeking to develop not only competencies but also an environment in which career development self-efficacy thrives
Humour to facilitate meaningful learning in nursing education as experienced by learner nurses
Get PDFThis study This study explored the experiences of learner nurses regarding the use of humour infacilitating learning in order to formulate guidelines to facilitate the integration of humourin nursing education. A qualitative phenomenological research design was employed. A nonprobability sampling method was used to select 70 participants in three Higher EducationInstitutions. Six focus group interviews were conducted. The qualitative method of dataanalysis was used. This study explored the experiences of learner nurses regarding the use of humour infacilitating learning in order to formulate guidelines to facilitate the integration of humourin nursing education. A qualitative phenomenological research design was employed. A nonprobability sampling method was used to select 70 participants in three Higher EducationInstitutions. Six focus group interviews were conducted. The qualitative method of dataanalysis was used. Trustworthiness was ensured and ethical standards were observed.Three main themes emerged: positive effects, negative effects and the absence of humour.The sub-themes of positive effects of humour indicated a psycho-physiological effect,social effect and cognitive effect. The sub-themes of the negative effect of humourindicated that inappropriate humour distracts learners from learning, and racist jokes resultin a loss of interest in learning while the absence of humour creates a tense learningenvironment. Recommendations are given. was ensured and ethical standards were observed.Three main themes emerged: positive effects, negative effects and the absence of humour.The sub-themes of positive effects of humour indicated a psycho-physiological effect,social effect and cognitive effect. The sub-themes of the negative effect of humourindicated that inappropriate humour distracts learners from learning, and racist jokes resultin a loss of interest in learning while the absence of humour creates a tense learningenvironment. Recommendations are given. the experiences of learner nurses regarding the use of humour infacilitating learning in order to formulate guidelines to facilitate the integration of humourin nursing education. A qualitative phenomenological research design was employed. A nonprobability sampling method was used to select 70 participants in three Higher EducationInstitutions. Six focus group interviews were conducted. The qualitative method of dataanalysis was used. Trustworthiness was ensured and ethical standards were observed.Three main themes emerged: positive effects, negative effects and the absence of humour.The sub-themes of positive effects of humour indicated a psycho-physiological effect,social effect and cognitive effect. The sub-themes of the negative effect of humourindicated that inappropriate humour distracts learners from learning, and racist jokes resultin a loss of interest in learning while the absence of humour creates a tense learningenvironment. Recommendations are given
Journeys to self-knowledge: methodological reflections on using memory-work in a participatory study of teachers as sexuality educators
Get PDFThis article draws on aspects of my participatory PhD research study, Journeys to selfknowledgeof teachers as sexuality educators. In the article, I share and reflect on themethodological experiences of the study, with particular focus on working with memoryrelated data generation activities. I explain how story-telling, audio-recording of sessionsand keeping a reflective journal were used as methods to reach the stories that would bestassist us come to some understanding of who we are as sexual beings. I also reflect on somedilemmas and discoveries I experienced when using memory work to generate data for theresearch. The article highlights that memories and stories are an integral part of ourexistence as they give meaning to our past and influence our future actions. It also showshow, through collective examination of our stories, new perspectives and meanings can begiven to the stories to allow learning and reflection to take plac
Teenage pregnancy and the South African Schools Act: is religion a justifiable reason for exclusion?
Get PDFPost-apartheid schooling has seen a proliferation in private, and specifically, religious-basedschools. These schools, while constituted within the South African Schools Act of 1996,can present a challenging demand, in that the customary religious practices of certainprivate religious schools might be seen as incompatible with the procedural ramifications ofthe aforementioned Act. As an instance of this incompatibility, we commence this article byexamining one of South African schools’ greatest challenges – teenage pregnancy. Firstly,by specifically looking at how Muslim-based schools respond to teenage pregnancies, weraise the concern that the exclusion of teenage pregnant girls might not only bring therepresentatives of two different constituencies – namely Muslim-based schools and the SASchools Act – into conflict with one another, but that it might also engender the possibilityof exclusion of others. Secondly, by examining whether learners of a particular religiousfaith can be excluded from schooling on religious grounds, we argue that a plausibleunderstanding of cosmopolitanism propels the expectation that all diverse learners shouldbe recognised as legitimate participants in a school republic irrespective of their violation ofreligious sanctity. This claim is corroborated by the argument that internal inclusion canmost appropriately be realised through an emphasis on the equalisation of voice that affordseven the most vulnerable in schools (that is learners) an opportunity to stake their claim toinclusion based on invoking their legitimate voices in matters that affect them
