African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
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Challenges of Mother-Tongue Education in IsiZulu: A Case Study of Selected Schools in the uThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThe post-apartheid language policy of South Africa grants every child the right to study in their mother tongue. Despite this provision, mother-tongue education in indigenous languages has only been implemented in some schools in the country, and this has also been limited to the first three grades of primary education. While research has highlighted the challenges of mother-tongue education in South Africa, little attention has been given to the educators’ perceptions on the subject. It is for this reason that this study sought to investigate educators’ perspectives on the challenges of mother-tongue education in uThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal. Using Biesta and Tedder’s ecological agency as a theoretical lens, the study adopted a multiple-case study research design to collect data from 30 educators in five schools using questionnaires. The results revealed that the implementation of mother-tongue instruction in uThungulu District was fraught with challenges such as ill-adapted terminology for mother-tongue teaching, negative attitudes from the community, lack of training for teaching in the mother tongue and lack of resources. The study is significant in shedding light on the role that educators as agents of the system can play in bringing about the successful implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa
Traditional Milking Hygiene Practices and their Effect on Raw Milk Quality of Rural Small-Scale Dairy Farmers in Kwa-Hlabisa, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of traditional hygienic milking practices employed by rural small-scale dairy farmers on the quality of raw milk. While advancements in technology have revolutionized hygienic milk production methods for both small- and large-scale farmers, rural small-scale milk producers, particularly in countries like Zimbabwe, continue to rely heavily on hand milking as their primary method of milk harvesting. To investigate this issue, a convergent parallel mixed research approach was utilized, involving face-to-face interviews with 53 selected rural small-scale dairy farmers using a structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive, frequency, chi-square, and cross-tabulation analyses. The findings revealed that participants aged 50 and above constituted the majority (58.5%) and were more likely to report low income. Additionally, households with 8 to 11 members (38%) and those with no formal education (18.9%) were also more likely to report low income. Several parameters were identified as significantly affecting milk quality (p < 0.05), including hand washing after milking, back leg tying, washing of milking utensils, use of towels, teat dipping, milking when sick, covering of milk, mixing of fresh and old milk, and lack of milk pasteurization before consumption. The study concludes that traditional hygiene practices contribute to milk contamination by rural small-scale dairy farmers, compromising the quality of raw milk. To support these farmers, interventions such as the provision of a dairy extension officer, practical workshops, incentives, entrepreneurial skills training, and farmer-to-farmer visits are recommended
An Analysis of Stakeholder Engagement in the E-Learning Policy-Making Process at a Higher Education Institution in South Africa
Get PDFOver the past two decades, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa have been formulating e-learning policies to assist them to realise the full potential of using ICTs in teaching and learning. E-learning policies serve as guiding frameworks that create enabling environments for embedding ICTs in teaching and learning. The development of e-learning policies has attracted various stakeholders and actors with varied interests, views, priorities, influence and power. Consequently, stakeholder engagement is now an essential factor in the policy process. The efficacy of an e-learning policy can therefore be judged based on the multiple perspectives that it includes and the inclusion of those it affects in the policy-making process. In light of this background, this paper examined stakeholder engagement that characterised the e-learning policy formulation process at a University of Technology in South Africa (UoT). How stakeholders were engaged in the policy-making process using stakeholder engagement as its analytical framework, the stakeholders and actors involved in the policy formulation process and the nature of the dialogue that informed the policy formulation process were examined. The qualitative study gathered evidence using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study's findings show that the policy-making process at the UoT followed a bureaucratic process dominated by one actor, the policy delegate. Key stakeholders were excluded during the policy formulation process and were only consulted at the drafting stage. As a result, stakeholder engagement in the policy formulation process was low, resulting in key stakeholders and actors lacking policy ownership. Our findings also show that the exclusion of key stakeholders in the policy formulation process resulted in a policy that exclusively focuses on the Learner Management System and overlooks other technologies that play a crucial role in teaching and learning. These findings suggest the need to include all critical stakeholders and actors affected and interested in the e-learning policy at every stage of the policy formulation process
