The University of Zambia Journals
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The Socio-Linguistic Analysis of Tonga Proverbs in Selected Districts in Southern Province of Zambia: A Gender Perspective
Get PDFThis study looks into a number of Tonga proverbs that seem to be gender biased in the way women or men and their roles are portrayed. Data were collected from published source in Tonga entitled; Twaambyo Twa muchitonga (Proverbs in Tonga) by Nkamu ya Mukanzubo (1997) for grades 8 to 9 and 10 to 12 respectively. Other proverbs were collected from interviews from Kanchindu of Sinazongwe district and Macha and Mapanza of Choma district of Southern province in Zambia. Introspection was also used for those that were fluent and knowledgeable in Tonga proverbs The theoretical framework was drawn from the contextual and dominance theories which encompassed masculinity and femininity.
The selected proverbs were grouped in eight themes, namely; (1) Man as protector of the home, (2) woman as immoral, (3) advice on marriage, (4) woman as the custodian of the home, (5) the unreliability of a woman, (6) the beauty and physical appearance of a woman, (7) woman as industrious and (8) advice on men and boys in relation to women. In this paper, the authors argued that in the selected Tonga proverbs, women are portrayed as derogated and uplifted while men are just uplifted. The findings were that most proverbs showed that Tonga women were evil, promiscuous, unreliable and a beauty for a man. The authors concluded that the changing world view of women was bringing more positive social roles of women. But the societal traditions and norms had not yet changed. In this instance, the change of attitude and expectation would require extensive education about the potential of women in order to counter the demeaning traditional views and values. The authors recommended that stake holders should be availed with financial and material resources to collect and document the Zambian proverbs to boost the knowledge of the people. Proverbs that teach tolerance, honesty hard work and individual worth should be encouraged. Future researchers should explore how gender neutral Tonga proverbs affect society beside the gender biased ones
How Teachers’ Experiences Affect their Teaching and Testing of English Grammar in Zambia
Get PDFTeacher cognition has been a thriving area of research for decades now. In the study of teacher cognition, the experiences of teachers are very cardinal because they shape the teachers’ understanding and beliefs on given aspects in language teaching. The teaching of grammar is an area that has received much attention from second language acquisition and teaching researchers. However, the interpretation and application of grammar teaching and testing theories and methodologies is dependent on teachers’ understandings and beliefs as shaped by their experiences. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine how the experiences of teachers affected the teachers’ understanding, teaching and testing of English grammar. The study sample consisted of six schools and from those schools 12 participants were drawn. The 12 participants included 2 teachers of English from each school. The research method used in this study was a qualitative descriptive research design. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and was thematically analyzed. The findings showed that the majority of the respondents learnt grammar explicitly from their past teachers. Their teachers used traditional methods to teach grammar and these are the methods the teachers used most of the time. Another influential aspect in shaping their grammar teaching cognitions was found to be tertiary education. The respondents stated that methodology courses widened their view of grammar and taught them the methods to use when teaching and testing grammar. The findings also show that the teachers have maintained the grammar assessment practices of their past teachers. Contextual factors also such as learner abilities and availability of materials affected how they taught and tested grammar
Perceptions of Stakeholders on the Causes of Drug Abuse among Primary School Learners in Shibuyunji District, Zambia
Get PDFDrug abuse among primary school learners has negatively affected their performance due to the fact that they absent themselves from school and lose concentration on academic related activities. This study’s objective was to determine stakeholders’ views and opinions about the causes of drug abuse on primary school-going children in Shibuyunji district. Qualitative data was gathered from four primary schools in the district, through interviews and focus group discussions. Results showed that stakeholders understood the meaning of drug abuse as well as its causes among primary school-going children in the district. Stakeholders stated that the main causes of drug abuse were peer pressure, lack of recreational facilities, curiosity and amusement, lack of parental guidance, availability of drugs in the area, and poverty. The study concluded that primary schools in the area can only be drug-free if parents, community leaders, and school authorities worked together to stem the vice. Among the things that needed to be done to curb the problem to embark on sensitisation programmes in the district among both learners and communities, provide facilities for recreation, enact, tighten and enforce school rules and regulations, and give learners enough school work to occupy their free time
Practical Strategies to Improve Leaner performance in Chemistry Topics Perceived as Difficult to Learn in Secondary Schools of Northern Province of Zambia
Get PDFSenior secondary school pupils have, for some time now, exhibited unsatisfactory performance in some chemistry topics that are perceived as difficult to learn in their school certificate and General Certificate of Education (GCE) Examinations.
