UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
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A comparative study of the male and female discourses on adolescent pregnancy, sexuality and fertility in Groot Aub, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Gender and Development Studies)This study offered unique insights into the gendered discourses and power relations that
create sexual double standards between male and female adolescents. It focused on the
mapping of male and female discourses on adolescent pregnancy, sexuality and fertility in
Groot Aub, Namibia. The study used critical discourse analysis to compare the cultural
values, norms, practices, and perceptions about adolescent sexuality, pregnancy and fertility
between men and women. With the use of stratified purposive sampling technique, 41
participants were interviewed using semi-structured and key informant interviews.
The findings showed the sexual double standards that were reinforced by patriarchal,
traditional and religious discourses. Female sexuality was mostly shamed and it was blamed
for teenage pregnancy. These discourses pathologised pregnant teenagers and constructed
girls as being sexually promiscuous and damaged. In return, boys who impregnated girls
were described as "the guy" or "the man", who acts out of his "natural desires" and who are
easily bribed by older women into early sexual debuts. Thus, the lack of male responsibility
for their sexuality and fertility was normalised. These discourses inform traditional practices
which exasperate gender sexual inequalities and power imbalances between men and women.
Furthermore, conservative traditional, cultural and religious discourses dominated adolescent
fertility discourses in Groot Aub. These fertility discourses were found to be embedded in
gender stereotypes and myths, hence, fostering cultural silence on male sexuality and fertility.
The researcher recommends an all-inclusive approach that targets both adolescent girls and
boys, as well as women and men in the community on Sexual and Reproductive Health
(SRH) and teenage pregnancies to mitigate stigma, myths and stereotypes that are attached to
adolescent SRH, and to transcend patriarchal and derogative cultural sexuality discourse
Principals’ experiences in the implementation of the English language proficiency programme in Namibia
No full textto lack skills to supervise teachers in delivering instruction using the English language. Studies conducted elsewhere in the world found that effective school leadership is needed for the success of professional development programmes. The purpose of this paper is to explore principals’ lived experiences with regard to
their roles in the implementation of the English Language Proficiency Programme (ELPP).
Design/methodology/approach – This paper followed a qualitative inquiry with multiple case study designs to explore principals’ lived experiences during the implementation of the ELPP. Ten schools were selected for the analysis, two from each of the five regions. The schools were selected on the basis of
remoteness, the total number of teachers who participated in the ELPP, school phases (i.e. primary and combined) and pre-test scores. Principals were interviewed using exploratory open-ended questions, and data analysis produced five categories under which the results were presented.
Findings – The findings indicate that principals applied their individual logic to accommodate and implement the programme. They applied their individual productive leadership habitus to contextualise ELPP activities to ease their workload and appear corporative. Principals had significant influence on teacher
learning and ensured successful implementation of a ministerial programme. Moreover, their leadership skills influenced the ways in which teachers received instruction and created a conducive learning environment. Owing to principals’ administrative, instructional and transformational leadership, many teachers
participated and transcended upward and some were declared proficient in English.
Research limitations/implications – This study research the effectiveness of leadership regarding English professional development programmes in achieving goals, explore power relations between school principals and education officials when developing and implementing professional development programmes and establish more efficient ways of providing a better leadership model for professional development
programmes to achieve goals.
Practical implications – This paper was limited to a few principals at rural schools in selected regions, therefore findings could not be generalised.
Social implications – There is a need for creating opportunities for interactions among all stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of English proficiency programmes and to build power relations and work as a team to benefit schools. In order to enhance programme implementation and improve learning outcomes, there is also a need to provide feedback at intervals and find solutions to challenges as a team.
