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Utilizing Islamic Education in Promoting Decent Dressing among Female Muslim Students in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions
No full textThere has been a public outcry among Muslim leaders, parents, and scholars on the mode of dressing of young female students in Nigeria's tertiary institutions. These are mothers of tomorrow whom the legacy of leadership of this country is to be bequeathed. This paper, therefore, discusses the inadequacies of indecent dressing among female students in Nigeria's tertiary institutions. It goes further to discuss decent and indecent dressing in the Islamic perspective and the Islamic solution to indecent dressing among women. The methodology used in this work is the original sources of Islamic law and the opinions of Islamic jurists are cited to support or refute the position. The paper concludes that Islam as a religion of peace teaches modesty and moderation in whatever Muslims do. It then suggests how Muslim women should dress up in a global world while condemning surgeries for beautification, reshaping noses and breast as a form of fashion for Muslim women. In conclusion, the paper advice that if the Islamic mode of dressing is embraced, it will check high rates of indecency and among women and protect them against an indiscriminate assault which is prevalent in our society especially in Nigeria tertiary institutions
Integrating Information and Communications Technology into Counselling for Effective Learning Outcomes in Open and Distance Education in Nigeria
No full textOpen and distance education attracts many students from varying geographical locations. Some of such students are far away from the study centers of their institutions where they can easily run to student counselors for assistance, especially in solving socio-, psychological and academic problems. Such students can easily be reached through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This paper discusses the need to integrate ICT into counseling in open and distance education in Nigeria for effective learning outcomes. Current counseling practices in distance education are discussed along with the processes of integrating ICT into counseling. This proposal for integration may face a lot of challenges such as epileptic power supply, poverty, poor attitude, inadequate computer literacy, and poor policy implementation in open and distance education. It is suggested that the government should ensure an adequate supply of electricity on a regular basis, and initiate poverty alleviation programs through several economic empowerments. There should also be a change of mindsets among people about the credibility of distance learning. Similarly, there should be mass training of people to acquire computer literacy. The government should also endeavor to embark on the sincere implementation of policies on ICT and open and distance education in order to achieve full integration of ICT into counseling for effective learning outcomes and retention of students in ODL institutions
Effects of Leadership Styles on Employees’ Performance: Evidence from a Commercial Bank in Kenya
No full textSuccess of organisations depends on how leaders mobilize and direct resources towards the achievement of organisational goals. Human resource - being the binder of all other resources - needs direction, which should be provided by leadership. However, there is no “one-fits-all†leadership style. This study investigated the effects of different leadership styles on employees’ performance. Eighty usable questionnaires were obtained from a crosssectional survey of 300 employees of a selected commercial bank in Kenya. Extensively used multi-item scales from previous studies were adapted to assess leadership styles and employees’ performance. Inferential statistical techniques were used to test the study’s hypotheses. Employees’ performance was above average while transformational leadership was the most exhibited style. Respectively, transformational and transactional leadership styles positively and negatively affected employees’ performance. Authoritative and laissezfaire leadership styles respectively had insignificant negative and positive effect. More variation in employees’ performance was explained by transformational than by transactional leadership style. In the disaggregated results of transformational leadership, the idealized influence dimension had a significant positive effect on employees’ performance while the other dimensions had insignificant effects. It is recommended that supervisors should embrace transformational leadership style, especially the idealized influence, to enhance the performance of their followers.Â
Employee Performance Measurement: A Reform Tool for Public Sector Governance in Tanzania
