UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
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Teacher ‘s creation of teaching and learning materials using information communication technology at selected remote schools in the Khomas region, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of education (educational technology)The learning environment supports the role of the teacher, which is to organise, manage and help
learners to navigate learning materials. In recent years, the advancement in Information
Communication Technologies (ICTs) and access thereto, enable teachers to create teaching and
learning materials. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ application of ICT
knowledge and the challenges faced in the creation of teaching and learning materials for their
classrooms at three public primary schools in the remote area of Khomas Region. The study
adopted a qualitative case study and employed semi-structured interviews to collect data from
teachers and non-participatory lesson observation to collect data from classrooms. Additionally,
the study used purposive sampling to select teachers based on their years of teaching experience
and computer skills while convenience sampling was used to find teachers who were available and
willing to participate in the study voluntarily. The findings of the study revealed that teachers'
comprehension of ICT varied greatly in the Khomas region's remote schools. Furthermore, it was
found that majority of participants found it encouraging to use ICT tools as they make teaching
materials appealing to learners, thereby boosting performance, and offering up-to-date materials.
Moreover, the study revealed that most schools lacked sufficient ICT resources, and results
indicated that only 33% of teachers began their lessons with teaching and learning materials
created with ICT tools. The study also revealed challenges encountered by teachers during creating
teaching and learning materials, include poor internet connections in the classrooms, shortage of
ICT tools, lack of training, and lack of electrical power in the classrooms. As a result, the study
concludes that, despite various ICT challenges experienced by teachers in Khomas region rural
primary schools, teachers had adequate knowledge of how to use ICT tools.
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Following the study's findings, the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture should make
provisions for the infrastructure to be provided to all public schools to maximise the use of ICT in
education. The government should also allocate funds for the maintenance and purchase of ICT
consumables like reams of paper and printer in
A comparison of threaded versus non-threaded computing on the sieve of Eratosthenes Algorithm
No full textA mini-thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Information Technology)Performance enhancement in computers is a constant challenge for computer engineers, emanating from the constantly changing needs of consumers. Around the 1970s and 80s, computer engineers started designing computer architectures with multiple processors onboard, in order to address the performance challenge. These newer architectures provided a platform that enabled multiprocessing at affordable retail prices. This in turn created an opportunity for software developers to enhance program performance by creating software that could leverage on the underlying architecture through parallelisation to provide a performance advantage over sequential programs. This was not always achieved, however, since parallel programs present more opportunities to generate overhead, which can limit, or even deteriorate a program’s overall performance. In this study, an experimental analysis of two Sieve of Eratosthenes programs, one sequential and one parallel, was conducted in order to verify that parallelisation provided a computational advantage in the program under investigation, to establish whether a variation in the number of available processors had an effect on the overhead incurred, and lastly to investigate the mathematical nature of the overhead incurred. The study concluded that the parallel program provided a computational advantage over the sequential program for all threads computing prime numbers in the ranges greater than 10,000. The results of the study also determined that there existed a positive statistically significant relationship between the number of threads employed and the overhead incurred. In addition to this, the study also determined that overhead was mathematically quantifiable, but not in relation to the number of threads employed. Instead, it was learned that overhead is a product of the parallel program’s execution time and the fraction of efficiency lost. All in all, the study certainly highlighted one benefit of parallelisation, namely performance enhancement
Evaluating the in-service school leadership training offered by the University of Namibia to principals in Oshana region
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of education in leadership, management and policy studiesMany scholars have criticized leadership training approaches for concentrating too
much on technological barriers and administrative skills while ignoring internship. It
is, therefore, the purpose of this study to evaluate what the principals learn in the
Diploma of Educational Management and Leadership training and what its impact is.
The research design for this study is a mixed methods approach applied using a case
study design. The researcher used an interview guide and questionnaire as instruments
to collect data. The total population of the study was one hundred and thirty-seven
(137) principals that were trained by UNAM. A random sampling technique was used
to select principals that underwent the training in Oshana Region. Eight principals
were randomly selected from those who completed the programme. Data were
analysed by arranging responses according to the research questions, and applied an
inductive approach. Findings from the study reported that principals in the Oshana
region, Namibia, noted the relationship between what principals learned in the DEML
and their leadership responsibilities in schools and some insights have been provided.