Originality/value – Placing principals in situations without orientation triggered the need for specific leadership logic and particularities to be applied in a context for the success of the programme, which resulted in participation of more teachers in the ELPP. They applied their particularities and productive habitus through administrative, instructional and transformational leadership to enhance learning. Principals appointed English language teachers to instruct and mentor others, and consequently enabled some principals and teachers to exit the programme. Principals achieved these short wins upon realising that one has to cooperate with the authority to ensure achieving desired outcomes
Determination of the suitability of MT Gamsberg in Namibia for millimetre wave stronomy by measurements of the precipitable water vapour
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in PhysicsPrecipitable Water Vapour (PWV) is the amount of water vapour in the atmospheric column above a location equivalent to the amount of liquid precipitation that would result if all the water vapour in the column was condensed. Water vapour is the main
source of opacity in the Earth’s atmosphere at infrared and millimetre to sub-millimetre wavelengths. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a large network of millimetre to
sub-millimetre telescopes across the globe that is used to image supermassive black holes. The Africa Millimetre Telescope (AMT) is planned to be built on Mt Gamsberg in Namibia and aims to complement the EHT. In this study, PWV at Mt Gamsberg and at the H.E.S.S. site was determined in order to asses the two sites regarding their suitability to conduct millimetre wave astronomy and for the AMT to be built on Mt
Gamsberg. PWV at the H.E.S.S. site was indirectly determined from sky temperature data which was taken from 2004 to 2019 by radiometers on four of the H.E.S.S. Cherenkov Telescopes (CT). The PWV at H.E.S.S. as a function of sky temperature
as given by the CT radiometers was determined by relationships given by data from two other equipment present at the H.E.S.S. site, namely the NASA AERONET station and an ATMOSCOPE with the equipment recording PWV and sky temperature,
respectively. The PWV at Mt Gamsberg was determined by scaling the PWV from the H.E.S.S. site to what it would be at the height of Mt Gamsberg. The relative frequency distribution of PWV, monthly mean PWV along with its seasonal variations were comiputed for both sites. The presented results indicate Mt Gamsberg is a suitable site for millimetre wave astronomy and to host the AMT. However it was recommended that direct PWV measurements should be taken at Mt Gamsberg to confirm the result of this study, as these were not based on direct in-situ measurements
The effect of single and combined use of gamma radiation and ethyl methane sulfonate on early growth parameters in Sorghum
No full textAbstract: Success in inducing genetic variation through mutagenic agents is dependent on the source and dose of application. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum doses of a single and combined use of gamma radiation and ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) for effective mutation breeding in sorghum. The study involved two concurrent experiments as follows: in experiment I, the seeds of four sorghum genotypes (‘Parbhani Moti’, ‘Parbhani Shakti’, ‘ICSV 150130, and ‘Macia’) were treated using gamma radiation (0, 300, 400, 500 and 600 Gy), EMS (0, 0.5 and 1.0%), and gamma radiation followed by EMS (0 and 300 Gy and 0.1% EMS; 400 Gy and 0.05% EMS). In experiment II, the seeds of two genotypes (‘Macia’ and ‘Red sorghum’) were treated with seven doses of gamma radiation only (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 Gy). Overall, the combined applied doses of gamma radiation and EMS are not recommended due to poor seedling emergence and seedling survival
rate below LD50. The best dosage of gamma radiation for genotypes Red sorghum, Parbhani Moti, Macia, ICSV 15013 and Parbhani Shakti ranged between 392 and 419 Gy, 311 and 354 Gy, 256 and 355 Gy, 273 and 304 Gy, and 266 and 297 Gy, respectively. The EMS optimum dosage ranges for genotypes Parbhani Shakti, ICSV 15013, Parbhani Moti and Macia were between 0.41% and 0.60%, 0.48% and 0.58%, 0.46% and 0.51%, and 0.36% and 0.45%, respectively. The above dose rates are useful to induce genetic variation in the tested sorghum genotypes for greater mutation events in sorghum breeding programs.
