Namibian Context Research Articles

A critical review of the powers and duties of the Namibian Law Society in respect of legal practitioners’ conduct

Legal practitioners practising in any jurisdiction, including Namibia, are bound by the provisions of the enabling legislation. In the Namibian context, legal practitioners operate under the Legal Practitioners Act 15 of 1995 read together with the Rules of the Law Society of Namibia. The Law Society of Namibia has the mandate to ensure that the legal practitioner’s conduct is in line with the law and to investigate allegations of any legal practitioner’s breach of duty. All legal practitioners operating in private practice have a legal obligation to open and operate two bank accounts, namely a business bank account and a trust bank account. Any violation of the law in respect of the keeping of business and trust bank accounts may invite s 31 consequences. This article therefore provides a critical review of the powers and duty of the Law Society in intercepting legal practitioners’ trust accounts. Furthermore, the article provides an overview of the statutory-based conduct of legal practitioners in managing trust accounts and the functionality of the Namibian Law Society Fidelity Fund.

Transforming African Education Systems through the Application of Internet of Things

The study aimed at developing a model for transforming African education systems through the application of internet of things. The internet of things model for Africa developed would allow African countries particularly Namibia to share education materials and resources with other countries across Africa. The idea behind the internet of things model in the education sectors in Africa is to encourage open access to knowledge and information. The study discovered that in African education systems there are no known platforms that are used by African countries to collaborate, communicate and share educational information directly with universities in Africa. Therefore, the present study developed a model for transforming African education systems through the application of internet of things in the Namibian context which will act as a centralized online platform for self -study, new skills-acquisition and self-improvement using materials provided by African institutions of education and higher learning. The platform is open to everyone such as students, educators and members of the public.

Transforming African Education Systems through the Application of IOT

The project sought to provide a paradigm for improving African education systems through the use of the IOT . The created IOT model for Africa will enable African countries, notably Namibia, to exchange educational content and resources with other African countries. The objective behind the IOT paradigm in Africa's education sectors is to provide open access to knowledge and information. The study revealed that there are no recognised platforms in African education systems that are utilised by African governments to interact, communicate, and share educational material directly with African institutions. As a result, the current research developed a model for transforming African education systems using the IOT in the Namibian context, which will serve as a centralised online platform for self-study, new skill acquisition, and self-improvement using materials provided by African institutions of higher learning. Everyone is welcome to use the platform, including students, instructors, and members of the general public

‘Why don’t you let me flow in my space?’

Abstract The practice of performance or ‘spoken word’ poetry has gained a significant foothold among the youth in urban Namibia in the last two decades. While this poetry has been put to many socio-political uses, one of the main ones has been a protest against patriarchal elements in Namibian society and culture, and an outcry against Namibia’s high rates of gender-based violence. Patriarchal aspects of Namibia’s national culture are often explicitly linked to violence and to the intersectional nature of oppression. Spoken word poetry has also often given LGBT+ women a space to speak out against their oppression and to normalise their existence. This article shows how women performers have used and modified the conventions of poetry and song to get this challenging—in the Namibian context often radical—message across. The paper argues that poetry in this context has the potential to approximate a localised ‘public sphere’ where inclusive discourse can be held around social issues—bearing mind that people are not excluded from this discourse because of arbitrary reasons such as gender or sexuality.

An investigation into the impact of ICT in the spreadof COVID-19: a Namibian context

The study was aimed at investigating the impact of a National COVID-19 Health contact tracing and monitoringsystem for Namibia. The study used qualitative methods as a research strategy. Qualitative data were collectedthrough zoom meeting and a Google form link was distributed to the participants. A total of 18 participantsresponded to the semi-structured questions, of whom 38.9% were male and 61.1% female. The 18–25 age group’sresponse rate was 22.2%, that of the 26–35 age group was 55.6%, that of the 36–45 age group was 16.7% and thatof 46 and above was 10%, which is represented in green. Therefore, the present study will investigate the impact ofa National COVID-19 health contact tracing and monitoring system and proposed a system that will allow capturingthe demographic information of every public member who visits an enclosed public place as well as the date andtime the facility was visited. The system replaces the paper-based method of recording the information of peoplevisiting public places with an entrance and an exit. The proposed system will also allow for real-time monitoring oftemperature changes of individuals.

