UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
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The feminisation of poverty and victimhood in Dangarembga's print oeuvre: Cyclical evocations of nervous conditions, survival, and agency
No full textA dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy (Education)Feminisation of poverty is a term that was coined by Diana Pearce in 1976 after observing an increased concentration of income poverty among women in America (Peterson, 1987). This term was applied in the analysis of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s oeuvre, mainly focusing on the victimhood, cyclical evocations of nervous conditions, survival strategies and agency that Zimbabwean women experienced and are still experiencing. This dissertation employed a qualitative desktop literary in the examination of four novels, Nervous Conditions (1988), The Book of Not (2006), This Mournable Body (2018) – which make up a trilogy spanning up to 30 years; and She No Longer Weeps (1987). The researcher employed Africana Womanism, STIWANISM, and Nego-feminism literary theories to underpin this study, from examining the complex position that African women face in the light of detrimental effects of colonisation and its impact and legacy as it integrates with traditional patriarchal structures as articulated in Dangarembga’s novels. Africana Womanism as a concept was used so as to accommodate the characteristics of the African society which are unique and different because of its cultural, political, historical and social backgrounds, as other feminisms are peculiar to their place of origin. STIWANISM understands the female struggle from the perspective of African feminism which is entirely dependent on the commitment from both sexes, and not a woman affair as emphasised by other feminisms. Nego-feminism places both genders side by side as men and women to try and negotiate their places in life and establish a harmonious co- existence, with the negative patriarchal structures melting away. The study analysed how the author used the novels to expose issues related to post- colonial conditions, gender inequalities, cultural limitations, female self- definition and struggle for survival. The study found that the women in the Shona society are presented diversely depending on the socio- cultural background. Dangarembga strategically captured a world before and after independent Zimbabwe (1980s), where her main theme were her two protagonists’ struggles to reshape women’s heterosexuality and femininity in a religiously conservative society adopted in a colonial era. The shared themes of womanhood that are depicted in all the texts are the need for a shift of women from the margins of the society to becoming priorities economically, socially, and culturally. This is the recurring theme whether the setting is in the 1980s or the 2000s, rural or urban; Shona women are still victims of the nervous conditions surrounding them
An autoethnographic study
No full textThis article aims to ascertain the purposes for which the author needed information when her children with albinism were born, as well as explore the mechanisms she used to find information and the challenges she experienced when searching for information. An autoethnography method is used to share her lived experience of albinism, and the data has been collected through the author’s personal memory by recalling events that happened when she gave birth to her daughter in 2013 and her son in 2016. Information played a crucial role in helping the author to understand albinism better and to deal with her predicament. As a librarian and the mother of children with albinism, the author explored different mechanisms to find information. The Internet was the main source of information, as well as organisations such as Support in Namibia of Albinism Sufferers Requiring Assistance and the Namibia Albino Association Trust, which deal with the plight of people with albinism in the country
Investigating the Impact of general health and psychological well-being on posttraumatic growth of Malawian defence force members previously on UN peacekeeping missions
No full textNavigating peace in conflicting and war ridden countries can have both positive and negative impacts on the general health and psychological well-being of peacekeepers. This study investigated the impact of general health (GH) and psychological well-being on the posttraumatic growth (PTG) of Malawi Defence Force (MDF) members who served as UN peacekeepers. A quantitative cross-sectional research approach (questionnaires) was used to collect data on the biographical details, general health (GH), psychological well-being (PWB) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) of n=126 employees of the Malawi Defence Force. A negative relationship was recorded between Somatic symptoms; Anxiety/Insomnia (GH) with Appreciation of Life (PTG); however, a positive relationship was reported with Personal Strength (PTG) and Posttraumatic growth (Total). Implementing stress management or wellness programs can enhance Personal Strength (PTG) and Positive relationships (PWB). Offering resilience training may enhance coping mechanisms and assist with challenges at work and in life. This study will assist organisations in developing interventions aimed at nurturing posttraumatic growth (PTG) of employees through programs that foster resilience, coping, positive relationships and ultimately, increase psychological well-being
The school principal and teachers’ roles in improving learners’ academic performance at a selected school in the //Karas region
