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Secure mobile payment system based on Blockchain technology for higher learning institutions.
Get PDFMaster of Science in Computer ScienceThe present procedures for paying student fees in higher learning institutions are inefficient and complex. In addition, the rise in the number of students studying in higher learning institutions has led to long frustrating queues and overcrowding in most financial institutions and higher learning institutions during payment of student fees. Cash and contact-based payment methods should be avoided, according to the World Health Organization, because they could be a source of infection of Covid-19. This study sought to build and implement a Blockchain-based mobile payment system for higher education institutions in Zambia by first investigating factors influencing the adoption of e-wallets by students. The study used cross-sectional design method as a study design. Stratified random sampling was adopted for selecting the hostels at the higher learning institutions whose occupants were then randomly selected for participation in this study. The study adopted a closed-ended questionnaire administered by the researcher. The primary data from questionnaires was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Excel. This study considered seven factors as possible predictor variables; perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived cost, perceived risk, social norm, gender and age. The Likelihood Ratio Test was used in this study, and the results showed that perceived ease of use and gender influenced student adoption of e-wallets at a 5% level of significance. Thus, designers and software developers of e-wallet products should make their products simple to use and must consider the preferences of each gender when designing mobile e-wallets. To develop the model, Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams were used to visually describe the proposed system, including its major actors, roles, actions and classes. The prototype was developed using object-oriented software development methodology. The prototype included an e-wallet mobile application and a RESTful API with blockchain technologies as the underlying component. This study adopted blockchain technology because blockchain creatively blends cryptography with a decentralized database in a novel way, allowing a blockchain to be decentralized, immutable and transparent. Additionally, blockchain is a distributed and decentralized ledger that is tamper-proof and preserves the growing array of data such as transactions. The test results demonstrate that the proposed payment system can be used by students to pay various fees remotely. Hence, the proposed system can be used as a safer avenue for paying tuition and other fees in higher learning institutions midst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Key Terms: e-wallet, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, gender, Likelihood Ratio Test, blockchain and cryptography
Course difficulty and a remedy to low progression rate among undergraduate medical students at the university of Zambia.
Get PDFArticleThis study investigated the relationship between level of difficulty of courses and course organisation, pace of the course and time allocated to the course among undergraduate medical students at the University of Zambia’s School of Medicine. An explanatory sequential research design was used for data collection and data were gathered using a survey instrument, focus group discussions, document analysis and interviews with key informants. The quantitative data from the first set were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics while the qualitative data from the second set were analysed using the constant comparative method. The analysis showed that for the course organisation, the value of the test statistics was 42.1 with degrees of freedom (df) for the test at 20 and corresponding p-value at p < .005 of .003. The results showed that there was no statistical significance difference of the course organisation on level of difficulty. This meant that the course organisation affected level of difficulty. Course concepts were not taught in depth, resulting in student perceptions that the courses were difficult. Most courses’ workload in the School of Medicine were heavy with little time allocated to them and taught at a faster speed. The findings point to the urgent need to review the course content to align it with the time allocated. In addition, courses should be rearranged in order to fit well in the curriculum. Some of the courses might require repackaging to reduce on half courses and also remove concepts which might lack applicability.
Keywords: Course organization, difficulty, delivery, course time allocatio
A history of Maamba coal mine and its socio-economic impact on Zambia, 1968-2010.
Get PDFMaster Of Arts In HistoryThis study examines the origins and development of Maamba Coal Mine and its socio-economic impact on Zambia. It demonstrates that although Ian Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (U.D.I) in Rhodesia, 1965 was the key driver in the development of commercial mining of coal in the country, the art of mining had been done on a small scale by indigenous people in the Gwembe valley during the pre-colonial era. However, it was the import restrictions on Rhodesian coal imposed by Smith’s U.D.I that threatened Zambia’s copper industry to the point where the country established Maamba Coal Mine in 1968 so as to exploit its domestic coal reserves. This study investigates how Maamba Colliery recruited and retained its labour force. It reveals that the colliery pooled the bulk of its skilled workforce from the Copperbelt province owing to the working experience and technical schools which were in close proximity to the copper mines. Unskilled labour was recruited mainly from the local population in the surrounding villages. The study shows that in the early days, miners enjoyed good conditions of service, including the provision of recreational facilities as well as social services such as education and health facilities in Maamba township. This immensely contributed to labour retention at the colliery. This study demonstrates that Maamba Colliery was not spared from the woes of privatisation as it experienced operational problems due to lack of recapitalisation. In an attempt to stay afloat, the colliery retrenched some of its skilled workforce in 1997. The study also shows that Maamba Colliery had an adverse impact on the environment. Gaseous emissions caused lung diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis and other respiratory infections. Water pollution in turn negatively affected human, livestock and agricultural activities. This study concludes that despite its negative impact on the environment, Maamba Colliery made a huge contribution to the country’s economy through its exports and those of various coal-fired industries such as copper mines, Chilanga Cement, Zambia Breweries, Zambia Sugar and Zambia Railways.
