African Institutions Of Higher Learning Research Articles

Teaching ancient Egyptian philosophy (ethics) and history: Fulfilling a quest for a decolonised and Afrocentric education

Despite the granting of "independence" to African countries more than 50 years ago, colonial scholarship continues to dominate in African institutions of higher learning. The genesis of ethics, a branch of philosophy, is attributed to the Greeks as if James Breasted's study of ancient Egypt did not, in the early 1930s, demonstrate convincingly that the ancient Egyptians were the first to seriously engage with issues of right and wrong in the world. In political science, the notion of the philosopher king is attributed to the Greek philosopher, Plato, as if Plato introduced this concept. When students in South Africa are putting pressure on institutions of higher learning to abandon colonial scholarship in favour of a decolonised and Afrocentric curriculum, this article, in fulfilment of the students' quest, invokes and echoes Cheikh Anta Diop's call for centring the study of ancient Egypt in African institutions of higher learning. Such an approach will go a long way in affecting the manner in which philosophy in general, and ethics in particular, are taught. The same will apply to other disciplines such as history, political science, and exact sciences. This exercise is philosophical and uses Afrocentricity or the Africa-centred approach as a theoretical framework.

Reflections on the History of South African Student Counseling Services: Achievements, Challenges, and a Way Forward

ABSTRACTStudent counseling services are a recognizable feature of higher education institutions locally and abroad. This article reviews the sociohistorical development and evolution of student counseling services in South African institutions of higher learning, with an emphasis on systemic influences, achievements, and contemporary challenges. This article considers the progress that has been made thus far with respect to the development of the service within higher education, while also attending to issues that require continued reflection and investigation. These include the current status and position of the service in South African higher education, the evolving roles of student counselors, as well as their relationship with institutional stakeholders and the broader South African community. In so doing, this article hopes to augment existing historical perspectives on student counseling by encouraging a critical reappraisal of student counseling’s past, its present, and its future in a dynamic South African and global context.

Towards an MIT-Conscious Biblical Studies in South Africa? Glimpsing the Stories of Absent Husbands and Waiting Wives

Professor I.J.J. Spangenberg has invested much of his teaching time at universities in the subject of Biblical Studies among others. He is thus aware of the “glorious” days of the subject as well as of the events which led to its downfall. It is thus fitting that in an article that seeks to honour his scholarship, also aware of his commitment to offerings that would impact on the daily lives of the people, an article that examines a possible new way of offering Biblical Studies in our African contexts, be dedicated to him. When considering the place of Biblical Studies as a school subject in South African history, one cannot but be reminded of the (predictable) fate of the proverbial eagle. Says one African proverb: o se bone go akalala ga bonong, go wa fase ke ga yona: do not puzzled by the (pride) of an eagle which soars so high, its fall is certain. Considering the present (slippery) place of (traditional) Biblical Studies as offered in South African institutions of higher learning, the subject’s future appears to be gloomy. In the era of the MIT’s (Multi, Inter, Transdisciplinarities), (biblical) scholars should be persuaded to move away from their discipline-specific silos to engage with other disciplines in order for the subject to enrich other disciplines and vice versa. If disciplines such (African) History and Folklore Studies are made to interact with the subject of Biblical Studies, which contribution may such a “merger” bring to the study of African Biblical Hermeneutics in (South) Africa today?

State and Revolution: Reflections from South African Institutions of Higher Learning

Democratic states should use democratic principles namely engagement, negotiation, discussion, persuasion and participation to resolve challenges in societies. This is in contrast to colonial and apartheid states which used police, army, imprisonment, exile or banishment from the country against blacks who demanded democratic rights. This study investigates whether democratic South Africa embraces democratic principles highlighted above to deal with its domestic problems or is merely an extension of colonial and apartheid states in addressing challenges it faces. The study makes use of literature to answer the question. This is a qualitative study. The study found that democratic South Africa uses the same undemocratic instruments as evidenced by its handling of the #FeesMustFall campaign. #FeesMustFall leaders and students are being shot at, arrested, and imprisoned in the same jails built and used by the apartheid state, stun grenades are being thrown at them and tear gas sprayed at them. The conclusion of this study is that by implementing similar instruments of maintaining security there is no difference between the means used by oppressive colonial and apartheid governments of the past and those used by democratic SA today.

A Contextualized Model for Virtual Learning in Higher Institutions

This study aimed at designing a contextualized Virtual Learning model that suits South African institutions of higher learning. The study identified factors necessary for contextualizing VLE to fit the student's perspective in developing countries. Literature was reviewed to identify the contextualizing factors, based on which a research model was designed and validated using data collected from students at different levels of learning at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. The study used quantitative approach and the data was analysed using statistical package called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Results indicated that, compatibility, complexity, technological factors, organisational and environmental issues as well as mind-set are significant factors for VLEs contextualization. This study contributes theoretically by bridging the gap in literature and apposite model informing the development of VLEs in developing countries. Practically, the findings of this study will be leveraged by institutions of higher learning that want to implement VLEs within their settings.