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education (Leadership, Management, and Policy studies)The purpose of this study was to investigate the principal and teachers’ roles in improving learner’s academic performance at a selected school in the //Karas region. This study specifically focused on junior secondary phase (grade 10). The study was guided by the following research questions: What role do the principal and teachers play in improving learners’ academic performance at a selected school in the //Karas Region? What challenges do the principal and teachers face in improving the academic performance of learners at the selected school in the //Karas Region? How can the challenges of principal and teachers in improving learners’ academic performance at a selected school in the //Karas region be handled? The researcher utilised a qualitative approach to obtain quality information and deep understanding of the role of the principal and teachers in improving learner’s academic performance at a selected school. The population for this study consists of all the principals and teachers in the //Karas Region. The sample consists of one principal and fourteen teachers, which gave a total sample size of 15 participants. For this study, the researcher used one of the best performing schools in the region and a purposive sampling was used to choose the participants. Findings of this research revealed that the principal and teachers’ roles in improving learner’s academic performance are supervision and monitoring, discipline and decision making, assessment and evaluation as well as involvement in extramural activities. Upon executing those roles, they faced some challenges such as lack of teaching and learning resources, misconduct by teachers and learners, failure to meet set targets, late coming and overcrowded classrooms. These challenges were overcome through motivation, improvising resources, continuous professional development and team building activities
Gender roles in peace and security: A case study of gender representation in the Namibian Police Force management cadre
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Security and Strategic studiesThis thesis is an analysis of gender roles in peace and security with specific focus on the
Namibian Police Force (NAMPOL) management eadre. The main objective of the study was
to establish the role played by gender representation in the maintenance of peace and
security. In line with a qualitative approach, the research adopted an explorative research
design. The targeted population consisted of 200 senior ranked officers and the projected
respondents for the study comprised of fifty (50) participants from the targeted population of
senior ranked officers. A purposeful sampling method was used to select participants and
email interview was used as a form of data collection. Interview questions were sent to
participants' emails and they responded via the same channel. Some respondents were called
via telephone to clarify some of their responses. Reports were also used as secondary data to
support the study and confim1 some of the participants' responses. Thematic analysis was
used to analyse the collected qualitative data, which led to interpretations of the study. The
study revealed that men and women play different roles in ensuring peace and security in the
country and having one gender dominating in the management cadre influences the
decisions made as well as the performance of the entire NAMPOL. The role played by
women in conflict resolution was deemed as exceptional as women were said to possess
good communication skills, good situation analysis abilities, and good negotiation skills.
These attributes help women to de-escalate conflicts in the communities and during peace
keeping missions. The study further revealed that there were many causes of women
underrepresentation in the NAMPOL management cadre. Stereotyping, lack of experience,
administration bias and family responsibilities were among the causes of
underrepresentation of women. The study recommends NAMPOL to develop its own gender
policy that should be implemented at all levels with the hope that this may con·ect the
gender underrepresentation of women at all levels. The study recommends NAMPOL to
introduce gender training programmes and other training and development programmes
targeting specifically women. It also recommends mandatory mentorship of junior officers
in the preparation of them assuming leadership positions. The study also recommends other
researchers to investigate NAMPOL's HR policies and procedures to ascertain their
effectiveness in addressing gender inequalitie
An evaluation of the circumvent strategy implementation factors inhibiting effective tax collection within the Inland Revenue department in the Ministry of Finance in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration Management StrategyThis study was conducted to evaluate the circumvent strategy implementation
factors inhibiting effective tax collection within the Inland Revenue
Department (IRD) in the Ministry of Finance in Namibia. The study was
conducted against the background that the IRD in Namibia was struggling
with the collection of taxes with more than N$ l9 Billion uncollected tax
revenue. The objectives of the study were: to identify circumvent strategy
implementation factors that inhibit the effective collection of taxes by the
Inland Revenue Department, to assess the impact 01 the strategy
implementation factors on the effective collection of taxes by the Inland
Revenue Department, to establish ways of avoiding strategy implementation
factors that inhibit effective collection of taxes by the Inland Revenue
Department and to recommend best practices from the international and
regional levels on how to avoid strategy implementation factors that inhibit
effective collection of taxes by the Inland Revenue Department. The study
was conducted through a descriptive survey, based on a sample of 44
employees from the Khomas Region of the !RD in Windhoek, Namibia.