Keywords: ethylmethane sulfonate; gamma radiation; sorghu
Assessment of copper recovery from leaching of microwave pre-treated tailing from the Otjihase mine
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science (Metallurgical Engineering)Copper forms one of the world 's most important metals, with vital properties such as high malleability, toughness, and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. These properties make copper su itable for a vast range of industrial applications, and predominantly electrical applications. Currently, Namibia has a limited number of active copper mines, and hence a means to recover copper from secondary sources would positively impact Namibia's copper production and would also be beneficial to the Namibian economy. In this study, the assessment of copper dissolution efficiency by microwave-assisted leaching is considered. XRD analysis of the as-received mine tailings revealed that copper is present in the tailings material in the form of sulphide minerals only, covellite (CuS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). Dry mine tailings of particle size -75μm were subjected to microwave pre-heating for 6 minutes in a domestic microwave oven for varying microwave intensities. This was followed
by leaching with 0.5M Sulphuric Acid at varying temperatures and leaching times, in a water bath at atmospheric pressure. Results of the effect of leaching time, leaching temperature and microwave irradiation intensity are provided in this work. The results suggest that increasing leaching time and leaching temperature has a slight positive impact on copper leaching efficiency, with the highest recovery of 36.13% obtained at a leaching time of 50 minutes, leaching temperature of 80°C and microwave pre-treatment power of 700W. It was also observed that increasing microwave power from 100 to 700W had no significant impact on the efficiency of copper dissolution. Shrinking core models revealed that diffusion through
the product layer, as governed by the equation kdt = 1 - 2x8 - (1 - X8 )
2!3 was found to 3 be the rate-determining step, and hence the dissolution reaction mechanism. Arrhenius plots were used to determine the activation energy, which was calculated to be in the range of 7.7- 22.69kJ/mol. Multiple linear regression revealed that microwave power, leaching time and leaching temperature were related to percentage copper recovery by the following equation:
Rcu = 4.8525 * 10-4 i + 4.8325 * 10-2 t + 1.11565 * 10-1r + 23.9299
Challenges and successes of gender focal point persons in the context of gender responsive budgeting initiatives in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Gender and Development Studies)The Namibian government has taken cognisance of the importance of mainstreaming gender at the institutional level. In efforts to promote gender mainstreaming, its cabinet directed all government offices, ministries and agencies (OMAs) to comply with the Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) initiative, in 2014. The implementation of the GRB initiative requires all OMAs to have Gender Focal Point Persons (GFPPs) in all government institutions, specifically responsible for ensuring that gender issues are mainstreamed in all relevant activities, programmes, plans and policies. This study investigated the challenges and successes experienced by the GFPPs in Namibia, since they have not yet been documented. It also evaluated the extent to which the GRB initiative is being implemented in selected ministries which are: Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW); Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MEAC); Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS); Ministry of Safety and Security (MoSS) -Namibian Police; Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture (MYSC); and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF). Government institutes continue to be a significant interest in that they reproduce and contribute to the shaping of woman lives. Additionally, the government has a great influence in the challenges and success that GFPP are experiencing. The study adopted an epistemological philosophy which concerns with the theory of knowledge in understanding the experiences of GFPP, with a keen interest in interpretative philosophy. Qualitative research design was employed in this study, for which data were gathered through interviews and from 6 selected government ministries. This approach provided an in-depth approach in exploring the challenges and successes of GFPP. analysed using thematic analysis. A set of semi-structured interview guides was administered to the GFPPs. The study applied the concept of governmentality that was introduced by Foucault in the 20th century.
The study revealed that the main challenge affecting the implementation of the GRB initiative or any other gender related initiative was lack of financial resources. Although the GRB initiative is being implemented in some ministries such as MGECW and Ministry of Defence (MOD), the extent is limited, particularly due to limited funding and continuous budget cuts. As part of the identified successes, many ministries have been commended for mainstreaming gender issues in their plans, programmes and activities. Thus far, the MOD has established a gender division; other ministries such as MESC and MSSS have developed gender strategies, action plans and policies; while others are supporting important gender activities, sometimes with external support in terms of funding. Of all the ministries, the MOD has been applauded for establishing a gender division, and for that reason it has a special budget vote within the national budget. The study further revealed that there were no standard criteria for selecting GFPPs. Some of them were selected, although they lacked the knowledge and skills related to gender. However, others were selected based on their experience with gender issues. Now, there are no job descriptions in place for the GFPPs, yet whether with experience or no experience those appointed are expected to take up the responsibility of implementing the GRB initiative in their respective institution.