An Investigation Into the Impacts of ICT in the Compacting of COVID-19: A Namibian Context

The study aimed to investigate into the impact of a National COVID-19 Health contact tracing and monitoring system for Namibia. The study used qualitative methods as are search strategy. Qualitative data was collected through zoom meeting and a Google form link was distributed to the participants. The findings of the study revealed that a total of 18 participants responded to the semi-structured questions of which 38.9% represents male while female 61.1%. The age group between 18-25 response rate were 22.2%, age group between 26-35 response rate were 55.6%, age group between 36-45 response rate were 16.7% and the age group between 46 and above response rate was 10% represented in green colour to represent participants who fall in the age group between 46 and above. Therefore, the present study will investigate into the impact of a National COVID-19 health contact tracing and monitoring system and proposed a system which will allow every public member who visits an enclosed public place by capturing their demographic information as well as the date and time the facility was visited. The system replaces the paper-based method of recording the information of people visiting public places with an entrance that allows the coming in and out of people. The proposed system will also allow for real-time monitoring of temperature changes of individuals.

Interrogating the contemporary english language needs for the ICT industry in the namibian context

New digital technology advances throughout the globe are principally responsible for the impetus behind the modern information and communications technology (ICT) industry’s requirement for English language skills. There is a steady increase in highly computerized new machinery, each with more complex, difficult-to-understand instruction manuals that demand a correspondingly high degree of linguistic proficiency. Thus, students studying computer science need access to subject-specific English for both immediate usage and long-term career development. Due to these constant changes and rapid advancements in the technology sector, it was essential to conduct research on the current needs of the ICT industry. It is essential for graduates and professionals in the ICT industry to be able to communicate fluently with teams working in the same field but located in different parts of the world. This can be in the form of written manuals or conversation. The purpose of this study was to interrogate the contemporary English language demands for the ICT industry and the necessary proficiency required of undergraduate ICT majors. The theoretical underpinning of this research was the Material Design Model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1). A mixed-methods research approach was used. The total number of participants that took part were 170 (N = 170), thus that is what the sample size was based on. Using convenience sampling, a sample size of 118 was drawn. The results indicated that ICT students often lacked skills in essay writing. The students’ lack of technical language skills seriously weakens the strength of their scientific argument. Students are recommended to attend subject-specific language courses in order to prepare for their present academic and future professional language demands. The study indicated that the existing curriculum for computer science students does not adequately prepare them for the kinds of work that would be available to them in the ICT sector. The study recommends utilizing education support professionals (ESP) professionals to teach English in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses, with a focus on using examples from specialized journals, magazines, and blog channels. The study concludes by suggesting that instructors of computer science language be incentivized to increase their usage of specialized scholarly terminology in their classrooms.

The use of mobile systems to access health care big data in the Namibian environment

AbstractAs the need for health care services increases, some health facilities in many developing countries such as Namibia are challenged with accessing its big data. Despite the success of mobile systems, its use to access health care big data is challenging, which have impact on manageability and improvement of service delivery. The main problem is that the factors that influence interaction between mobile systems and health care big data are not empirically known within the Namibian context. The Namibian Ministry of Health (MoH) was therefore used as a case in this study. Qualitative methods and an interpretivist approach were employed, and structuration theory was used to underpin the study, which means the theory guided the analysis of the data. From the analysis, five factors were found to influence interaction in the use of mobile systems to access health care big data. On the basis of these factors, a model is proposed, which is a contribution to improving health care service delivery in the country through its practical implications: guiding interactions among health care stakeholders and developing policy for accessing patients' big data.

