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The role of school management to ensure constructive discipline in secondary schools in the Lulekani Circuit, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to explore the role of school management in ensuring constructive discipline for effective teaching and learning. This study is based on Skinnerian Model, constructivist paradigm, phenomenological design and qualitative approach. The study was conducted in 4 schools in the Lulekani Circuit of Mopani District. Purposive sampling was used to select a principal and 3 HoDs from each of the 4 selected schools, as participants of the study. Interviews were used to collect data from the participants. Thematic Data Analysis Method was used to analyse the data. An analysis of the data revealed that poor school management, home background, overemphasis on learners’ rights, the media and peer groups contribute to poor discipline in schools. The data revealed that effective implementation of policies and code of conduct, punishing learners who violate code of conduct and stakeholder involvement are the best strategies of maintaining constructive learner discipline.M. Ed. (Education Management
Citizen participation : a sine qua non for effective design of the national environmental policy in Ethiopia
Get PDFAbstracts in English and XitsongaThis study aimed to critically analyse the National Environmental Policy design process and citizen participation in Ethiopia, and to develop a framework that can improve citizen participation. At the outset, the study reviews theoretical and empirical evidence to identify the main discourses on public policy and citizen participation and to identify areas where it can make a new contribution. In contrast to most of the previous studies, convergent parallel mixed methods research design was employed to yield reliable and valid evidence, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the National Environmental Policy design process and citizen participation in Ethiopia.
The empirical investigation demonstrates that significant new environmental issues have gained higher recognition on the policy agenda. Nonetheless, the National Environmental Policy design process is dominated by an ideological, incremental, and elitist policy design approach, rather than by rational policy analysis. The process of generating and selecting policy options lacks the exploration of alternative policies and the evaluation of their consequences, with decisions often made under bounded rationality using a rule of thumb.
The study reveals that several national and international legal and policy frameworks guarantee citizens' individual and collective rights to fully participate in the policy design process. However, these policies do not clearly define the minimum norms and standards, and levels at which citizen participation can be implemented. Furthermore, they rarely establish strong legal accountability for government agencies that violate these provisions. Contrary to the constitutional right, the implementation of the charities and civil society’s proclamation by the government has disempowered and hindered civil society organisations from initiating and supporting participatory programs.
Despite the intention to consult citizens, the use of up-to-date informational and deliberative tools to facilitate dialogue with a broader and more inclusive representation of citizens from different demographics is lacking. The perceptions of public officials towards citizen participation and their familiarity with participatory tools were found to be limited. They rarely consider citizen participation beyond their immediate stakeholders. In general, the National Environmental Policy process is closed to egalitarian forms of policy design that provide substantive opportunities wherein citizens, alongside with state actors, engage in rational deliberation policy design process. This should be reinforced by a pragmatic, rational, participatory, and evidence-based policy design approach to overcome the trust deficit caused by lack of representation and an effective deliberation.Dyondzo leyi yi kongomisiwile eka ku xopaxopa hi vukheta endlelo ro Dezayini Pholisi ya Rixaka ya Mbango na ku tekaxiave ka vaakitiko eEthiopia, na ku tumbuluxa rimba leri nga ta antswisa ku tekaxiave ka vaaki. Ekusunguleni, vumbhoni byo xopaxopa na byo kambisisa byi hleriwile ku kuma mimbulavulo ya nkoka hi pholisi ya mfumo na ku tekaxiave na ku kuma tindhawu leti dyondzo yi nga endlaka xiave xintshwa Hi ku hambana na tidyondzo totala ta nkarhi lowu hundzeke, dezayini ya ndzavisiso lowu hlanganisiweke yi tirhisiwile ku humesa vumbhoni byo tshembheka na lebyi faneleke, lebyi pfumelelaka nhlelo na nxopanxop lowu heleleke wa endlelo ro dezayini pholisi ya rixaka ya mbango na ku tekaxiave ka vaaki eEthiopia.