As a conclusion, GFPPs are aware of the GRB concept and what it entails, however, they lack knowledge and skills to implement it. The study further concluded that GFPPs can hardly influence gender mainstreaming if they are not being trained, neither being involved in decision-making or in the budgeting process, and when they have limited knowledge. It is therefore recommended that GFPPs should be people in management positions, as managers have influential power compared to juniors. In addition, job descriptions for GFPPs should be developed to guide the implementation of tasks. It is further recommended that the GRB should be placed as a priority, and training should not be optional
Analysing the effects of interest rate and reserve requirements ratio on bank credit risk in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in EconomicsThe study assessed the effect of monetary policy instruments (interest rates and reserve requirements) on banking institutions risk, measured in terms of non-performing loans. The study used quarterly data from Bank of Namibia from 200IQJ to 2017Q3. The study employed the Auto regressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) lag model to determine the effects. Since the reserve requirements is seldom used in Namibia and ever kept at one percent of the bank 's total liabilities to the public, it was considered dormant. Therefore, shocking the reserves requirements up-or down-wards is not plausible in the Namibian economy. The variables
considered are non-performing loans (NPL), as a dependent variable and interest rates (!), banks tier I capital (CA), banks ' total assets (TA), gross domestic product (GDP), and private credit extension (CR); as the explanatory variables. The results indicate that there is a short run negative effect between interest rates and bank risk, which implies that the low rate would increase the bank's non-performing loans. The negative relationship indicates that low inflation or price stability does not guarantee financial stability in the economy. The Granger causality
results indicate non-causality between interest rates and bank risk, but interest rates Granger cause economic growth and private sector credit that have a direct effect to bank risks
Enhancing internationalisation practices in higher education: A case of the University of Namibia
No full textA dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public AdministrationThe world has become a global village, thus higher education has become increasingly international because students and academics have a choice to study or teach at preferred institutions. While interest in international education has increased over the years, various universities have developed policies and strategies for internationalisation, which act as a guide for their respective institutions. Despite the fact that the University of Namibia came into existence in 1992, compared to other universities that were established years ago, there have been remarkable achievements in a relatively short period of time to deepen internationalisation. While the above achievements underscore the development of internationalisation activities at the University of Namibia, the problem remains that the institution still lacks a coherent policy that adheres to effective internationalisation practices. It is against this background that University of Namibia was the case for this study, investigating whether academic and administrative staff experience challenges while embracing internationalisation activities and programmes. This study explored a central research objective namely, to propose a guideline for internationalisation at the University of Namibia. Data were collected through interviews with selected members of the executive management and deans of faculties. Secondly, a comparative analysis of six universities’ internationalisation policies against internationalisation guidelines was made, in order to propose guidelines for the development of an internationalisation policy at University of Namibia. This study used the qualitative approach, and the researcher followed a single-stage sampling procedure. Thus, the interviewees represented by a sample population of eighteen individuals from which sixteen were interviewed. The participants were identified as eight deans in the eight faculties, seven in executive management and three directors. