UNAM Gā-aisib Repository (University of Namibia)
Not a member yet
3204 research outputs found
Sort by
The return of the sacred stones of the Ovambo Kingdoms: Restitution and the revision of the past
No full textThe discourse of restitution often takes place within the framework of the ‘ethics of collecting’ with a focus on the return of objects violently obtained, which has restricted the debate. This case study of the return of two sacred stones from Finland to Namibia reflects on the cultural impact of their return. Largely Christianized communities re-encountered objects that were sacred and central to earlier belief systems. We argue that the role of the sacred stones changed over time in ways that challenge any assumption of stasis that might be assumed when deploying the concept of ‘tradition’. The return of the two stones provoked renewed interest in pre-Christian rituals but also efforts to strengthen the position of ‘traditional authorities’ in relation to the democratic system of governance in Namibia. The ripples of restitution illustrate the wider importance of the return of cultural artefacts for stimulating contemporary cultural and political debate
Factors contributing to low teacher morale in secondary schools in the Oshana educational region, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education (Educational Management, Leadership and Policy Studies)This study sought to explore the factors that contribute to low teachers‟ morale in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region, Namibia. The study was guided by the following research questions: What are the factors that contribute to low teacher morale in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region?; How does teachers‟ low morale influence their execution of duties in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region?; How does low teacher morale influence the academic performance of learners in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region? And which strategies can be put in place to raise teacher morale in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region? A qualitative exploratory design was used to explore the lived contextual experiences of teachers, in order to determine the factors contributing to low teachers‟ morale. A purposive sampling technique was used to select twenty (20) teachers from four (4) selected secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region. The study used an interview with open-ended questions to collect data from the participants. The qualitative data from open ended questions were organised into themes and sub-themes. The majority of the participants revealed that there is low morale amongst teachers in secondary schools in Oshana Educational Region. The factors noted to contribute to low teacher morale in secondary schools are work environment, school leadership, learners‟ interest in their education, parental involvement in education and admission policies. The study concluded that as a result of the above-mentioned factors, teachers suffer from low morale – therefore, influencing the academic performance of learners in secondary schools in the Oshana Educational Region. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture should recognise the efforts of teachers, improve the work environment for teachers, as well as to strengthen personal and professional development programs for teachers and school principals
Production constraints and breeding approaches for cowpea improvement for drought prone agro-ecologies in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textCowpea [Vignaunguiculata (L.) Walp.] is an important grain legume which is widely grown in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for food and feed. Its grain contains high levels of protein, energy, micro- and macro-nutrients. In SSA cowpea productivity is considerably low due to a wide array of abiotic and biotic stresses, and socio-economic constraints. This review summarizes challenges and constraints to cowpea production, breeding methods and progress, genetic variation and analysis of cowpea. Therefore, this review could serve as baseline informatio
Fuctions of Oshiwambo proverbs: An analysis of Oshikwanyama and Oshindonga proverbs
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Oshiwambo studiesThis study analysed the functions of Oshiwambo proverbs. The study was guided by three objectives namely: to analyse and identify functions of Oshiwambo proverbs; to assess the proverbs and examine their meanings; and to evaluate and classify the selected Oshiwambo proverbs according to their functions. Oshiwambo has a collection of proverbs, but none of the existing studies on Oshiwambo proverbs focuses on functions of proverbs or classified them. Thus, the classification of Oshiwambo proverbs according to their functions still needed to be explored. It was therefore the intention of this study to analyse the functions of Oshiwambo proverbs and classify them. The study adopted a qualitative research design. The Linguistic data in this study was analysed using the cognitive theory of proverb interpretation. The study analysed the Oshiwambo proverbs according to Ghazizadeh and Najafi’s (2010) ten functions namely: educational and moral principles, family blood relationship and relative, patience, warnings, social, comforting in difficulties, God and religious life, motivation and encouragement, appreciation, and conflict. The target population was all Oshiwambo proverbs that were published in the two books “Omishe di dule eyovi” and “Omayeletumbulo gAawambo”. Hence, this study was a desktop research. The study employed a purposive sampling procedure to select 100 proverbs from the above two books as a sample. A total of fifty (50) Oshikwanyama and fifty (50) Oshindonga proverbs and their meanings were selected and analysed. These selected proverbs were analysed and grouped into different categories according to their functions. The researcher found that some proverbs can belong to more than one category. The study found that Oshindonga and Oshikwanyama proverbs have similar functions and meanings. The study further revealed that proverbs show a lot about people’s lives and attitudes towards their surroundings, reflecting various cultural values in given societies