The ancestral land debate prior to and during Namibia’s Second National Land Conference: the redistribution-recognition dilemma

With the 2007 adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, the notion of ancestral land rights has gained greater global currency. However, this international legal instrument falls short of proffering an unambiguous definition of an indigenous person/community, for fear that no definition can capture the diversity of the world’s indigenous communities. Given this lack of a concise definition, this paper examines why there seems to be such apprehension towards ancestral land rights claims and restitution. In the Namibian context, it became particularly evident in the period leading up to and during the Second National Land Conference held in October 2018 that the concept of ancestral land remains not only highly contested but is also misunderstood; it is, therefore, easily politically abused. Drawing on these experiences, the paper identifies and examines a number of challenges and constraints that the conceptualisation and practical operationalisation of ancestral land claims and restitution has commonly encountered.

Students Perception Re-Learning Challenges

Students' perception to learning a subject is crucial for deeper learning. Accounting is one of the scarce skills but a field which gives lucrative career options leading to higher enrollment worldwide. The same is true for Namibia as numerous studies highlight the accounting skills shortages. There is no doubt that accounting education can boost economic growth and should be seriously undertaken. Yet, accounting departments of universities in emerging economies face huge challenges in learning, teaching and student performance. Adopting a survey research design, the aim of this research is to examine the student's perception are challenges in learning accounting in Namibian context and provide strategies for improving the learning process to ensure better performance. The findings reflect that some of the major challenges perceived include inadequate resources, textbooks, poor career guidance, etc.

Management Practices and Activities Influencing the Effectiveness of Organisations in Namibia

One of the long-running debates within the research dealing with developing countries’ situations, has been the extent to which management theories and practices rooted in the developed countries’ perspectives can be applied by organisations in the developing countries. To contribute to this debate, this study aimed to discover new insights that could highlight the superseding management practices and activities associated with the effectiveness of organisations in a developing country. The study applied an inductive research approach through data obtained via interviews from 54 key role players and ultra-elites in organisations such as members of the board, management and employees. Qualitative research techniques were used to analyse data. The study findings suggest context-specific management practices and activities, unique from those typically cited in the developed countries, as influencing the effectiveness of organisations in Namibia. Moreover, the study found that management practices and activities related to human fundamentals, such as those embodied in the resource-based view of organisations, appear to be significantly associated with the effectiveness of companies in the Namibian context. The findings of the study have theoretical and practical value for those teaching, consulting and leading organisations in developing countries, especially in African organisations. Also, the findings have value for organisational development and design specialists, human resources professionals, Namibian business practitioners, and expatriates who manage operations and people in Namibia.

Using pastoral ideology to understand human–wildlife coexistence in arid agricultural landscapes

AbstractIntegrating social and ecological knowledge is requisite for solutions to global conservation problems, including human–wildlife conflict, but gathering sufficient data to facilitate integration has proved difficult. Social–ecological systems models have also traditionally overlooked individual human thought and behavior that can affect the success of management interventions. In response to these challenges, we drew upon psychological theory and long‐term ecological data on wildlife populations and conflict occurrence to inform qualitative research on pastoralists' values toward wildlife in the northern Namib Desert. We explored how values and ecological conditions shaped individuals': (a) interactions with and tolerance of species; and (b) perceptions of challenges and potential solutions to living with wildlife. Semi‐structured interview data revealed a prevailing domination value orientation toward wildlife, reflected in concerns for human and livestock wellbeing. Despite these concerns and high rates of reported conflicts, pastoralists were generally tolerant of wildlife, including predators, and indicated this in their proposed management solutions. In addition to its practical implications for informing human–wildlife coexistence strategies in the Namibian context, our approach advances knowledge about wildlife values globally, offers insights on the utility of qualitative assessments for cross‐cultural social–ecological systems research, and furthers understanding of conservation challenges and opportunities in extreme arid environments.