Respondents were selected through stratified random ampling procedure and
data was collected through interviews and self-administered questionnaires.
The findings of the study revealed that factors that inhibited effective tax
collection included tax avoidance and eva ion, lack of capacity by revenue
authorities, poor compliance and corruption and exemptions. The most
prominent factor was tax evasion and avoidance, followed by lack of capacity
of revenue department. The study established that there were significant but
moderate correlations between strategy implementation factors and revenue
collection at the IRD. The increase in inhibiting factors led to a moderate
decrease in revenue collection, for instance, when tax eva ion, exemptions,
and corruption increased, there was a moderate decrease in revenue collected
by the IRD. The major solutions suggested by respondents for reducing
circumvent factors were tax education, frequent audits, training staff,
incentivise employees and building IT systems to flag uspicious taxpayers.
The study recommends an improvement in the capacity of revenue authorities
and the adoption of international standards in the management of taxe
An assessment of the recordkeeping functionalities of the Namibian Court Information System (NAMCIS) at the Office of the Judiciary
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Records and Archives Management)This study sought to assess the recordkeeping functionalities of the Namibian Court Information System (NAMCIS) to determine the efficiency and/or loopholes in the functions and the management of the system. The assessment was guided by the Modular Requirements for Records Systems, standard (MoReq2010) and the IRMT guidelines for integrating records management procedures into ICTs (Information Communication Technologies). The objectives of the study were to: evaluate the standards and procedures used to capture, store, retrieve, disseminate and retain records in NAMCIS; establish the benefits and challenges associated with NAMCIS; determine the knowledge and skills of the people who are responsible for managing the system, and; recommend ways in which NAMCIS can be optimised for the benefit of all users. The study adopted an interpretivism paradigm that aims at understanding individuals’ subjective experiences and their interpretations of the world around them. A qualitative research design was adopted, using a case study. The target population was the Khomas Region employee cohort of the Office of the Judiciary. Non probability purposive sampling was used to select four (4) IT personnel, six (6) chief legal clerks, fourteen (14) court clerks, seven (7) magistrates, and nine (9) prosecutors. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, observations and document review. Descriptive narratives were used to analyse data through content analysis. The major findings from the study revealed that although NAMCIS had adequate security measures, it was outdated and it did not meet all the mandatory functional requirements of an electronic recordkeeping system due to the fact that, it was acquired as a transactional system. It was also discovered that, the implementation process was not guided by records management professionals or internationally recommended records management standards. This study therefore concludes that NAMCIS is outdated and ii incompatible with new software and hardware. The study recommends that: a retention and disposal schedule should be implemented to determine how long information must be retained on the system; a policy framework should be developed to enable the Office of the Judiciary to manage electronic records kept in NAMCIS according to recommended records management standards; end-users should be trained regularly; and the Office of the Judiciary should liaise with Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) (Department of EDRMS) and the National Archives of Namibia, on the improvement of the system’s technicalities. This research builds on the knowledge of electronic recordkeeping systems in general, and in particular, NAMCIS
Exploratory study: The lived experiences of caregivers of individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia in Windhoek, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology)The objective of this research was to explore the lived experiences of caregivers of people diagnosed with schizophrenia to understand the dynamics within these specific family settings. A qualitative approach with a systems theory lens was applied. A purposive sampling method was utilised to select a sample size of eight participants from the Windhoek Central Hospital’s Mental Health Unit, and face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with the individuals who met the criteria. Furthermore, thematic analysis was applied to identify prominent themes in the data. Key findings of the study suggested that there was a lack of communication between mental health workers and caregivers; information and knowledge on schizophrenia was not disseminated to caregivers. Additionally, the caregivers experienced financial and social burden in their caregiving roles, which was further exacerbated by inadequate social support that exist at a broader level. The study recommended that mental health workers take a proactive inclusive approach in educating the caregivers and their relatives with schizophrenia about the diagnosis, treatment and care of the illness. Furthermore, a need for additional services, such as community-based mental health centres for accessibility, support groups, as well as financial aid was identified to improve the quality of life of the caregivers
Estimating income-related health inequalities associated with tobacco and alcohol in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Economics)A number of studies have examined the contribution of tobacco and alcohol use to the socioeconomic-related inequalities in health. Such evidence has been important for the formulation of anti-smoking and alcohol policies. However, focus has been on self-assessed health, a subjective health outcome and much is not known regarding the joint contribution of tobacco and alcohol to income-related health inequalities. This study contributes to this growing literature by estimating the separate and joint contribution of tobacco and alcohol to income-related health inequalities using more objective measures of health. The study made use of the 2015/16 Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (NHIES), a national representative survey. The study employed the Erreygers corrected concentration index (CCI) to estimate income-related health inequalities and a decomposition technique to estimate the contribution of tobacco and alcohol use to income-related health inequalities. The probit and ordinary least square to estimate the effects of tobacco and alcohol on health.