Key words: Maamba Colliery, Unilateral Declaration of Independence, Privatisation, Recapitalisaion
Perceptions on the use of sexual reproductive health services by female school going adolescents: a case of Lusaka East.
No full textMaster of Arts Degree in Development StudiesIn recent years, Sexual Reproductive Health has gained a lot of attention following the first discussions on the topic in 1994 at the International Conference for Population and Development. This follows a realisation that a significant number of adolescents engage in sexual activities and most cases do not practice safe sexual behaviours. In trying to understand why this is the case, the study analysed the perceptions on the use of Sexual Reproductive Health Services (SRH) services by female school-going adolescents in four secondary schools in the Eastern part of Lusaka. The study applied a qualitative research approach and a case study was used. The female school-going adolescents were purposively selected to be part of the study due to the characteristics they possessed to give the relevant information for the study. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. The study highlighted some perceived benefits of SRH services which included a reduction of teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, dropping out of school, early marriages and HIV/STIs infections. The study also revealed how perceptions such as unsupportive attitudes from service providers, myths related to family planning and abortion services as well as perceptions about the environment in which these services were provided negatively influenced the use of Sexual Reproductive Health services. Further, the study revealed the challenges that female adolescents faced in accessing SRH services. These challenges included service providers’ judgemental attitudes, limited information about SRH services and lack of confidentiality from peer educators and health service providers.
Keywords: Perceptions, use, Female school-going Adolescents, Sexual Reproductive Health Service
Experiential narratives of persons with disabilities on Zambia’s electoral processes in Lusaka district.
Get PDFArticleThe aim of this research was to explore experiences of persons with disabilities in the electoral processes within Lusaka District. The study focuses on stories around electoral conflicts, accessibility of polling stations, electoral materials and adequacy of laws and policies that promote electoral and political participation of persons with disabilities. This study demonstrates that in Zambia, persons with disabilities experience challenges at an individual level. The study used semi structured interviews to collect data and a narrative approach coupled with some thematic analysis was used in the process of reviewing the responses from participants. Purposive sampling was used in the selection process of participants and a total of 19 individuals living with disabilities were involved in this study. The findings of this study indicate that participation in electoral processes by persons with disabilities are mainly hindered several issues but key among them is: inaccessible infrastructure, inadequate tactile materials for the visually impaired and other assistive devices and long distances to polling stations. This study has also shown that electoral conflicts is also one of the challenges that persons with disabilities face in their quest to participate in the electoral process at various levels as well as negative perceptions that people without disabilities have towards those with disabilities. With regard to policies, the study has demonstrated that although laws and policies that are aimed at promoting and mainstreaming disability issues in all sectors of development are in place, they fall short of addressing many aspects and challenges faced by persons with disabilities. There is also need to provide voter education and information in accessible formats (for example, large print, electronic format for voters that use screen-reading technology, written material, and easy-to-understand language for persons with intellectual disabilities). The study also strongly recommends providing closed captions and sign language interpreters on televised voter information announcements
Pedagogical experiences of student teachers and teacher educators on teaching practice in selected colleges of education in Zambia.