This study aimed, firstly, at establishing the effect of gender on the perception of learning difficulties in secondary school chemistry, and, secondly, identifying possible practical teaching and learning strategies that would address pupils’ learning difficulties in secondary school chemistry with a view to improving their performance.
The study was conducted in 8 secondary schools in Kasama, Luwingu, Mbala and Mungwi districts. Eight heads of departments, 16 chemistry teachers and 221 secondary school pupils constituted the sample. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Heads of departments, chemistry teachers and pupils completed questionnaires. Sixteen (16) chemistry teachers and 68 pupils attended follow-up oral interviews. Results of the study revealed that gender difference had an impact on the pupils’ perception of learning difficulties. Teachers of chemistry acknowledged this fact but they were not agreed on which gender, per se, had a better or a more positive perception of learning difficulties. It further established that pupils’ learning difficulties could greatly lessen by conducting practical work, revising difficult topics and providing remedial lessons, strengthening formative assessment through additional assignments or research work or homework, integrating Information ,Communication and Technology (ICT), Virtual Instrumentations (VIs) , motivating pupils , using a variety of active teaching techniques, allocating enough time to difficult topics and providing learners with study resources such as tailor-made handouts so that they have the information they need for their study, conducting school-based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) when used for the first time it is important to write it in full and put the acronyms in brackets) and attending subject associations such as Zambia Association for Science Educators ( ZASE) meetings ,upgrading teachers, procuring necessary equipment, apparatus and chemicals and setting up a chemistry- specific laboratory
An Exploration of School-Community Collaboration in Curbing Child Marriages Among Girls in Three Selected Primary Schools of Chama District of Zambia
Get PDFThis study sought to explore school-community collaboration in curbing child marriages among girls in three primary schools in Chama District of Muchinga Province of Zambia. A descriptive research design was used in this study. The study sample size included three head teachers, three chiefs, three Guidance and Counselling teachers, three religious leaders, three girls who were victims of child marriage, three parents to the victims of child marriage and seventeen grade seven girls making the total of thirty-five participants. Purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used to sample the participants. Data was generated using interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis then it was analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis techniques based on emerging themes from the study. The study revealed that schools do not collaborate well with some members of the community in the fight against child marriage. The study further revealed that most of the challenges experienced by schools and communities in curbing child marriages were because of cultural practices, threats, family ties and misunderstanding of human rights. The study recommended need for the government to address these challenges so that collaboration is enhanced between schools and communities. The study further recommended that similar studies be conducted on a large scale for the purpose of establishing what prevails in other Districts
Armed Banditry and the Collapse of Education in Northwest Nigeria
Get PDFAdvancement in learning and the development of education in any organised society could only be achieved in an environment of tranquility. The prevalent armed banditry afflicting the Northwest Nigeria recently is antithetical to the development of education in that region. This paper investigated the role of armed banditry in instigating the collapse of education in Nigeria’s Northwest. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and the instrument of questionnaire was used to elicit data from respondents. A population of 3,458,854 was derived from the prone areas in the three purposively selected states of Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara, while a sample size of 250 was derived using Gonzalez (2008) sample size formula. 250 copies of the questionnaire were administered with a response rate of 97.6%. The study observed that before the incursion of armed banditry into the Northwest, teaching-learning environment has been conducive while learning activities have been thriving. Also, students’ enrolment at schools has been unwavering and the academic performances of students have also been encouraging thus making the education sector to flourish. Two hypotheses were formulated and the data collected were analysed using Multiple Regression and ANOVA. Findings revealed that there was a positive significant relationship between armed banditry and border porosity, arms proliferation cum incursion of illegal migrants from other nations, and the presence of ungoverned spaces (R = .491a; R2 = .241); and that the incidences and consequences of banditry hindered education ( F = 20.771, p < .05; F = 23.480, p < .05; F = 14.503, p < .05; F = 25.391, p < .05; F = 16.181, p < .05; F = 14.483, p < .05) in Nigeria’s Northwest. The study concluded that state fragility and the ineffectiveness of security agencies in curbing banditry accentuated the phenomenon in Nigeria’s Northwest. It recommends that government should strengthen the security personnel by equipping them with sophisticated weapons, communication gadget and logistics to enable them to confront the bandits head-on; create an enabling environment for the youth to be gainfully employed; monitor our borderlands effectively to discourage arms proliferation; and devise a techno-based method of surveillance to monitor the ungoverned spaces
Classroom Practices Being Employed by Teachers of English Language to Teach Grammar in Senior Secondary School