Based on the CCI for income-related health inequality, the majority of the health outcomes are found to concentrate significantly among the poor. The CCI for tobacco-related health inequality is positive and significant for many of the health indicators, suggesting that poor health is concentrated among tobacco users and even more on heavy consumers. The CCI for alcohol-related health inequality is negative and significant for several health outcomes, suggesting that the prevalence of these health outcomes is concentrated among non-alcohol consumers. The probit estimates indicate that consuming alcohol increases the probability of being sick by 0.8% points, and being diagnosed with a chronic disease by 2.5% points. Tobacco consumption has no significant effect on the probability of having a chronic disease but increases the probability of being sick by 2% point. The results show that consuming both goods contribute positively to income-related health inequalities. The contributions from tobacco use alone are positive ranging from 0.07% for the health index to 0.29% for being diagnosed with a chronic disease, while those from alcohol consumption alone are negative. This illustrates that individuals who jointly consume these goods have a higher risk of being diagnosed with a chronic disease than those who consume only one or none of the goods. This is consistent with existing literature suggesting that while alcohol and tobacco alone are strongly related to the risk of ill-health, the simultaneous exposure to tobacco use and alcohol consumption had a strong multiplicative effect on health. Thus, any policy options that reduce the consumption of both goods are essential in reducing income-related health inequalities
Multilevel analysis of academic performance in grade 12 STEM subjects, in secondary schools in Namibia
No full textA mini thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Applied Statistics and Demography)According to Francesco and Nicole (2015), the fourth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims “to ensure inclusive and quality education and promote lifelong learning for all learners to have access to education” by 2030 to facilitate literacy and numeracy equal opportunities. High-quality STEM education is a global prerequisite for individual development and participation in a technology-driven world, no wonder the need to focus on education programs on science and technology. Skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and the ability to innovate are increasingly important for openly embracing change and responsibly shaping the future. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between academic achievement and demographic variables and socio-economic variables and to what extent students’ factors; teacher’s factors and school factors affect the students’ academic performance in STEM subjects in secondary schools in Namibia. Using a hierarchically built data of 24407 students nested in 190 schools and a series of two-level multilevel model were explored to determine predictors of academic performance. The AIC established the balance between accuracy of model and its complexity. The model that had the lowest AIC was considered the best. The Intra Class Correlation (ICC =0.169) indicated remarkable clustering of the number of STEM subjects passed within centres. The findings indicated that, the school type were not significant to the study. Teachers with and without formal education were found with a negative significant toward STEM subjects The study further established that, number of classrooms, number of media or resource centres, students’ age and students’ ii sex, were found to be significantly related to students’ STEM subjects passed. Based on findings, the study recommends that, there is a need for a comprehensive concept that addressesseveral dimensions of proper coordination and management school environments to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary resources in terms of large numbers of students in classroom, learning facilities and ensure qualified teachers are employed