In relation to their experience regarding the in-service training, the following
suggestions are made: The programme should be more practical than theoretical, more
contact sessions should be included, a post- evaluation of the programme should be
done with participants to assess the practicality of the content learned, and the
programme should include ministerial policies of MoEAC. All of these suggestions
could substantially assist in educating principals and act as a learning process for
educator
An educational programme to support primary health care providers regarding the management of emergency contraceptives for adolescents in Ohangwena region, Namibia
No full textA dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctorate of philosophy in public healthFamily planning (FP) could be called one of the most crucial decisions in a woman, young
adult, and lately in an adolescent’s life. Emergency contraceptive refers to the
strategies of birth control (FP) to prevent unwanted pregnancies after unprotected sexual
intercourse (WHO, 2021). On a daily basis, healthcare facilities offer free services for
emergency contraceptives (ECs) to women of childbearing age including adolescents and
young people to prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, the impact of such services is
minimal, and adolescent pregnancies remain a public health concern in Namibia. The
Ohangwena region in Namibia is among the regions with the highest adolescent
pregnancies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and
practices of Primary Health Care (PHC) providers regarding the management of ECs
among adolescents in order to develop an educational programme for PHC providers.
The objectives of the study were: to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of PHC
providers regarding the management of emergency contraceptives for adolescents;
determine the factors related PHC providers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of ECs
by PHC providers for adolescents; to develop a conceptual framework as the foundation
for an educational programme; to develop an educational programme to support PHC
providers regarding the management of ECs for adolescents; to implement the educational
programme; and to evaluate the educational programme.
The study adopted a quantitative approach. In this study, a descriptive cross-sectional
study design was used in this study. The study was conducted in four phases. The first
step was to conduct a situational analysis that assessed the knowledge, attitudes and
practices of PHC providers regarding the management of ECs among adolescents as well
as determine the factors related to PHC providers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of
ECs by PHC for adolescents. To collect data, a self-administered questionnaire was used,
and a multi-stage stratified sampling method was used to select PHC providers from
various health care facilities. A total of ninety-three PHC providers completed the self-
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administered questionnaire with a response rate of 100%. The collected data were entered
into the statistical package SPSS version 26. Descriptive and inferential data analysis
methods were used to analyse the data.
In total, 79% of PHC providers had heard of emergency contraceptives (ECs). However,
only 66% of the PHC providers know that combined pills are types of ECs methods, while
only 14% correctly identified copper IUD as a method of ECs.
In identifying those that are eligible for ECs use, a majority of respondents (76%) named
women who had unprotected sex and only 12% identified adolescents as appropriate
candidates for using ECs. Rape situations (79%) were the most frequently cited reason for
EC prescriptions, followed by condom breakage (61%) and (16%) in case of missed
contraceptive pills. Almost 64% of the respondents knew about the effective time to use
ECs. The majority (78.3%) of the respondents knew that ECs are used in preventing
unwanted pregnancies. The analytical findings revealed that the standardised direct
(unmediated) effect of Negative Attitudes on Positive Attitudes was -0.452 (p < 0.01,
which implies that a nurse with a negative attitude is likely to have a high misconception
attitude and a low positive attitude towards EC. The study found that only 15.2% of the
participants were trained in both FP and ECs, and this lack of training in FP and ECs can
have a negative impact on ECs practices. As evidenced by less than 50% of participants
reportedly providing ECs to clients, the practice of ECs was found to be poor. There is a
significant relationship between demographic variables such as age (p=0.00), professional
qualification (p=0.00), and work experience (p=0.02) and PHC providers' knowledge,
attitudes, and practices.
The study revealed a deficit in the knowledge, misconceptions, negative attitude and poor
practice of ECs by the PHC providers, which may be barriers to accessing ECs by
adolescents. These findings have negative consequences for adolescents’ usage of ECs.
As a result, educational interventions should be provided to PHC providers on ECs the
knowledge, demystification of misconceptions and for correction of negative attitudes
towards EC services.