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to search for classroom practices/exercises which would facilitate communicative competence in the teaching and learning of English grammar in Zambian public secondary schools. This study was informed by the Social Constructivism research paradigm. In addition, descriptive research design was employed. The population for this study included all the public secondary schools in Chongwe district, all the grade eleven teachers and learners of English language. Sample was picked purposively using criterion sampling technique. The sample involved 3 Heads of Department for Literature and Languages, 7 English language subject teachers and 15 grade 11 learners of English language. The study also included one standard educational officer. In total, the sample comprised 26 participants. Data was collected using interview guide, focus group discussion guide, classroom observation guide and document analysis. The findings were analysed thematically. Interview data revealed that both mechanical practices (Cloze exercise, transformation exercise, punctuation exercise, substitution exercise, spelling exercise, choosing a correct sentence, single word prompt) and meaningful practices (composition exercise, situational exercise, reading exercise and constructing own sentences) were used in the teaching and learning of English Grammar by the participants. Some teachers explained that they were encouraged to use meaningful practices more often. It was also indicated that both mechanical and meaningful practices are useful but both teachers and learners had put much emphasis on situational practices. They explained that situational practices/exercise enable the learner to use the language inside and outside the classroom effectively because structures are not taught in isolation but with context of the situation in which they are used. However, during classroom lesson observation, the researcher observed that in all the three lessons, teachers used mechanical practices only. Therefore, teachers need to systematically blend the two types of practices to facilitate learners’ communicative competence. In view of the findings, it is recommended that teachers of English language should make sure that their classroom practices reflect all the four dimension of communicative competence (grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic competence). Grammatical competence will help learners master the rules while sociolinguistic competence will enable them know how to apply the rules in different social contexts. Discourse competence aspect helps in presenting ideas in an orderly manner while strategic competence helps in repairing discourses when there is communication breakdown
COVID-19 and Public Health in Africa: a call for new Perspectives in Health System Strengthening
Get PDFAfrica accounts for nearly half of all deaths resulting from communicable diseases globally. A deteriorating health system can be attributed to these deaths. Unfortunately, most African countries have some of the weakest health systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that strong health systems are critical for the improvement of health outcomes and for accelerating progress towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health. This has led to the rise of health system strengthening as a political agenda for countries in the WHO African Region. At a time when countries in this region are facing an economic downturn, the novel coronavirus, “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)” adds to the challenges faced in health system strengthening. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed major weaknesses in health systems globally, presenting a major threat to the already fragile health systems in Africa, revealing the urgent need for stronger health systems in Africa. In this paper, we present an updated literature review of the pertinent gaps in Africa’s health systems and synthesized the findings by utilizing the six basic building blocks of health system strengthening (health workforce, access to equipment and essential medicines, service delivery, health information systems, leadership & governance) and other related aspects (health policy, health research, health monitoring and evaluation and disaster preparedness) in the context of COVID-19. Finally, the paper identifies priority strategies for health system strengthening in Africa
CHALLENGES FACING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTATION IN MALAWI’S LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Get PDFThis article examines the major challenges facing development project implementation in Malawi’s local government authorities. Despite the introduction of various projects since the multiparty dispensation in 1994, Malawi remains one of the least developed in the world. The article contends that much as effective project implementation is a function of many factors, weak leadership and inadequate capacity are the major complicating factors. Most local authorities are characterised by politicised bureaucracy, scarce skilled labour, inadequate finances and corrupt practices. Thus, pragmatic strategies which include institutionalisation of ethical leadership, anti-corruption mechanisms and the mobilisation of resources are essential for effective local development
Noun Predication in CiTonga
Get PDFThis study is an account of noun predication in CiTonga. The morphemes responsible for noun predication are identified and discussed to bring forth their morphosyntactic role. Data for the study are collected mainly through intuition. The informing theoretical perspective in the study is Distributed Morphology. This theory addresses the interface between morphological and syntactic processes. The study advances that noun predicative morphemes in Tonga, in addition to converting nouns into predicates, implement two degrees of emphasis on the noun to which they are preprefixed. It is further noted that each predicative morpheme is restricted to specific noun classes. From the data used, the study also notes that predicative morphemes (morphemes used to convert noun into predicates) are governed by the noun that they predicate morphophonologically. In terms of meaning, it is noted that predicate nouns have two levels of meaning; the literal and the actual meaning. The study concludes that predicative morphemes in CiTonga are highly productive and can be analysed phonologically, morphologically, syntactically and semantically