Ndzavisiso wa nkambisiso wu kombisa leswaku timhaka ta nkoka tintshwa ta mbango ti kumile ku tekeriwa enhlokweni kukulukumba eka ajenda ya pholisi. Hambiswiritano, endlelo ro Dezayina Pholisi ya Mbango ya Rixaka ri lawuriwa hi endlelo ra mavonelo, ra engetelo na ra xiyimo xa le henhla ro dezayina pholisi, ku nga ri hi nxopanxopo lowu twisisekaka wa pholisi. Endlelo ro tumbuluxa na ku hlawula swihlawulekisi swa pholisi ri kayivela mbalango wa tipholisi tin'wana na vuhleri bya mimbuyelo ya tona, na swiboho leswi tekiwaka ehansi ka ntwisiso lowu pimiweke hi ku tirhisa nawu wa ntolovelo
Dyondzo yi humesela erivaleni leswaku marimba yo hlayanyana ya nawu na pholisi ya rixaka na ya matiko ya misava ya tiyisisa timfanelo ta munhu na ta nhlanganelo eka vaakitiko ku va va tekaxiave hi xitalo eka endlelo ro dezayina pholisi. Hambiswiritano, tipholisi leti a ti hlamuseli hi ndlela ya le rivaleni mimpimo na swipimelo swa minimama na swiyenge leswi vutekaxiave bya vaaki byi nga ta tirhisiwa eka swona. Ku yisa emahlweni a ti tali ku tumbuluxa vutihlamuleri bya nawu bya matimba eka tiejensi ta mfumo leti onhaka swinawana leswi. Ku hambana na mfanelo ya vumbiwa, ku simekiwa ka xitiviso xa minhlangano ya vupfuni na minhlangano ya vaaki hi mfumo swi hungutile matimba na ku kavanyeta minhlangano ya vaaki ku suka eka ku sungula na ku seketela minongoloko ya vutekaxiave.
Handle ka xikongomelo xo tihlanganisa na vaakitiko, ku tirhisiwa ka mahungu ya nkarhi wa sweswi na switirho swo kanela ku kondletela mbulavurisano na vuyimeri byo anama na byo katsa vaakitiko ku suka eka tidemogirafiki to hamnanahambana swa pfumaleka. Mavonelo ya vatirhi va mfumo eka ku tekaxiave ka vaakitiko na ku titoloveta ka vona switirho swo tekaxiave swi kumekile swi pimiwile. A va tali ku tekela enhlokweni ku tekaxiave ka vaakitiko ku tlula vakhumbheki va vona va le kusuhi. Hi ku angarhela, endlelo ra Pholisi ya Mbango ya Rixaka ri lava ku fana na tinxaka ta dezayini ya pholisi yo ringana leti nyikaka swivandlanene laha vaakitiko, xikan'we na vanghenisi va xandla va mfumo, va nghenelelaka eka nkanelo lowu twisisekaka.D. Phil. (Public Administration)Public Administration and Managemen
God-talk and the question of being human
No full textThe doctrine of the Trinity has, for centuries, dominated God-talk and the view of humanity
within the framework of sin and salvation. This article investigated how God-talk, specifically
the doctrine of the Trinity in Christian theology, speaks about both the nature of the Godhead
and who we are as human beings. The article followed the outlines of our understanding of
God’s transcendence, immanence and presence in experienced reality. It then proposed a new
metaphor to describe the Trinity and how this affects the human quest for identity in a complex
universe.Research Institute for Theology and Religio
Views of teenagers towards teenage pregnancy in the Capricorn district, Limpopo province
Get PDFTeenage pregnancy is one of the world’s major public health problems and contributes to the burden of unplanned childbirths among girls in the 10-to-19-year age cohorts. In response to this public health challenge, this study sought to gain more insightful understanding of the views of teenagers concerning teenage pregnancy in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. A qualitative, explorative, and descriptive research approach was adopted, in terms of which 15 male and female teenagers aged 13-19 years were purposively sampled from the three purposively selected secondary schools located in the Polokwane Municipality of the Capricorn District.
Data were collected by means of in-depth individual interviews and analysed thematically. Three core themes emerged from the analysed data, namely: aggravating factors of teenage pregnancy, impact of teenage pregnancy, and approaches to teenage pregnancy reduction and prevention. The study’s recommendations largely focused on the national Departments of Health and Basic Education as key agents for improvements in current practices and approaches to thwart the scourge of teenage pregnancy. This study concludes that the increased number of teenage pregnancies is linked to many aggravating factorsVuyimani bya tithugamama hi byi nwana bya swirhalanganyi swa rihanyu emisaveni hinkwayo. Nhlayo ya vana va vanhwanyana lava bihaka emirini exinkarhi ka malembe ya khume ku fika eka khumekaye yi tlakukile swinene. Swikolo swinharhu eka xifundza ntsongo xa Capricorn, eka xifundzankulu xa Limpopo, e Africa Dzonga swi kumekile swi ri ni nhlayo ya le henhla ya vana lava tikeke. Dyondzo leyi yi lavisisa mavonele ni matitwele ya vana va vanhwanyana na vafana va le xinkarhi ka malembe ya khumenharhu na khumekaye ehenhla ka vuyimani bya vana lavatsongo.
