Bishop Stuart University Journal of Development, Education and Technology (JODET)
Not a member yet
37 research outputs found
Sort by
Teaching Religion in a Secular Swedish School System: Rationale, Challenges and Recommendations
Get PDFFollowing my two-month research as an international Ugandan researcher in Sweden, I present an argument that the introduction of a non-confessional Religious Education in Sweden in 1919 and an objective and neutral education since 1962 had a key intention of de-linking teaching of religion from religious foundation bodies, in particular, the dominant Church of Sweden (Lutheran) and rendering it educational instead of confessional.
In this paper, I will argue that, despite the subsequent birth of a secular Swedish society and the onset of a multicultural society, there was - and there continues to be a justification for the teaching of religion in schools. In my interview with two experts on Religious Education from the National Agency of Education, two teachers of Religious Education and eight students, they all responded positively to the question of the continued teaching of religion in secular Swedish society.
However, in the paper, I will argue that there was or there is an inability of the curriculum and the teachers in some respects to do justice to the integrity of different religions. Based on earlier research and interviews, I’ll argue that despite the good intentions of having a neutral and objective multi-faith Religious Education (RE) curriculum in place, some textbooks and teachers’ approaches raise questions on fairness to all religions. In particular, the interviews indicate that there are signs of “Immigrophobia” among some students, teachers and sections of the community.
Notwithstanding, I will argue that since the findings reveal an overwhelming support for multi-faith RE by a secular population and being mindful of the increased multi-cultural society and signs of Immigrophobia6, it is imperative that a careful choice of text-books, especially on religions, other than Christianity, is done and special attention given to RE teachers to address the concept of fairness to all religions
Bribery and Public Procurement Performance at Mbarara City, Uganda
Get PDFThe study investigated the effects of bribery on public procurement performance in Uganda with a focus on Mbarara City. Specifically, the study examined how monetary bribery and non-monetary bribery influence public procurement performance at Mbarara City. A cross-sectional design adopting a quantitative approach was applied. Quantitative data was analyzed using inferential statistics (Spearman correlation, coefficient of determination and regression). Qualitative data on the other hand was analyzed using content and thematic analysis. The findings revealed a strong negative influence of bribery on public procurement performance whereby more bribery contributed to poor public procurement performance and less bribery contributed to better public procurement performance. The study recommended that municipal councils should develop mechanisms for strengthening and operationalizing available measures to combat bribery to improve public procurement performance. Such mechanisms may include encouraging whistle blowers, selection of professional and competent members on evaluation committees and reducing the bureaucracy
The BRICS, World Bank and IMF Quest to Promote Economic Development of Countries: Is it New Wine in the Old Wine Skin?
Get PDFThe term “BRICS” represents a group of five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa, which started in 2009. These economies have caught the attention of literally everyone--international financial law practitioners, political scientists, countries, international organizations and other stakeholders. The emergency of a unified geopolitical bloc, started to reframe international financial outlook with a new set of new ideas and values. include reforming the global financial and economic architecture, strengthening the principles and standards of international law in many sectors of their economies. The paper highlights prospects and challenges that lie ahead of BRICS countries to fully realize their mandate and to co-exist with the World bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Bank and IMF have supported economic development of countries since their inception, I however do not see any harm posed by the introduction of more capital from BRICS, it should be received with both hands. There are looming prospects for expansion of BRICS, countries like Argentina, UAE, Mexico, Algeria and Saudi Arabia have indicated their desire to jump on BRICS bandwagon, the current Russian-Ukraine war remains a big challenge, not least that it has threatened to suck in all BRICS members into this war. The paper finds that as global dynamic challenges continue to mutate, nothing should preclude countries from working together to find lasting solutions to their common challenges. Some BRICs Nations are also beleaguered with high levels of corruption in public offices, they will need to seriously address this challenge, if they are to offer a robust development agenda for emerging markets to supplant the Bretton Wood Institutions. This paper was written, guided by three specific objectives: (i) Examine the rationale for launching the BRICS development initiatives and potential conflict with the World Bank and IMF. (ii) Discuss the mandate of the World Bank and IMF in fostering economic development especially developing countries. (iii) Explore potential areas of conflict between the Bretton Wood Institutions and BRICS to co-exist in their varied development mandates towards member countries. The paper has established that while nothing precludes BRICS offering alternative funding mechanisms to their members, they will need time to fully realize their objectives. Establishment of the BRICS signifies that its high time the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have adopted desired reforms, if they are to remain influential today