No full textTanzanian, HRM reforms were initiated to address non-transparent and patronizing HR practices in improving Public Sector Governance. Again, Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) was initiated in Tanzania to enhance performance and accountability of employees within the public sector. However, Tanzanian National Audit Reports depicted continued inadequacies in HRM practices including employees’ under performance and poor governance. This trend created the need to conduct this study by analysing the influence of employees’ performance measurement on Public Sector Governance. Through a Survey, data, was collected from 276 public sector employees from four different regions of Tanzania. SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) was applied in data analysis. Study findings revealed that employee performance measurement has a significant positive relationship with the accountability part of Public Sector Governance, while OPRAS (Open Performance Review and Appraisal System) was positively related to both transparency and accountability. Moreover, findings revealed that political support, technology and culture, moderate partially the relationship between employees’ performance measurement and Public Sector Governance. The study finally suggests that, in order to improve Public Sector governance, the Tanzanian government has to improve the system of employees’ performance management, control political interference into HRM decisions, digitalise government HR processes, and transform employees’ behaviour
The Role of Maternal Education on Nutritional Status of Children in Urban Settings: A Case of Ilala District, Tanzania
No full textThe importance of maternal education on child nutritional status was the subject of investigation in this study. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design. One hundred mothers with children below five years who were attending maternal and child health clinic at Mnazi mmoja hospital (at the city centre) and Pugu health center (in the suburb of the City) were randomly selected. A questionnaire  was designed to collect data on  mother's demographic, maternal education, nutrition knowledge and socio-economic characteristics. The nutritional status of children was determined based on anthropometric indicators of nutritional status based on height, weight and age.  Maternal education was established and nutritional knowledge was evaluated based on mother's responses on nutritional related question items. Descriptive analysis was used in summarizing results and chi-square in examining association between children nutritional status and maternal education. The majority of mothers (60%) had primary school level education, 29% had completed secondary level education, 3% were college / university graduates and 8% had no formal education. Data on children nutrition status indicated that 12% had small size at birth, 20% were underweight, 14% had low birth weight, 9% were wasted but no stunting was observed. Maternal education however didn’t show any significant effect on children nutrition status implying its interplay with several other determining factors. Household factors  such as  fathers’ education,  mothers  and  fathers’  occupation,  mothers  and  fathers’ monthly earnings, and number of adults and children below  18 years in families indicated significant variations (p ≤ 0.05) with respect to maternal education attainments. This suggests a synergistic effect of household factors to children nutrition status
Sense of Ownership in Municipal Water Provision and Management: The Case of Tabata Community Water Supply in Dar es Salaam
No full textThe last decade of the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of the use of community participation in various development activities as a means to achieve sustainability of projects and programmes initiated. Community mobilisation and participation was employed to create trust, self-help spirit and, more importantly, the sense of ownership of projects and programmes. Sensitisation of the people that the services belong to them and that they are duty bound to participate and contribute in the construction process and maintain them after construction was greatly done. Community-based water supply initiative in Tabata is one of the community efforts in which community participation was widely employed. This paper explores the developed sense of ownership and its implication to project sustainability. It further identifies the actors involved, their contribution and significance in the projects development and management. The paper also draws implications related to community projects using water supply as the unit of analysis. It also gives recommendations for enhancement of building a sustained sense of ownership in community projects to make them more sustainable. The purpose is to inform the policy makers, researchers, local communities’ leaders on the factors to be considered in planning for community projects. Study findings reveal that existence of the collective interest and the subsequent collective actions coupled with the use of participatory methodology are important for building a substantial sense of ownership to community members. However, existence of limiting factors such as lack of incentives, discontinuation of the service to the people, and lack of regular community activities which involve people resulted into declining sense of ownership and hence project development was inhibited. The sustainability of the project has been negatively affected, whereby only 22 percent of the water points were properly functioning, 17 percent damaged and 61 percent had not been functioning for more than one year. To redress the situation, it is recommended that communities should be involved in community activities on regular basis and participatory community works should be reviewed on regular basis for improvement to develop a feeling of being valued. This could be done by giving responsibilities to the people in community activities on continuous basis, and developing multiple sources of funds to finance operation and maintenance.Â
Board vs. CEO – A Review on Conflicts and Dilemmas in Initiating Strategic Change