Dyondzo leyi yi lavisisiwile hi Nxopanxopo wa nkoka, mbulavurisano ni vutivisisi bya vana va malembe ya le xinkarhi ka khumenharhu na khumekaye. Vulavisisi byi endliwile eka vana va khumentlhanu lava a va nghena xikolo eka Swikolo swinharhu leswi a swiri ni nhlayo ya le henhla ya vana lava tikeke. Ndzavisiso lowu wu humeserile erivaleni swivangelo leswi endlaka leswaku vana va ticece va biha emirini, swita ndzhaku swa vuyimani, ni swibumabumelo swa ku hunguta ni ku sivela vuyimani bya tithugamama swi nyikiwileM.A. (Health Studies)Health Studie
Balancing the triple bottom line in last mile distribution: a digital mobile approach
No full textThe digital age has extensively changed the way consumers make their purchases from in-store to online purchases. With this shift, companies are struggling to maintain and balance the trade-offs between profits, people and planet (3Ps). Companies are challenged to offer on-time guaranteed delivery frequently along with seasonal demand and volatility that is within good margins while considering the environment and society. To address this challenge, academics and industries have studied various distribution solutions such as crowdsourcing. However, little research is observed on a digitally enabled solution that balances the trade-offs between the 3Ps, especially the last-mile industry which has seen increased sale activities and environmental impact. Proceeding from quantitative computational research, this study aims to develop a digitally enabled mobile application that links a package to a traveller already moving in the same direction in order to positively influence the 3Ps and ultimately achieving a triple bottom line solution.School of Computin
The effect of proactive quotations for planned maintenance on revenue
No full textThe private healthcare sector in RSA, dominated by major groups like Mediclinic, Netcare, and Life Healthcare, contributes significantly to the country's healthcare expenditure, while numerous organizations offer specialized medical devices and services. Despite the emphasis on proactive customer service delivery (PCSD) in various studies the focus remains on reducing cycle times or automating processes rather than leveraging PCSD for revenue generation through quotations for planned maintenance. This study will contribute to the wider body of knowledge pertaining to PCSD.
The study was conducted on a service division of a healthcare organisation in South Africa. The population consisted of their entire medical device install based that was extracted from the organisation’s CRM and ERP, and filtered to only included non-contract customers. Stratified random sampling was applied to extract a sample group that reflects the larger population due to the different frequencies and labour hours required to complete planned maintenance (PM).
A predictive model was built using multinomial logistic regression analysis, based off a second dataset of reactive PM quotations that was extracted from the CRM and ERP. The predicted results were 72.7% accurate and was filtered and applied to the sample group based on PM hour and frequency requirement to assess if additional revenue could be captured.
The predicted results yielded a 7.2% increase in revenue gained from proactive PM quotes to non-contract customers. The research answered all the research questions and open numerous opportunities for improvement like the automation of low-skilled business processes or another study over an extended period of time using proactive data instead of reactive data.M.B.L.Graduate School of Business Leadershi
Macroecomics impacts of the African continental free trade area on Ethiopia
No full textSince its formation in 1963, the Organization of African Union (OAU) endeavoured to create a united African market for economic independence. The Kinshasa Declaration in 1977, the Monrovia Declaration in 1979, and the Lagos Plan of Action in 1980 laid the foundation for creating an African Economic Community. The Abuja Treaty was thereafter adopted in 1991 to expedite the realization of the proposed African Economic Community, which aims to integrate African economies and establish a continental framework for the development, mobilisation, and utilisation of Africa’s resources to ensure the continent’s economic self-reliance and self-sustained development. The Abuja treaty outlines a roadmap for a united Africa through six stages spanning 34 years. It ultimately aims to establish an African Economic and Monetary Union by 2028. Although eight RECs have been established and recognised by the African Union, there were varying levels of ambition and implementation within and at the RECs level, and the Abuja plan did not come to fruition as expected.