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, revealing that the University of Namibia does not have a standardised policy to guide departments and faculties when practising internationalisation at the institution. The challenges, obstacles and constraints were evident due to a lack of an internationalisation policy that provides clear guidance to the institution. Five recommendations were made, namely: The University of Namibia should develop an internationalisation policy for the institution; the University of Namibia should introduce reward systems to encourage the participation of internationalisation at the institution; the institution should organise an awareness campaign on internationalisation activities and programmes to staff, students and stakeholders; and the University of Namibia should establish a fully-fledged office to coordinate and facilitate internationalisation at the institution. Finally, the study proposed guidelines for the development of an internationalisation policy at the University of Namibia
Genomic diversity of Rift Valley fever strains circulating in Namibia in 2010 and 2011
No full textOutbreaks of Rift Valley fever (RVF) occurred in Namibia in 2010 and 2011. Complete genome characterization was obtained from virus isolates collected during disease outbreaks in southern Namibia in 2010 and from wildlife in Etosha National Park in 2011, close to the area where RVF outbreaks occurred in domestic livestock. The virus strains were sequenced using Sanger sequencing (Namibia_2010) or next generation sequencing (Namibia_2011). A sequence-independent, single-primer amplification (SISPA) protocol was used in combination with the Illumina Next 500 sequencer. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences of the small (S), medium (M), and large (L) genome segments of RVF virus (RVFV) provided evidence that two distinct RVFV strains circulated in the country. The strain collected in Namibia in 2010 is genetically similar to RVFV strains circulating in South Africa in 2009 and 2010, confirming that the outbreaks reported in the southern part of Namibia in 2010 were caused by possible dissemination of the infection from South Africa. Isolates collected in 2011 were close to RVFV isolates from 2010 collected in humans in Sudan and which belong to the large lineage containing RVFV strains that caused an outbreak in 2006–2008 in eastern Africa. This investigation showed that the RVFV strains circulating in Namibia in 2010 and 2011 were from two different introductions and that RVFV has the ability to move across regions. This supports the need for risk-based surveillance and monitoring.Istituto Zooprofilattico dell’Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale supported by the Italian Ministry of Health
Production performance of sheep and goat breeds at a farm in a semi-arid region of Namibia
No full textThis study retrospectively investigated the effect of breed and season on the lambing/kidding dynamics, growth performance,
neonatal viability, and weaning dynamics of sheep (Damara, Dorper, and Swakara) and goats (Boer goat and Kalahari Red) at a farm in the Khomas Region of Namibia between 2004 and 2015. Litter size was dependent on breed (X2(12, N = 3388) = 796,p < 0.001), with twinning more frequent in Dorper sheep and Kalahari Red and Boer goats than in the Damara and Swakara sheep (p < 0.05), while triplets were more prevalent in the Dorper sheep and Kalahari Red goats (2.8% and 1.0%, respectively;
p < 0.05). Distribution of birth weight categories was dependent on breed. There was a significant difference in the proportions
of birth weight categories between breeds (X2(12, N = 3388) = 467, p < 0.001)whereby Dorper lambs weremostly bornweighing
below 3 kg (2.6%, p < 0.05); Boer goat kids, Kalahari Red kids, and Damara lambs were mostly born weighing 3 to < 4 kg (4.3%,
6.3% and 19.9%, respectively; p < 0.05); Swakara lambs were mostly born weighing 4 to < 5 kg (12.2%, p < 0.05), and Swakara
lambs were mostly born weighing ≥ 5 kg (3.3% and 2.3%, respectively, p < 0.05). Weaning age categories were dependent on breed (X2(12, N = 3388) = 241, p < 0.001) whereby Dorper lambs were mostly weaned at below 3 months of age (2.8%,
p < 0.05); Damara lambs were mostly weaned at 3 to < 5 months of age (12%, p < 0.05), and Boer goat kids were mostly weaned
at ≥ 5 months of age (0.9%, p < 0.05). Neonatal viability was dependent on breed (X2(8, N = 3388) = 49.2, p < 0.001) whereby Dorper lambs were more susceptible to abortions and neonatal deaths (0.6% and 1.5%, respectively; p < 0.05) than the rest of the breeds. Breed and lambing season interacted to produce effects on the birth weight of offspring although lambing season alone did not have a significant effect on Boer goat and Kalahari Red kids’ birth weights