ICT Skills of Postgraduate Student Teachers at Bishop Stuart University
Get PDFThis paper was based on a study carried out among 50 Post- Graduate student teachers pursuing a Masters or Post Graduate diploma course in Education. The findings showed that 76% of the participants rated their ICT skills as either low or moderate. While the majority rated themselves highly on word processing, the majority had little or no knowledge on the use of ICT to analyse research data. It is recommended that universities should include a compulsory course unit on research data analysis using ICT. It is further recommended that serving teachers should be given in-service training courses to enable them improve their ICT skills in order to meet the demands of the 21st century
The effect of Appraisal Standards setting on Employee Performance in private Universities in Uganda
Get PDFThe study aimed at establishing the relationship between the appraisal standards and performance of employees in selected private universities in Uganda. It was carried out in two universities which were Kampala International University Bushenyi Campus and University of St. Joseph Mbarara. The study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and interview guide. It involved the administrative staff of the universities. The study was hence carried out amongst 60 staff members. The results were analysed using the descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages, the mean distribution and regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship amongst the variable. The study generally revealed that there was a significant relationship between appraisal standards and employee performance. The standards the appraisal focused on were mainly the employee behaviours, competences and achievements. The results indicated that the main behavioural targets were the employees’ relations with colleagues, relations with clients, relations with supervisors and the extent to which employees observed the code of conduct including the disciple. The competences assessed related to relevance of the staff qualifications are assessed, staff members ability to counsel students, the ability to communicate with clients, he staff skills to do the work is assessed and the staff skills to do the work is assessed. On achievement, the study examined the application of appraisal on determining participation and ability to contribute in meetings, the staff performance, the research output, the clients attracted to the organization, the level of attendance to duties and participation in training activities. On the whole the study recommended the need to enhance appraisal standards and ensure that all staff members are aware of the standards that are usually assessed so that they work towards achieving them
Implementation Challenges of Corporate Social Responsibility Programs among Commercial Banks in Uganda: A Case of Absa Bank Mbarara
Get PDFThe purpose of this survey was to establish the implementation challenges of corporate social Responsibility (CSR) programs among commercial banks in Western Uganda using the case of Absa Bank Mbarara. In this study, descriptive research design was adopted where qualitative and quantitative approaches of data collection were used. Both questionnaire survey and interview methods were used to collect data from staff of Absa Bank. To ensure validity and reliability, research instruments were pretested and appropriate strategies taken. The content Validity index was used for validity while Cronbach Alfa was used for reliability. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the findings portray negative perception by the public, competition and financial challenges as major hindrances of CSR programs among commercial banks in Western Uganda since they are profit making financial institutions. The study concludes that commercial banks use community related programs as their CSR programs. The study encourages commercial banks to partner with other organizations such as civil society organizations and the government in funding CSR activities since they are essential for the improvement of wellbeing of the people.
It’s time African Countries utilized the WTO, Dispute Settlement Understanding more to leverage their International Trade Interests
Get PDFThe paper deconstructs the law relating to WTO, Dispute Settlement Mechanisms (DSMs) to establish why African Countries have failed to harness it to leverage their international trade Interests. There is compelling evidence to affirm that many African Countries are marginalized in international trade because many odds including failure to harness the WTO Dispute Settlement are stacked against them. The ability of African Countries in international trade has been saddled by many factors that characterize Less Developed Countries. The Uruguay Round (1986-94) introduced many changes such as the reduced timelines (from when disputes are initiated to when they are disposed of), admission of third parties to represent poor Countries which may be deficient in requisite capacity to handle the complexity of the World trade disputes mechanisms.
This paper posits that the marginalization of African Countries in the World trade system is partly caused by inherent factors that saddle them as Less Developed Economies. We adopted hybrid doctrinal and qualitative methodological approaches by way of reviewing WTO relevant Agreements, existing literature and evaluating evidence in the context of objectives for writing the paper.
The findings corroborate that African Countries have been sidelined in international trade system because they have not utilized the Dispute Settlement Understanding Agreement to leverage their international trade interest well