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Based on Dickoff, James, and Wiedenbach's survey list, the second phase addressed the
conceptual framework to guide the development of an educational programme to support
PHC providers in the management of ECs for adolescents. The third phase focused on
developing an educational programme to assist PHC providers, guided by the Nicholls
Cyclic Curriculum Development Model. The fourth stage dealt with programme
implementation and evaluation. Knowles' Andragogy model and Kolb's experiential
learning theory guided this phase. The educational programme was evaluated during and
after its implementation. The findings indicated that the education programme was useful
and supportiv
Developing a framework for research data management capabilities at the University of Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Library and Information Science)This study sought to investigate the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) Research Data Management (RDM) capabilities with a view to developing an RDM framework for the institution. The study was informed by a pragmatic research paradigm and it adopted an explanatory sequential mixed method research design. In line with this research design, the study deployed a two-phased data collection process. First, during the quantitative phase, a bibliometric analysis on UNAM’s research productivity, visibility and impact was conducted using Scopus (SciVal) and the Web of Science. Second, in the qualitative phase, 22 UNAM top researchers as derived from Scopus (SciVal) and the Web of Science were purposefully interviewed based on their relevance to the study. The population of the study consisted of nine hundred and thirty-four (934) researchers. The sample comprised of 40 UNAM top researchers as indexed in Scopus (Scival) and the Web of Science. The study found that RDM is a new concept at UNAM and that it is not integrated in the research processes. It was also discovered that although the concept is new, some researchers practice RDM services using their own means. The study further revealed that there is a lack of institutional support to enhance the management of research data. The study concluded that RDM do exist at UNAM even though different researchers understands and practices the concept differently. The study recommends that UNAM develops and implements the RDM framework as part of the organisation’s structure to support staff members. The study proposes that UNAM undertake an RDM pilot study with leading universities in the region, and document some lessons learnt that can advance the implementation of RDM at UNAM
a targeted operational entomological surveillance strategy
No full textBackground Namibia’s focus on the elimination of malaria requires an evidence-based strategy directed at understanding and targeting the entomological drivers of malaria transmission. In 2018 and 2019, the Namibia National Vector-borne Diseases Control Program (NVDCP) implemented baseline entomological surveillance based on a question-based approach outlined in the Entomological Surveillance Planning Tool (ESPT). In the present study, we report on the findings of the ESPT-based NVDCP on baseline vector species composition and bionomic traits in malaria endemic regions in northern Namibia, which has the aim of generating an evidence base for programmatic decision-making.Methods Nine representative sentinel sites were included in the 2018 entomological surveillance program (Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi); the number was
reduced to four sites in 2019 due to limited funding (Ohangwena, Kavango West, Kavango East, and Zambezi). In the
2018 baseline collections, multiple sampling methods (human landing catches, pyrethroid spray catches, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps [CDC-LTs], resting boxes [RBs] and larval sampling) were utilized to
evaluate indoor/outdoor human biting rates, resting behaviors and insecticide resistance (IR). CDC-LTs and RBs were
not used in 2019 due to low and non-representative sampling efcacies.
Results Overall, molecular evidence demonstrated the presence of three primary mosquito vectors, namely Anopheles arabiensis, rediscovered Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto and Anopheles funestus sensu stricto, alongside Anopheles squamosus and members of the Anopheles coustani complex. Vectors were found to bite throughout the night (1800 hours 0600 hours) both indoors and outdoors, with An. arabiensis having the highest biting rates outdoors. Low numbers of indoor resting Anopheles point to possible low indoor residual spraying (IRS) efcacy—with An. arabiensis found to be the major vector species resting indoors. The IR tests demonstrated varying country-wide resistance levels to the insecticide deltamethrin, with the resistance levels confrmed to have increased in 2019, evidence that
impacts national programmatic decision-making. Vectors demonstrated susceptibility to the insecticides dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, bendiocarb and Actellic 300CS in 2018, with mosquitoes from only one site (Kavango West) demonstrating possible resistance to DDT. Targeted and question-based entomological surveillance enabled a rapid and focused evidence base to be built, showing where and when humans were being bitten and providing entomological data on long-lasting insecticidal nets, IRS efcacy and insecticide resistance, which the Ministry of Health and Social Services-Namibia can use to further build a monitoring and evaluation framework for understanding the drivers of transmission.
Conclusion Identifcation and characterization of species-specifc bionomic traits allows for an understanding of where and when vector human contact may occur as well as the potential impact of interventions. Low indoor resting rates as well as the presence of insecticide resistance (and the increase in its frequency) point to the need for mosquito-behavior-directed and appropriate interventions as well as the requirement for a resistance mitigation strategy. The ESPT-based question- and minimal essential indicator-based operational research strategy provides programs
with directed and focused data for facilitating decision-making while requiring limited funding and capacity.