Recognition of Prior Learning Practices in a South African Institution of Higher Learning: Implications for Academic Development

Recognition of Prior Learning Practices in a South African Institution of Higher Learning: Implications for Academic Development

Evolution of HIV and AIDS Programmes in an African Institution of Higher Learning: The Case of the Copperbelt University in Zambia.

Background:Universities present the foundation for socio-economic and political development. Without structures and processes to fight HIV, there is no prospect of enhancing treatment, prevention, care and support services. Copperbelt University HIV and AIDS response was initiated in 2003 with the aim of building capacity of students and employees in HIV and AIDS. Objectives:The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the CBU HIV response has evolved over time and provide a timeline of important milestones in the development process. Method:Peer educators and counsellors conduct sensitization campaigns through one on one discussion, workshops, and drama performances, distribution of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials.Results:HIV Programme has been set up with players from policy, programme and community levels. Strategic processes, collaborations, funding, medical insurance schemes, prevention, treatment, care and support services, training of peer educators and counsellors have been established.Conclusion:Copperbelt University HIV initiative has demonstrated potential to reduce new infections in the university, and is currently expanding her programme to encompass wellness and also spearhead the integration of HIV in the university curriculum.

Career counselling in South African institutions of higher learning in the 21st century: Re-discovering the potential of qualitative approaches

In South Africa, as in many other countries, concern is growing about rising unemployment. The impact is felt not only on the lives of millions of people but also on the national economy where the required 6% economic growth rate has not been achieved. A review of the literature on the South African tertiary training system reveals that inadequate career counselling tends to reinforce the low social and economic position of poor and marginalised people in South Africa. Very few disadvantaged students ever receive adequate career counselling at school and often arrive at institutions of higher learning without a clear sense of what their prospective careers will entail. Intervention programmes to correct this situation have not achieved the state's goals in this regard. Much has been written about the endemic problems in tertiary training that have played a key role in students' failure to achieve and design successful lives. Consensus opinion seems to be that whereas counsellors and lecturers need to be guided with vision and motivation, students need to be provided with adequate career counselling to give them a clear sense of the future, knowledge about what career to pursue, reasons for working hard and realising their potential, and guidelines to help them design successful lives and holding environments.

Factors of E-book Use Intentions: Perspective of Students in a Developing Country

E-books are regarded as a new, digital way to access reading material and as a learning tool for students. Therefore, South African institutions of higher learning are spending increasing amounts of money on the provision of e-books for use by students. However, the extent to which students will accept e-books remains unclear. This paper is aimed at examining the factors of e-book use intentions among students in tertiary education, based on theoretical considerations rooted inutaut. Data used in the analysis was sourced from 544 participating students from five institutions of higher learning using a structured questionnaire. Results of the analysis identified performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions as salient factors of e-book use intentions among tertiary students. Interestingly, gender and e-book use experience had no significant moderating effect of the factors of use intention examined in this study. The implications of these findings on the efforts aimed at promoting a more enthusiastic acceptance of e-books among tertiary students are highlighted in this paper.

Teaching African Philosophy in African institutions of higher learning: The implications for African renaissance

In the not-so-distant past, colonial European scholarship denied the existence of African philosophy. In reaction, indigenous African scholars assiduously strove to prove its existence. While Africans succeeded in demonstrating the existence of African philosophy, another denial—deliberate or otherwise—manifested and continues to manifest itself in the non-existence or peripheral existence of African philosophy in institutions of higher learning. It is argued in this article that African philosophy should be at the core and centre of teaching in African institutions of higher learning. It is anticipated that such a move could help Africans in their quest for self-rediscovery and reconstruction, otherwise known as ‘African renaissance’. Simultaneously this move could help to reverse the psychological damage that many Africans continue to experience as a result of two unresolved issues: 1) some outside the African cultural community, continue to distort—insultingly—African culture, and 2) some inside the African cultural community—particularly the powerful ruling African elite—make self-serving statements in the name of African culture in pursuit of their selfish interests.

Investigating literacy narratives among ethno-linguistically diverse South African students

AbstractThis article reports on a study of pre-service teachers’ literacy narratives in a South African institution of higher learning. Literacy self-narratives of 57 students were collected and analysed for categories and themes under narrator and sponsor identities through the use of AtlasTi software. The results of the study show the role of historical, cultural and political contexts in shaping literacy identities of student teachers. The results also show huge disparities of literacy experiences among different racial and gender groupings, which highlight social and educational opportunities. Using New literacies and Multiliteracies frameworks, I consider how these literacy challenges may be transformed to facilitate a just and equitable society. Particular implications of the students’ constructions of literacy identities are considered at the end of the article.