Identification of genetic variation in the Keratin-associated protein and KRT33A genes of the Swakara sheep of Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Agriculture (Animal Science)Keratins are structural intermediate filamentous proteins that constitute about 90% of the total wool fiber in sheep. The protein gene family is divided into two groups which are the Keratin Intermediate-Filament proteins (KRTs) and the Keratin-Associated proteins (KAPs). The KRTs form the skeletal structure of the wool fiber (micro-fibrils) and are embedded in a matrix of KAPs through disulphide cross-linkages. Genetic variation in the keratin genes may be associated with pelt quality traits. Pelt quality is determined by the unique hair formation, which is determined by these protein genes. High demand of exceptional pelts by the fashion industry, has probed this study in determining genetic variation in Keratin genes (KAP1.1, KAP1.3, KAP3.2) and KRT33A). The study also examined allele frequency distribution of the keratin genes in Swakara sheep in Namibia. Blood samples were collected from 168 Swakara sheep randomly selected from four farms; Neudamm, Gellap-Ost, Kalahari and Tsumis. Genomic Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated using the Inqaba biotech-kit protocol. Extracted genomic DNA was confirmed using a Nano drop and amplified using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Genetic variation was assessed using PCR-Agarose gel electrophoresis in the KAP1.1 gene. As for the KAP1.3, KAP3.2 and KRT33A, genetic variation was assessed using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Sequenced keratin genes under investigation and those retrieved from NCBI were grouped together and used to construct phylogenetic trees on Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) version 6.0. At the KAP1.1 locus, the study revealed three alleles; A, B and C with genotype frequencies of 0.13, 0.57 and 0.30, respectively. Mostly the B allele frequency was highly distributed in comparison to the A and C alleles. At the KAP1.1 locus, the study reports statistical significant difference in allele frequency distribution amongst the four farms (P=0.004). The KAP3.2 locus had one allele identified across all four farms and denoted as A. The KAP1.3 locus was statistically significant at P=0.160 with genotype frequencies of 0.5 (AA), 0.35 (AB) and 0.15 (CC). The KRT33A locus was not statistically significant (P=0.402), and had 0.25 (A) and 0.75 (B) allele frequency. The four genes under study showed no significant deviation from Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. The findings of this study which reports genetic variation in the KAP1.1, KAP1.3 and KRT33A has the potential to help with the identification of genetic markers linked to superior pelts. The use of genetic markers in the selection of Swakara sheep breeding program would potentially increase the accuracy of selection, and compliment visual appraisal technique that is currently being used in the Swakara sheep industry
Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, practices and responsiveness to medical male circumcision among males in Zambezi region, Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the Degree of MasterMale circumcision is one of the popular intervention methods that is fully supported by modern health practitioners to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS with estimate of 60%. About 58 % of men are estimated to have been circumcised globally. In southern Africa male circumcision is less common. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, with Zambezi region of Namibia plagued with high HIV/AIDS prevalence in association with low male circumcision. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and responsiveness of males towards voluntary medical male circumcision in Zambezi Region.
This was a cross sectional study among men from 15 years and older in five randomly selected constituencies of Zambezi Region. Participants were selected using probability sampling method. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and was entered into Microsoft excel sheet and analyzed with Epi-info 7.2 software. Frequencies and proportions were generated and bivariate analysis were performed to determine associations.
A total number of 379 participants were involved in the study. Most participants were between the age group of 20-29 years 124 (33%). Majority of participants 292 (77%) resides in rural area, mostly in Linyanti constituency 144(38%). Most participants indicated being single 256 (68%), and a total of 365 (95%) can read and write. Majority had adequate knowledge 354(95%) and positive attitudes 330 (87%) towards VMMC. Association of circumcision status with level of knowledge (OR=0.1, CL=0.08-0.50) p-value=0.0004, type of attitude (OR= 0.1, CL= 0.07-0.29) p-value= 0.0001 and this was all significant. This study concluded that participants had adequate knowledge and positive attitudes towards VMMC, however there are some men with lack of knowledge and negative attitudes towards the VMMC program. Therefore, the study recommends for more education and awareness campaigns on VMMC in order to facilitate behavior change among this group and enhance the performance of the VMMC program in the region
An analysis of the effects of daily subsistence allowances expenditure on the overall budget and service goals of the Ministry of Safety and Security in Namibia
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Business Administration in FinanceAs per the State Finance Act, 1991, to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses for trave I
expenses incurred when on work-related responsibilities and to encourage staff to attend
professional development activities, the Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) rates had to
be established. However, weaknesses in the control of daily subsistence allowances
expenditure can cause problems, including distortions of human resource systems, fraud ,
and misuse by the staffs, which has the potential to affect government's objectives
adversely through corruption. The purpose ofthis study was to analyse the effects of daily
subsistence allowances expenditure on the overall budget and service goals ofthe Ministry
of Safety and Security in Windhoek, Namibia as from the financial year 20 I 0/20 I I to
2015/2016. The analysis of daily subsistence allowances effects on the overall budget
identifies the risks of malpractice and fraud and offer suggestions for improvement. The
study applied mixed methods. The population size was 174 and the sample size comprised
of I 08 respondents. The research instrument used in this study was a self-administered
questionnaire, distributed to I 08 respondents. The study found out that, overspending has
become the order ofthe day and this is done at the expense of service delivery. There was
too much movement of members for the same mission and time. This revealed that there
are no proper measures to control the activities when it comes to official missions.