No full textThe paper brings into focus the power struggle existing between the board of directors and chief executives during a time of strategic change. Based on a thematic review of the literature, dilemmas surrounding the ability of boards to direct change are discussed. The discussion is brought-forth amid current calls for boards, in both private and public corporations, to be more involved shaping strategy and taking accountability for the same. Â It is argued here that board's ability to direct strategic change, works against potential inhibiting CEOs [and senior management teams], characterized with an inherent preference for status quo and external sources of powers beyond the board. No single panacea to board effectiveness is given. However, results from this review indicate that board capital, board process, ethical tone and level of board accountability are among the antecedents observed in powerful boards across the globe.Â
Farming Practices Impact on Environmental Degradation by Communities Living Around North Pare Mountains, Tanzania
No full textEnvironmental degradation has been one of the major concerns in the 21st century globally. The study on the assessment of farming practices that influence environmental degradation along the slopes of North Pare Mountains was done in Mwanga District-Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Specific objectives of the study were to identify and examine: various farming technologies used by the communities and to examine: farmer’s perception on environmental degradation. A cross-sectional research design was used. The survey population consisted of small hold farmers from four randomly selected villages. A sample size of 120 respondents was drawn from a total population of 22 670 farmers. From the 120 randomly selected small hold farmers. Data were collected using questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD) guided by a checklist. Six Village Executive Officers (VEOs) and five Agricultural Extension Officers were also interviewed by the researchers to cross-check with what farmers reported. Farming practices found to influence environmental degradation included cultivating small size of farm land, cutting all trees, poor applied simple tools in preparing land, practicing mono cropping and poor farming practices within the hills, overgrazing and bush-fires. The study recommends community environmental education to be backed by by-laws and campaigns. Service institutions should start using substitution energy resources other than fuel wood.Â
Addressing Environmental Pollution and Conflict Triggered By Urban Livestock Keeping Through By-Laws: A Case of Dodoma and Morogoro Municipalities in Tanzania
No full textThis study was conducted between September 2017 and March, 2018 in two municipalities namely Dodoma and Morogoro in two municipalities of Dodoma and Morogoro before Dodoma Municipality assumed a City status in May, 2018. The aim was to assess whether urban by-laws were effective enough to check negative effects basically environmental pollution and related conflicts caused by urban livestock keeping which is one of the important urban economic activities for urban communities’ livelihood. Case studies covering two Municipalities were employed whereby multiple methods involving in-depth and quantitative methods were used to collect data focused on the degree of effectiveness of bylaws and conduct of awareness building on adherence to bylaws governing urban livestock keeping controlling environmental pollution and conflicts related to livestock keeping. Specifically, primary data were collected at household level through interviews and focused group discussion. Secondary data were collected through documentary review on environmental pollution and conflict due urban livestock keeping which were obtained from Municipal Offices, libraries and internet. Using a sample of 298 respondents whose majority were livestock keepers, it was found that 50 % were of the opinion that weak enforcement of the bylaws and, (20%) attributed to inadequate community participation in the preparation of the bylaws as the major causes of bylaws’ failure. Related to weak enforcement of the bylaws was inadequate extension staff, weak supervision by leaders and limited number of contacts to livestock keepers. It was further found that the avenues through which positive actions could be taken to enforce compliance are: reporting the incidences to the authorities (61.7%) and through effective leaders and staff (21% and12.1% respectively). For effective enforcement of bylaws, municipal councils should make livestock keeping part of municipal development planning and that, the capacity of participatory monitoring teams at the local level should be enhanced. Â
Genetic Inheritance of Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) Genotypes
No full textFusarium wilt disease (FWD) caused by F. udum is the most serious disease of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]. Significant yield losses which could result up to 100% were reported in susceptible cultivars throughout the pigeon peas growing areas. The reported loss results from low information on the gene responsible with fusarium wilt resistance and its mode of inheritance. A study on the genetic inheritance of Fusarium wilt resistance was conducted on susceptible and resistant parents [F1, F2, (BC1F1), (BC2F1), and ICEAP 00048 and ICPL 96061]. The observation on F2 generation showed a ratio of 3:1 that agreed with the Mendelian ratio. It was concluded that the resistance to Fusarium wilt is under the influence of dominant allele hence it could be used to donate gene for disease resistance into genotypes where Fusarium wilt is of an economic problem