In 2015, the African Union adopted Agenda 2063, a strategic framework to transform Africa’s socio-economic status within the next fifty years. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the key initiatives of this Agenda 2063. As stated in Article 4 of the agreement, AfCFTA aims to establish a unified market for goods and services, promote sustainable development, enhance competitiveness, support industrial diversification, and foster economic integration in Africa. On May 30, 2019, the agreement establishing the AfCFTA entered into force with the deposit of the instrument of ratification by 25 African countries. Trading under the AfCFTA officially began on January 1, 2021. As a signatory, Ethiopia is required to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods and services. This, however, may pose a challenge, given the country's various structural and macroeconomic challenges. The Ethiopian government is increasingly reliant on taxes from international trade as a key source of revenue. Despite several economic reforms, Ethiopia has been experiencing a deepening BoP deficit and a chronic foreign currency shortage. The real effective exchange rate (REER) of the Ethiopian Birr has been appreciating for several years, worsening the trade deficit. Beyond this, the agricultural sector has been shrinking despite being the leading economic sector. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector has struggled to undergo structural changes, and there has not been any notable growth. The service sector remains heavily protected and lacks foreign competition.
On the other hand, AfCFTA-related studies relevant to Ethiopia are limited. The few available empirical studies attempt to model the impact of AfCFTA, but their modeling scenarios often fail to align with the actual terms of the AfCFTA agreement. Moreover, the studies lack comprehensive consideration of essential components of AfCFTA, such as the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, trade facilitation measures, and service liberalisation.
Ethiopia ratified the AfCFTA agreement and submitted its instrument of ratification to the African Union Commission on April 10, 2019. Consequently, considering the prevailing structural and macroeconomic challenges, an inquiry into the impacts of AfCFTA on Ethiopia proves crucial. This study aims to analyse the macroeconomic impacts of the AfCFTA on Ethiopia by employing a single-country Recursive-Dynamic CGE Model through four incremental scenarios. The first scenario considers a 90% tariff liberalisation on goods over fifteen years. The second scenario examines full tariff liberalisation on goods. The third scenario extends the second scenario by including a 50% reduction in NTBs on goods and services. Finally, the fourth scenario extends the third scenario by considering an additional 50% reduction in customs clearance time due to Trade Facilitation measures. NTBs specifically encompass sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (TBT), and price and quantity controls. Trade facilitation measures pertain to policy initiatives that aim to simplify border and documentary compliance at customs. This distinction is particularly significant for Ethiopia, as the world’s most populous landlocked country, and is aligned with the categorisation within the AfCFTA agreement. The study revealed that Ethiopia could lose up to 5% of its annual tariff revenue, which amounts to about 0.1% of its real GDP. This is attributable to Ethiopia’s low intra-Africa trade. The elimination of tariffs under AfCFTA may cause a decrease of 0.06% in Ethiopia's real GDP as the elimination of tariffs results in lower import prices and an increased demand for imported goods at the expense of locally produced goods. This also intensifies competition from imports, causing previously protected sectors to shrink. Ultimately, this decreases value-added and output, causing a contraction in real GDP. However, if customs facilitation measures and elimination of NTBs goes hand-in-hand with the removal of tariffs, then Ethiopia could expect a slight increase in its real GDP of about 0.1%. Besides, the simulation suggests that the impact of AfCFTA is expected to be more significant on imports than Ethiopia's exports. Imports from Africa would increase considerably, while there would only be a modest increase in Ethiopia's overall exports. This is not surprising, since Ethiopia primarily exports agricultural products, which have relatively weak demand on the continent, as many other African countries also produce the same commodities.
Industries such as manufacturing and mining are expected to see a relatively significant decline in domestic demand and output. This is attributable to a steeper fall in import prices relative to their domestic prices, leading to increased demand for imports at the expense of local production. Furthermore, it has also been revealed that tariff removal under AfCFTA could lead to a slight increase in unemployment by about 0.1 percent. However, if NTBs are eliminated and customs facilitation measures introduced, this could lead to a rise in labour demand, significantly decreasing unemployment by about 3 percent. Similarly, if removing tariffs is combined with eliminating NTBs and introducing trade facilitation measures, households could see a welfare gain of up to 0.45% of their total income. It has been found that AfCFTA would benefit Ethiopia in numerous ways, where prioritising the removal of NTBs and implementing trade facilitation measures proves crucial.