Keywords Entomological drivers, Malaria, Namibi
An analysis of the impact of novel coronavirus pandemic on collective security in the SADC region
No full textA mini thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Security and Strategic studies in the School of Military scienceThe purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Collective Security in the SADC Region. The study adopted a qualitative research design. Moreover, the total sample for the study was 20 participants from the Namibian Defence Force, Ministry of Intentional Relations and Co-operation, Namibian Police and Namibia Correctional Services as well as scholars in the field of International Relations. Furthermore, the participants were sampled through purposive sampling and the study used semi-structured open-ended interviews. The research findings revealed that, the COVID -19 pandemic has greatly affected Collective Security in the SADC Region. The Collective Security Mechanisms affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is the SADC Standby Force rapid deployment capabilities. During the pandemic, the SADC Strategic Development Plan meetings such as Strategic Indicative Plan of the Organ (SIPO) on Defence, Politics and Security were put on hold, therefore escalating the insecurity in the SADC Region. Moreover, under such circumstances the SADC member states were unable to create a stable political and security environment through which the region is able to realize its objectives of social economic development and Regional Integration. Furthermore, Collective Security was further impacted in terms of personnel; hence, some lost their loved once from the pandemic, which therefore dampen morale for the military and health experts. In the final analysis, the study recommended, vaccination to be mandatory to all Security and health personnel to boost their immune system given the fact that they are the first line or front line workers, which increases the risks of infections. The researcher also recommends for further research on measures to prevent extremist in the SADC Region
An efficient numerical method for pricing double-barrieroptions on an underlying stock governed by a fractal stochastic process
No full textAfter the discovery of the fractal structures of financial markets, enormous effort has been dedicated to finding accurate and stable numerical schemes to solve fractional Black-Scholes partial differential equations. This work, therefore, proposes a numerical scheme for pricing double-barrier options, written on an underlying stock whose dynamics are governed by a non-standard fractal stochastic process. The resultant model is time-fractional and is herein referred to as a time-fractional Black-Scholes model. The presence of the time-fractional derivative helps to capture the time-decaying effects of the underlying stock while capturing the globalized change in underlying prices and barriers. In this paper, we present the construction of the proposed scheme, analyse it in terms of its stability and convergence, and present two numerical examples of pricing double knock-in barrier-option problems. The results suggest that the proposed scheme is unconditionally stable and convergent with order O(h2 + k2)
Exploring the awareness of security threats associated with short-message service (sms) and protective measures against sms security threats amongst students at the University of Namibia (UNAM)
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Information TechnologyThis study focussed on exploring the awareness of security threats associated with short message Service (SMS) and protective measures against SMS security threats amongst students at the University of Namibia (UNAM). Preliminary interviews with six (6) students with different demographics, informed the design of a survey of students’ encounters with, perception of and responses to SMS security threats. Two hundred and eighty-seven (287) students registered at UNAM’s twelve (12) campuses countrywide in the 2019 academic year responded to a questionnaire that comprised of forty questions/sub-questions about participants’ demographics, experiences and perspectives on security threats associated with the use of SMS. Data were analysed using descriptive and correlation statistics and structural equation models. Participants had some awareness of SMS security threats and used basic security measures such as passcodes, patterns, and biometric access. However, most did not have extensive knowledge of the types of fraudulent activities such as phishing, DoS attacks, relay attacks, and spamming, nor were they aware of protective measures to counter these threats. Only 4% of participants had installed antivirus software on their phones. Junior students comprised 77.7% of participants, which might explain the overall low awareness. Participants indicated that some organisations such as Namibian banks promoted their awareness of security threats, and they thus suggested that the university should run awareness programmes and campaigns. Based on insights about participant demographics and relationships to the university, recommendations were made about how a university might increase students’ awareness of some protective measures. These include integrating a compulsory course on cyber security awareness into the university’s curriculu
Development of a “greener” hplc-uv method for the analysis of reducing sugars in apple juice and indigenous fruits using acetone as an alternative solvent
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of science in chemistryChromatographic techniques can be made more environmentally friendly, i.e., “greener”,
by a number of different strategies. One approach is to replace the toxic mobile phase
solvents such as acetonitrile with greener alternatives. Acetone, in particular, has proven
to be a suitable alternative to acetonitrile, since the two solvents have similar
physicochemical properties, including solubility, miscibility and viscosity properties.
However, due to acetone’s high ultraviolet (UV) cut–off wavelength (330 nm), it normally
cannot be used as a mobile phase solvent when performing high performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC) analysis with UV detection. In this study, a reversed-phase
HPLC–UV method using acetone-containing mobile phase was developed for the
determination of reducing sugars in apple juice and two indigenous fruits, Berchemia
discolor and Hyphaene petersiana. Pre-column derivatisation of analytes via reductive
amination with p-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester (ABEE) was performed to enable
photometric detection at 307 nm. The method was directly compared to a method that
utilised acetonitrile-containing mobile phase. Although the detection wavelength of the
ABEE derivatives is below the UV cut–off wavelength of acetone, it is high enough above
acetone’s absorbance maximum (~280 nm) to enable satisfactory detection of the
derivatives. Hence, the method compared well with the acetonitrile method, providing
similar resolution and selectivity, as well as sufficient sensitivity to facilitate the
quantitation of glucose and fructose in all the fruits and juice investigated in this study.
Although the method was only validated in terms of precision, linearity, limit of detection
and quantitation but no other aspects such as accuracy, it shows potential to be used as a
greener alternative for sugar analysis for laboratories that only have access to HPLC–UV
instrument