Editorial: Climate Change, Entrepreneurship, Local Development in BRICS Nations During and After COVID-19
Get PDFThe BRICS encompasses nations with increasing relevance for the world in various dimensions that includes but not limited to the fact that it carries 40 percent of the world population at 3,24 billion people and contributes about US$ 23,4 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). BRICS has opted to operate and make maximum contribution and influence globally through its three pillars of: political and security cooperation, financial and economic cooperation, and cultural and people to people cooperation. Through the work that BRICS champions in these pillars, it is making unparalleled global influence in the spheres of economic, political, social, demographic, and environmental architecture. The primary objective of this special journal issue is to consolidate a wide range of viewpoints and scholarly investigations pertaining to the interplay between climate change, entrepreneurship, local development within the BRICS nations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, both during and after its occurrence. Policymakers, government agencies, and international organizations heavily depend on robust research findings to formulate and implement policies and programs that are effective in achieving their intended objectives. Research conducted in these specific domains, therefore, has the potential to yield evidence-based recommendations that can effectively reinforce economic growth, promote sustainable development, and foster social progress within the BRICS nations
Psychological PPE – Reflections on How to Implement Mindful Interventions to Protect the Healthcare Workforce
Get PDFInterest in Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) with healthcare professionals has become increasingly popular. However, healthcare professionals’ busy schedules and low help-seeking behaviour requires the intervention to be easily accessible, convenient, and practical. This paper explores the reflections of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals regarding implementing a brief online MBI to draw on lessons learned that could guide future implementation and interventions in similar multicultural, resource-constrained settings. An online MBI was implemented with healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in urban and rural hospitals in South Africa during the first wave of Covid-19. Fifty-five healthcare professionals from various disciplines participated in a four-week online training programme via the Zoom platform. Participant reflections and feedback were collected via WhatsApp and Zoom room chats. The data collected were thematically analysed. Reflections from the implementation of the MBI were classified into questions of where, when, who, what, why, and how. The results reflect that a four-hour online mindfulness-based intervention could work more effectively if departments offered and supported the programme during work hours. The findings also reveal the greater potential for a brief online MBI to enhance resiliency in HCPs, especially during a pandemic emergency, as demonstrated in the study. The study proposes that mindfulness training could be offered to HCPs at many levels to help with psychological first aid and task shifting to reduce stress and prevent burnout
Exploring the Challenges and Resilience of Child and Youth Care Workers Employed in a Child and Youth Care Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Get PDFChild and youth care work is a stressful profession that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. The aim of this study is to gain insight into child and youth care workers’ resilience by examining the challenges faced by these workers and establish the methods used to overcome these challenges. This study employed a qualitative research method and data was collected from a child and youth care centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, employing a purposive sampling technique using 9 workers. Seven themes emerged from this study and it was evident that the respondents shared a common understanding of resilience. It was also found that an individual’s grassroots had an impact on developing a passion to work with young people as well as coping with work challenges. Positive protective factors that emerged were support systems in the organisation as motivators as well as maintaining a balance between work and personal life, while negative factors were low salaries and poor working conditions. The study concluded by recommending organisational interventions to support resilience in child and youth care workers and maintain expertise in child and youth care work
Modernisation of Rural Communities: Solid Waste Management Implication