The study demonstrates that Ethiopia’s economic response to AfCFTA is highly path-dependent, with outcomes varying based on the scope and sequencing of implementation. Tariff liberalisation in isolation produces contractionary effects on real GDP, marginal increases in unemployment, and a decline in output within protected sectors—mainly due to limited intra-African trade exposure, weak export diversification, and structural inefficiencies. However, when liberalisation is embedded within a broader reform agenda that includes the reduction of non-tariff barriers and trade facilitation, the macroeconomic narrative shifts positively: modest real GDP gains emerge, unemployment declines, and household welfare improves, albeit marginally.
These findings imply that Ethiopia must adopt a strategic approach to AfCFTA implementation. Policymakers should anchor tariff reforms within a comprehensive framework that enhances customs efficiency, removes regulatory frictions, and actively supports domestic productive capacity. Fiscal resilience must be strengthened through tax base diversification to offset tariff revenue losses. For academia, there is a pressing need to advance modelling approaches that reflect the full scope of AfCFTA commitments while stakeholders should focus on capacity building, infrastructure development, and private sector preparedness to fully leverage AfCFTA prospects.Ph.D. (Economics)Economic
African metaphysics and the spirit-based conceptual scheme : a critical review
No full textThe need to demystify indigenous concepts and in particular those associated with spirits as the central feature in a spirit based conceptual system is overdue. This work validates an African conceptual framework as a critical and creative approach to the appreciation of reality. Africa has suffered epistemic injustice in that its forms of knowing have been suppressed through the denigration of this fundamental feature of African culture. Effectively, that has diminished the extent of humanity’s knowledge. This work contributes to ongoing efforts within the global south to attain epistemic freedom through revitalising local indigenous theories of understanding. Spirits are central within African life for they provide the indigenes with a framework through which they attain a worldview. My claim is that there are vast swathes of knowledge outside scientific parameters. So, by embracing other theories of understanding, a practitioner gains a broader point of view. Hence, this effort to free ourselves from the talons of enforced universalism dressed up as modernity. The teleology of this vast and complex reality we call our home surely is best comprehended from various observation platforms.Philosophy Practical and Systematic Theolog
Socioeconomic and psychosocial factors associated with solidarity and prosocial behavior during COVID-19
Get PDFThe novel virus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, has had a
profound global impact on health, social wellbeing, and economies, with especially
devastating effects on vulnerable populations. A remarkable response to the pandemic
was the large-scale enactments of solidarity and prosocial behaviour in different regions
of the world. We explore the factors associated with solidarity/prosocial behaviour
(regarded as components of the same construct in this study) among South Africans during
the second wave of COVID-19. Specifically, this study aimed to determine whether the
financial, social, and psychosocial impact of lockdown, living circumstances and resources,
fear of contracting COVID-19, trust in information provided by government and
institutions, perceptions of procedural justice affecting COVID-19 mitigation
implementation, and support for mitigation measures were associated with
solidarity/prosocial behaviour during COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional survey, a
questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected national sample through
Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews (CATI) and self-completion. Most (67.4%) of the
1686 respondents included in this study were female, with a mean age of 40-45 years (x̄ =
6.76, SD = 3.11). Various psychosocial and economic factors were related to prosocial
behaviour. For the full model, the beta weights show that out of the 16 explanatory
variables only eight made a significant (p <. 05) contribution to explaining
solidarity/prosocial behaviour, and of these, six were positively associated to solidarity and
prosocial behaviour. The results demonstrate that overall, South African citizens exhibited
a wide range of prosocial and solidaristic behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic,
regardless of financial status, race, or gender.Institute for Social and Health Studies (ISHS
Systemic thinking for re-generative development
No full textThe chapter offers a way of systemic thinking linked to a systemic ethics in which thinkers and actors strive to re-generate life chances of people and the living systems on which they depend. The argument takes into account the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2015, and extends these by propounding an ethic of inclusive wellbeing: this is based on appreciating (along with many authors advocating the relevance of Indigenous worldviews for sustainable ways of living) our connectivity to others, and nurturing compassion across all forms of life. The chapter spells out some possibilities for activating a non-anthropocentric ethic in (all) our relationships, while focusing on facilitating/strengthening our own and others’ capabilities for recognising that everything we think and do to living systems matters. Our thinking shapes the material world of which we are part. Put differently, our ways of observing/interpreting “systems” are not innocent in their consequences. The chapter offers two examples of taking co-responsibility with others for the understandings and values that affect the ongoing development of social and ecological life. Some implications for protecting the global commons as a matter of social and ecological justice are expected.Adult Basic Education (ABET