Get PDFArticleThe study investigated the perceptions of student teachers and teacher educators on teaching practice in colleges of education and schools in Livingstone District of Zambia. The perceptions referred to the views, claims, beliefs and convictions which trainee teachers and teacher educators held towards teaching practice. The study employed a case study design. A total sample of 26 participants consisting of 16 student teachers and 10 teacher educators was purposively drawn from two government colleges of education and three schools in Livingstone District. Data were collected through focus group interviews with the student teachers and one-to-one interview with the lecturers and class teachers. Analysis of data was done thematically where emerging themes were presented in a descriptive form. The findings from the study revealed that, though student teachers and teacher educators showed positive perceptions towards teaching practice, student teachers were more appreciative of the benefits of integrating teaching practice in their teaching and learning processes. The study further established that student teachers’ and teacher educators’ perceptions belong to the plethora and constellation of the salient and indispensable components of teacher training such as knowledge, skills, attitudes and educational material. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the positive perceptions of student teachers and teacher educators toward the teaching practice program play a key role in the success of the practicum program. Consequently the study recommended that colleges of education should consider incorporating trainee teachers’ and teacher educators’ perceptions of teaching practice into the training of prospective teachers at colleges of education and in schools where field experiences are conducted. The study established that such an incorporation is the locus within which trainee teachers can further maximize the benefits derived from the teaching practice practicum. This assertion is predicated on the researcher’s claim that only to the extent that theory and practice are yoked together can there be a successfully performative orientation of the training of teachers
The role of school guidance and counselling in academic performance of grade 12 learners: a case study of selected secondary schools in Mansa district, Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Master of Education in Guidance and Counselling.The study did explore the role of School Guidance and Counselling in academic performance of Grade 12 learners in selected secondary schools in Mansa district, Zambia. The objectives of the study were; to explore the types of School Guidance and Counselling offered to grade 12 learners in study schools; to explore how School Guidance and Counselling offered enhances the academic performance of Grade 12 learners, to explore factors related to School Guidance and Counselling that might have affected the academic performance of Grade 12 learners, and to explore efforts schools were making through School Guidance and Counselling to improve academic performance of Grade 12 learners in study schools. The research was guided by the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) by Albert Bandura. The study used a case study research design supported by qualitative approaches. A sample size of 20 participants determined by saturation point and using expert and extreme purposive techniques were used. The 20 consisted of; 4 head teachers, 4 guidance teachers, 2 subject teachers, 8 Grade 12 learners, one Senior Education Officer and one District Guidance Coordinator. In addition, In-depth Interview guides and FGD interview guides were used. While thematic analysis approaches were equally used to analyse the data. The study revealed that there were five common types of School Guidance and Counselling practiced in the
study schools namely; educational, social, personal, vocational and psycho-social which helped grade 12 learners academically. The teachers and learners were aware of the availability of these types of School Guidance and Counselling although it was career guidance which was more pronounced. These types of School Guidance and Counselling provide vocational information, improve learners’ study skills and teaches learners academic writing skills and promotes self-awareness. Also, sensitisation and provision of psycho-social support were enhanced academic performance of the Grade 12 learners in the study district. The study further, revealed the major factors related to School Guidance and Counselling which negatively affected the academic performance of Grade 12 learners. These included; early pregnancies and early marriages, high poverty levels and negative attitudes towards learning. Other challenges contributing to low performance, were said to be; were the poor reading culture partially due to automatic pass progression to higher grades, lack of appropriate infrastructure, lack of motivation and lack of teaching and materials. Also, lack of parental involvement and non-upgrading of qualified guidance teachers and child headed homes as a result of death of parents due to HIV and AIDS realities. The study recommends that since School Guidance and Counselling had a key role to play in promotion of academic achievement, the study schools should work towards enhancing the offering of the services particularly to Grade 12 learners for purpose of improving performance.
Key Words: Guidance and Counselling; Academic performance; Explore; Learne
Extending energy usage of solar milling plants initiative in the eastern province of Zambia
Get PDFThesisZambia's National access to electricity is approximately 31 %, with 67 % of the urban having access and worse off in rural areas, which are very remote and far away from the electricity grid, with only 4 % of its population having access. Rural areas do not just need electricity for everyday uses like lights and heat but also for productive uses such as farming and clean water provision.The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey to assess the technical configuration and
performance of the solar hammer mills (SHMs), assess the average daily energy generated, energy consumed and excess unutilised energy of selected solar milling plants (SMPs), conduct energy needs assessments for the surrounding rural communities and finally to design an effective technical solution to ensure productive use of the excess solar energy from the respective SHMs.Visits to six selected solar milling plants in Eastern Province were undertaken. The average
daily energy generated, energy consumed, and excess unutilised energy were investigated and recorded. A household and technical questionnaire was designed and administered to evaluate the community's energy needs. Excel and a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) were used to analyse and interpret the collected data. Finally, a concept design for a solar water pumping system and a business hub around the SMP was recommended to benefit the local
communities.It was found that the second and third generations of SHMs were lower power-rated and were technically friendly to the local operators. From the household survey, the average number of houses within a 500 m radius ranges from 25 to 30, with an average number of rooms ranging
from five to eight. Furthermore, the community's economic activities were found to be farming and business, with an average annual income going from ZMW16,000.00 to ZMW20,000.00. Moreover, an average of 67 % of the people use firewood for cooking, while 74 % of the people, on average, use solar lamps for lighting. Lastly, a 15 kW hybrid inverter was recommended to connect a solar water pump and a business hub around the SMP. This class of inverter can handle high voltages from the SMP solar array. A 1.5 kW solar water pump was selected to manage the total water demand of 30,000 L/day. Regarding business, a minimum of 7.6 kW is required to meet the demand for shops and security lighting. A 5,900 Ah battery bank is required to supply power to the system to meet power downtimes
Mobile money, financial inclusion and livelihoods of agents in Zambia.