Get PDFSolid waste management is a global challenge, particularly in economically developing countries due to their growing population, urbanisation, and increasing waste generation. Municipalities in South Africa are responsible for general waste management in both residential areas and industrial sites. However, waste management is not implemented in all rural areas of South Africa, even against the background of socioeconomic improvement and increased consumption patterns in these communities. This study aims to examine the relationship between rural socioeconomic conditions and solid waste generation and management. The target population of this study is five rural communities of the Vulindlela area, which is situated west of Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 50 households were randomly selected as sample sites as the result of a detailed field survey in 2022 and 50 respondents participated in the study for interview through cluster sampling technique. The study uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. Primary data about the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were gathered through close-ended questions. Open-ended questions in the semi-structured interviews were utilised to gather data on Vulindlela residents’ perceptions of waste pollution effects and strategies implemented in their area. Microsoft Excel version 2305 was used to perform basic descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) to examine the socio-economic characteristics of respondents. While a thematic content analysis was undertaken to analyse the open-ended question data which was on respondents’ perceptions of waste pollution in their area. The study findings suggest that Vulindlela is a socioeconomically diverse rural community, with households earning between 500 and 31,000 Rand per month. In addition, grocery expenditures range from 800 to 3100 Rand per month. Communities characterised by lower income generation dispose of their waste inside their households, apart from certain waste such as nappies that are disposed of in freshwater ecosystems and open spaces, while those who earn more money have diverse waste types and dispose of their waste at illegal dump sites
Comparative Study of Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic - Diesel Power Supply System
Get PDFIn an environment with unstable power supply, incessant load shedding and inconsistent energy availability remains a major challenge. Hence, there is a need for an urgent alternative source of energy to mitigate this challenge. Over the years, fossil fuel-based energy sources have been considered as an effective solution, however the greenhouse gases emissions from these sources contribute largely to the rise in the depletion of the ozone layer which eventually leads to pollution and global warming. This work contributes to efforts in curbing this menace by reducing the use of diesel generators and focus more on a hybrid renewable energy system. This study, used selected residential buildings as a case study. A photovoltaic system and a diesel generator were incorporated as hybrid energy system, and the data gathered was processed using the HOMER software. The output of the simulation provided two optimal systems (PV-Diesel Generator, Battery coupled with the complete Hybrid system) and (PV- Diesel generator). The optimal and cost-effective system from the analysis is the PV-diesel hybrid system. This consists of a 10kW solar PV, 45kW Diesel generator, a 10kW converter and six 6FM200D batteries. This study provides a synergy of individual subsystems as analyzed in the result to enhanced the reliability of the system
Corporate Governance in South Africa: Profit-Sharing and Stakeholder Management
Get PDFExecutive compensation and rewards continue to increase at a higher rate than employee income, incentives, and rewards despite prominent growth in corporate earnings and stock valuations. The aim of this study is to determine whether executive compensation policies are aligned with firm performance, and assess how an employee profit-sharing structure could be implemented to minimise the disparity between firm income growth and the level of employee productivity that contributes to such growth. Three firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were selected for this study for the financial period 2014 to 2020. Log-linear models are applied to firm efficiency and growth factors. A classification model relating executive compensation to firm risk and performance is presented. Thirdly, a profit-share model is proposed to analyse profit-share impact on compensation ratios and firm cash flow and net profit. No conclusive relationship be-tween executive compensation and financial performance was found for this sample. Profit-share implementation reduces the average employee-executive compensation ratio marginally and has mixed results on inter-firm cash flows and net profits
Adoption of Facebook as a Communication Tool amongst University Millennials in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThis study aimed to understand the critical significance of Facebook as a communication tool in promoting social consciousness amongst South African millennials at various Higher Education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The study was exploratory and quantitative, with 400 undergraduate students identified using a purposive sampling technique. There were 150 students from the Durban University of Technology, 125 from the Mangosuthu University of Technology, and 125 from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The data were analysed using the most recent version of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) application. According to the findings, most millennials spend at least two hours, and up to considerably more than six hours, on social media every day. Furthermore, most participants believed that this forum allows them to express themselves whilst also exchanging information on academic concerns such as ongoing strikes and fee increases. The participants all agreed that accessing this social media platform was effortless for them, thus they perceived it as an effective awareness tool. Furthermore, the interviewees stated that Facebook is an excellent platform because it facilitates texting, voice recordings, and video uploads. As a result, it is suggested that universities use Facebook to raise awareness and communicate with key stakeholders