Sometimes staffs have created unnecessary missions just to earn extra income to solve
their problems, and this harms daily subsistence allowances expenditure and the
Ministry's overall budget. In addition to that, the study also found that there was a lack of
financial control measures caused by poor management and lack of accountability
regarding the use of daily subsistence allowances in the line Ministry. Given the findings
of the research, the researcher recommends that theM inistry o fSafety and Security should
make a yearly plan for their missions, which the line Minister are supposed to know by
the beginning of the year. The Mission Committee must be the one in charge of the
planning of the mission, organising, approval and knowing who is travelling while
ensuring that people arc rotating fairly. This will help to improve the effectiveness of
managing the Daily Subsistence Allowances expenditur
An evaluation of service quality and challenges faced by the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund
No full textA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Business Administration Management StrategyService quality is the ability of the organization to meet or exceed customer expectations.
The late payment of loans to the Higher Tertiary Institutions (HTI's) in Namibia has been
a major concern to both students and parents for the past years. HTI's put students in
jeopardy when they are not allowed to write their examinations or receive their
examination results due to unpaid tuition fees. It is on this basis that the researcher
intended to evaluate the quality of service being offered by NSF AF from the viewpoint of
students and from NSF AF' s point of view as an institution. The objectives of the study
were: to evaluate the customer perceptions of service quality at NSF AF; to determine if
customers were satisfied with NSF AF service; to establish the service delivery challenges
faced by NSF AF and to identify possible strategies to improve service efficiency at
NSF AF. A mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative was used in order to gain
an understanding of underlying perceptions and opinions for staff members and
beneficiaries. This study was a combination of descriptive research and exploratory
research. A case study research design was adopted and primary data was collected using
researcher administered questionnaires from 127 students and 89 NSF AF staff members
who were randomly sampled. The study made use of both descriptive and inferential
statistics in drawing conclusions from the results. The study found that there was a
significant difference between the customers' perception of service quality at NSF AF and
service offered by NSFAF. In addition, the study concluded that the majority of students
were not satisfied with the service delivered by NSF AF. The study further revealed that
internal business processes, IT systems, recovery, policies and procedures were the main
internal challenges the fund was faced with. Furthermore, the study revealed that NSF AF
had the necessary resources to deliver effective and timely service to customers. The study
further concluded that government directives and the economic downturn were the main
external challenges that NSF AF was faced with. The study recommends that NSF AF
acquires proper IT systems, to train its staff members on customer care and service,
disburse student funds timely, improve communication and hire more employees in order
to improve and enhance service deliver
Radionuclide analysis of soil samples taken from Outjo, Namibia
No full textA mini thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Nuclear ScienceNaturally occurring radionuclides such as Uranium (238U), Thorium (232Th) and
Potassium (40K), exist in the soil where they continuously disintegrate and emit
ionising radiation which could pose health hazards to the inhabitants of a given
location if the concentrations of the radionuclides are very high. In this work, the
concentrations of the radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K in the soil samples taken from
Outjo have been studied by gamma spectrometry. The town of Outjo was divided into
ten geographical areas and five samples were collected across each area. These
samples were dried under laboratory temperature, passed through a 2 mm mesh screen
and sealed in 500 ml polythene bottles. The samples were analysed using a liquid
nitrogen cooled High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector (by Canberra). The Python
Code was used to calculate the activity concentrations of- and Hazard indices due to-
the radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K from the intensities of the gamma lines emitted.
The results obtained show that the concentrations of radionuclides in the soils of the
town of Outjo vary from 11. 7 ± 1.6 to 29. 8 ± 2.0 Bq kg-1 with an average of 20.5 ±
3.5 Bq kg-1 for 238U, 15.2 ± 1.8 to 58.3 ± 4.2 Bq kg-1 with an average of 31.4 ± 8.9 Bq
kg-1 for 232Th and 206.2 ± 12.9 to 819.6 ± 31.9 Bq kg-1 with an average of 350.6 ±
124.6 Bq kg-1 for 40K. The average concentrations for 238U and 40K are lower than the
worldwide averages of 35.0 Bq kg-1 and 400.0 Bq kg-1
respectively. In contrast, the
average concentration for 232Th is slightly higher than the worldwide average of 30.0
Bq kg-1
.