Get PDFThesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics.Mobile money is widely renowned for its positive contribution to financial inclusion and improvements in welfare of users. Yet, little is known about how mobile money contributes to financial inclusion and improved livelihoods of mobile money agents as individual users and key players in financial inclusion processes in Zambia. The study is founded on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and adopts an eclectic or mixed methods approach to investigating the link between mobile money, financial inclusion and livelihoods in Zambia. A cross section survey and exploratory research design was used with a focus on 97 agents that were sampled through a multi-stage mixed sampling procedure from Kitwe and Kalulushi. The study employed primary data collected through structured questionnaires and secondary data sourced from the Bank of Zambia and Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority. Descriptive statistical analysis in the study availed the presentation of results in tables and graphs coupled with explanation to amplify understanding. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explain the determinants of mobile money adoption among agents in Kitwe and Kalulushi. Ethnographic content analysis was used to explain how mobile money affects the indicators of livelihoods of agents such as quality of water, shelter, food, education, health and acquisition of assets. A major finding is that mobile money contributes to financial inclusion of agents. The adoption of personal mobile money accounts, is significantly determined by education level, number of years agents have been in business, perceived usefulness of mobile money technology and perceived ease of use of personal mobile money accounts. The results in the study also indicate that mobile money plays a critical role in boosting savings and improving the livelihoods of agents. The findings in the study also confirm that mobile money is the most affordable payments system in Zambia and would be useful for serving the financial inclusion needs of low-income earners and poor people. Based on the results, the study recommends that mobile money agents should be given tax and income incentives to offer inclusive financial services in rural parts of Zambia where the poorest and most vulnerable people reside
Beamforming, antenna gain and throughput enhancement in 5G networks using quadature baseband processing.
No full textThesisThis thesis investigates Beamforming, Antenna Gain, and throughput in Fifth generation (5G)
networks. The global 5G deployments are expected to accelerate and scale digital
transformations across sectors. 5G private networks answer a critical communications need by
providing higher data rates, more robust networks, and improved user accessibility and security.
The research presents a Quadrature Baseband (QBB) based approach to intermediary processing
stages in 5GNetworks networks with more bandwidth availability by operating at QBB. The
world is currently experiencing a huge demand for mobile wireless services in almost every
sector. Military, Aviation, financial, health, robotics, and smart agriculture amongst other sectors
are all upgrading their services to rely on ICT-based solutions to solve several challenges. 5G
communications due to their huge real-time demand must have adequate bandwidth to
accommodate several network requests. This research focussed on the following key aspects of
5G technology: Beamforming and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters such as Antenna Gain,
Throughput, and Spectrum. A Quadrature Baseband (QBB) based approach to 5G Networks
processing was proposed in this work. This approach brings on board the benefit of processing at
lower frequencies thus creating more bandwidth availability on the spectrum to accommodate
more transmissions. The research analysis was carried out using MATLAB software. OFDM
signals were used in the MATLAB simulations to be able to compare results at RF versus QBB.
RF-based methods were used as a reference for benchmarking the proposed QBB approach. This
research was able to prove and show that working with QBB at specified signal processing
stages in a 5G network improves Antenna gain by 3.54%, Throughput by 50%, and
Beamforming enhanced. Spectrum utilization was also optimized by a significant percentage of
more than 20%. The QBB approach based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) also provides
the flexibility of parameter adjustment in the frequency domain to ensure improvement in QoS
for 5G networks. This frees up much needed space on the spectrum leading to optimal utilization
of bandwidth and eventually leading to financial benefits for the telecommunications companies