An Assessment of Student Teachers’ Experiences of Work-integrated Learning at a South African Institution of Higher Learning

The purpose of this study was to assess teachers' experiences of six months' work-integrated learning (WIL), as a component of teaching practice, as well as the impact of other situational variables associated with work-integrated learning on teaching efficacy. The study is grounded in Bandura's Social Cognitive T heory and Roberts' Theory of Experiential Learning. The targeted population for this case study was pre-service teachers at University of Technology in the Free State Province of the Republic of South Africa. The sample consisted of 51 fourth-year B.Ed (FET) students enrolled in four different programmes. There were 25 male and 26 female students in the sample. The students had just completed their six months WIL. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was designed and used to collect data from the respondents. Participation was voluntary and all the students who did not go for work-integrated learning because of not meeting the requirements were excluded from the study. The findings indicated that three year of study at the University of Technology sufficiently prepared th e student teachers for the demands of WIL. The increased length of WIL had a positive effect on them as they felt that their skills in lesson preparation together with those of assessment were enhanced. Student teachers interacted with and related to their mentors in a positive way and their classroom management skills were enhanced as they attempted to handle disruptive learners effectively. On the whole, the teacher trainees felt that they had made a positive contribution to their host schools. Work-integrated learning has therefore proven to be a valuable component of teacher preparation in this study.

Training needs of general library workers:Part I (challenges facing educators in South African institutions of higher learning)

This academic peer-reviewed journal consists of articles related to information literacy, library management, information management, knowledge management, children's literature, ethics, globalisation, impact of the digital divide, technology, scholarly comminication, indigenous knowldege systems, open scholarship,etc.

Condom brands, perceptions of condom efficacy and HIV prevention among university students in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

University students form an important constituency in interventions against HIV and AIDS. The majority of university students are between ages 18 and 30 years, which, according to recent surveys, is the age category at the highest risk of HIV infection. Even though there is currently no comprehensive statistical data on the HIV prevalence at South African institutions of higher learning, a number of studies have noted increasing AIDS-related deaths and sicknesses among students. This highlights the need for effective intervention against HIV infections within this community. Condom use remains the most effective intervention against HIV infection within sexually active populations. This paper examines perceptions of public-sector condoms and their impact on condom use among university students, based on the findings of research conducted at three universities in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Study findings indicate that public-sector condoms are perceived as ineffective, smelly and even ‘infectious’ and are widely seen to be of lower status as compared to the commercial brands. These perceptions were found to influence condom use as some students preferred to engage in unprotected sex rather than use public-sector condoms. The paper highlights the need for communication programmes to demystify the misconceptions surrounding public-sector condoms and to provide reassurance of the quality of such condoms.

Technology as a Tool for Globalization: Cross–cultural Collaborative Design Studio Projects

This paper discusses how distance learning technology is utilized to breakdown geographical barriers and expose students to cross–cultural and global issues in the interior design studio. Two design studio collaborations—one of which was with Technikon, a South African institution of higher learning, and the second of which was with a British client of Nigerian descent—will be discussed here. The first project occurred between Spring 2001 and Spring 2002. Interior Design students at the University of Oklahoma were required to design affordable housing in response to issues identified in slums and squatter settlements in both South Africa and Nigeria. The students were able to accomplish this through the use of video conferencing technology while working in collaboration with the Technikon institution in South Africa. A second project occurred in fall 2005 in a lighting design studio. The students designed the lighting for a house in Nigeria via web conferencing with a British client of Nigerian origin. Through projects like these, design educators can help students learn about global design issues, develop competencies to allow them to view the world from multiple perspectives by studying design contributions from other cultures, and thus provide them with practical and intellectual skills to be actively engaged in an increasingly global society.

POPULATION GEOGRAPHY IN SOUTH AFRICA

ABSTRACT This paper is a review of contemporary population geography issues in South Africa. It examines the nature, character, methodologies and significance of this sub-discipline in the study of geography by exploring the publications of South African geographers since the dawn of the twentieth century. The study shows that colonial and apartheid policies had such an impact on the development of the South African space economy that, although local geographers made valuable contributions on regional population studies in academic journals, population geography is generally still in its infancy in South Africa. The establishment of the democratic political dispensation in 1994 coupled with international concern about population, environment and development, generated an increasing interest in population studies in South Africa. The paper demonstrates the necessity for a closer collaboration between population geography and other allied development disciplines. Population geography is increasingly being recognized in South African institutions of higher learning as a subject of universal, pragmatic and practical value.

Gender issues and the training of agricultural extensionists in Malawi

African women farmers have an urgent need for adequate agricultural extension information. Training extension agents in gender related issues should have high priority, considering that the majority of farmers are women and have different roles, resources, constraints, and responsibilities from men. This paper examines the extent to which these issues are incorporated into the curriculum of the two Malawian institutions of agricultural education that train extensionists. It also considers the degree to which they are recruiting women officers into fields other than home economics. Administrators and lecturers at both institutions express a desire to integrate gender matters into the curriculum and to recruit more females into agricultural extension; yet both fall far short in meeting these goals. The conclusion provides recommendations on how African institutions of higher learning that train extension personnel might better accomplish these goals and suggests that African MOAs need to employ more women in agricultural research, extension, training, and policy-making positions.