The average outdoor air absorbed dose rate due to terrestrial gamma rays at 1m above
the ground was found to be 43.0 ± 10.6 nGyh-1 which is below the worldwide average
value of 58.0 nGyh-1
. Also, the corresponding average effective dose was found to be
0.05 ± 0.01 mSvy-1 which is below the maximum permissible limit of 1.0 mSvy-1
.
iii
These results imply that the background radiation in the town is not high. The average
values of Raeq and Hex are 92.4 ± 22.5 Bq kg-1
and 0.25 ± 0.06 which are below the
recommended maximum limit of 370.0 Bq kg-1 and 1 respectively. Furthermore, the
average values obtained for the other hazard parameters are all below the
recommended maximum values, thus confirming that the town have normal
background radiation so that radiation hazard is negligible in the town. All the results
obtained in this study will contribute to the national baseline data of activity
concentrations of radionuclides in the soils of Namibi
Antitubercular and antimalarial activity of metabolites isolated from crude and lead-like enhanced (LLE) extracts from selected Namibian medicinal plants
No full textDissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Science (Chemistry and Biochemistry)Medicinal plants remain an important source of new lead compounds and drugs, but the re-isolation of known compounds and the loss of bioactivity during purification impedes the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Of interest to this study, is a protocol developed by Camp and co-workers, which involves enhancing the quality of plant extracts by frontloading them with metabolites with drug-like properties, that is, generating lead like enhanced (LLE) extracts. This approach was successfully applied and yielded novel antiplasmodial and antitrypanosomal compounds but has not been explored to search for antitubercular compounds or drug leads. The aim of this study was (i) to prepare crude organic and aqueous extracts of 25 plant parts obtained from eight indigenous Namibian medicinal plants, (ii) to evaluate their antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activity, and (iii) to correlate their ethnomedicinal use with the biological results obtained in this study. It was further aimed at evaluating the antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activity of the LLE extracts and MeOH fractions – obtained from the active crude extracts – as well as to isolate and characterize the bioactive compounds. Eight plant species which are used traditionally for the treatment of tuberculosis, malaria and associated symptoms, were collected at Uis in the Erongo region and Tsumkwe in the Otjozondjupa region. Plants included were: Terminalia sericea, Adansonia digitata, Ozoroa paniculosa, Diospyros lycioides, Albizia anthelmintica, Combretum imberbe, Aloe dichotoma and Sarcocaulon marlothii Engl. The antiplasmodial activity was tested in vitro using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay against Plasmodium falciparum (CQS) NF54 and the in vitro antimycobacterial activity testing was done using the standard broth microdilution method against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv-GFP strains. The preliminary biological activity results showed that 10 crude extracts (8 organic and 2 aqueous) displayed antimycobacterial activity with an MIC90 125 μg/mL, respectively. Instead, both the organic and aqueous extracts displayed in vitro antiplasmodial activity with IC50s of 8.80 μg/mL and 17.8 μg/mL, respectively. The antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial bioactive crudes were then subjected to solid phase extraction using Strata-X reversed phase cartridges prepacked with N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP). The solvent systems used for elution was 70% MeOH:H2O containing 1% trifluoroacetic acid followed by 100% MeOH, to yield the LLE and MeOH fractions, respectively. Compared to the bioactive antimycobacterial crudes, none of the LLE extracts displayed antimycobacterial activity. The MeOH fraction of the bark of A. digitata however, displayed a more than threefold increase in activity (MIC90 19.5 μg/mL) compared to the organic crude (MIC90 70.7 μg/mL). With regard to antiplasmodial activity, the MeOH fraction of the organic extract of the stems of S.mmarlothii displayed a twofold increase in antiplasmodial activity (IC50 4.30 μg/mL) compared to the crude (IC50 8.80 μg/mL). In accordance with the objective of the study, the crude organic extract of the stems of S. marlothii was subjected to flash chromatography, that is, to isolate and characterize potentially novel antiplasmodial compounds. Subfraction on E9 (IC50 6.464 ± 1.767 μg/mL), originating from the organic extract of the stems of S. marlothii, was obtained in small quantities (29.4 mg) and was impure as revealed by LC-MS data. The aromatic region of the 1H-NMR of subfraction E9 revealed that the major bioactive compound, contain a hydroxylated, trisubstituted aromatic ring with an unsaturated side chain, most likely a caffeic acid derivative. The results obtained in this study supports the traditional use of T. sericea and A. digitata for the treatment of malaria and tuberculosis and their associated symptoms. It also supports the enrichment of extracts to expedite antimalarial drug research and recommends further purification of the crude or LLE extracts of S. marlothii for the unambiguously identification of the active compound/s which could serve as leads in antimalarial drug discover