“Sitting There—Cool and Reading”: Results of a Reading-for-Pleasure Programme with Grade Seven Namibian Learners

This article explores the way in which a Namibian initiative to provide time in the school curriculum for engagement with reading may be developed into a practical reading programme. Based on principles of self-determination theory and expectancy value theory, as well as the work of Kimberly Safford about reading for pleasure, enabling physical and social classroom contexts that promote reading for pleasure was explored in a Namibian context. Viewing reading as part of a variety of literacy practices, different forms of reading as well as a variety of reading activities were integrated in the programme. The article reports on this process by documenting learner views on the reading programme. The programme was implemented with 48 Grade 7 learners in an urban, primary school in Namibia. The primary sources of data included eight focus group interviews, as well as a questionnaire which evaluated the reading programme. The results indicate that the implementation of the principles of the programme regarding choice and variety of texts stimulated the rediscovery of the joy of reading. Learners recommended that in future programmes digital reading activities should be further developed. There was a strong focus on the educational value of reading throughout. Furthermore, the merit of responding to texts in writing was pointed out. While learners agreed that the sharing of views regarding reading experiences built understanding of texts and was motivating, social reasons for reading seemed complicated and reading ability was regarded as a personal matter. The article concludes that, similar to other research findings, attention to reading for pleasure is important in developing reading motivation. The value of the study is situated in the use of views of Namibian learners towards the development of guidelines for similar programmes, as well as in the illustration of useful strategies for building a reading culture in schools.

Digital Health Innovation Ecosystems

The purpose of this paper was to identify key participants, benefits, and challenges of a digital health innovation ecosystem in Namibia. The paper also aimed to identify strategies for implementing digital health innovation ecosystems in Namibia. This is a qualitative study that adopted semi-structured interviews in meeting the objectives of the study. The findings suggest that implementing digital health innovation ecosystems within the Namibian context will result in better processes of delivering healthcare services to patients. However, implementing such an ecosystem would require resources from both academic and governmental organizations. The need for skilled experts for managing the ecosystem would also be required. Hence, adopting the guidelines for implementing a digital health innovation ecosystem in developing countries, the study proposed guidelines which would make a digital health innovation ecosystem work for the Namibian context. The findings of this study can be used by healthcare managers within the Namibian context.

Strengthening internal quality assurance as a lever for enhancing student learning experiences and academic success: lessons from Namibia

ABSTRACTHigher education plays an important role in the social, economic and political development of any given nation. In the Namibian context, quality assurance systems have been put in place at both national and institutional levels through the establishment of national quality assurance agencies and units responsible for quality in institutions. A critical literature analysis of quality assurance systems in higher education shows that although they claim to strike a balance between improvement and accountability, external quality assurance mechanisms tend to have an accountability and compliance focus and to promote managerialisation and bureaucratisation of academia. This article argues that internal quality assurance systems, built on a strong quality culture, tend to be more effective in enhancing the quality of student learning experience and academic success than externally driven quality assurance. Thus, to promote genuine quality, more energy must be invested in external quality assurance capacitating and strengthening internal quality assurance systems.

Family therapy: Clearing paths in the Namibian context towards a clearer Pastoral Counselling Model

Family therapy: Clearing paths in the Namibian context towards a clearer Pastoral Counselling Model

Analysing disability policy in Namibia: An occupational justice perspective.

BackgroundThe Namibian disability policy of 1997 has not been reviewed for about 20 years, which has raised concerns with persons with disabilities and stakeholders in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. In March 2017, the government publicised its intention to review the policy. Thus, this study’s purpose was to generate evidence that can contribute to the development of a more current disability policy that will promote occupational justice.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to develop an alternative disability policy option for Namibia and to present outcomes and trade-offs using a policy analysis approach while applying the occupational justice framework to gather evidence.MethodA qualitative research design and Bardach’s eightfold path approach to policy analysis were used. Critical disability theory provided the theoretical framework. The occupational justice framework was the conceptual framework for the study. Evidence from preceding phases of this study and appropriate literature was utilised to construct possible disability policy alternatives in Namibia, set evaluative criteria, project outcomes and confront trade-offs.ResultsThree main disability policy alternatives emerged: access policy, support policy and universal coverage policy. Access policy had the fewest trade-offs, and the support policy had the most trade-offs in the Namibian context. Access policy was projected to foster occupational participation among persons with disabilities.ConclusionResults have implications for selecting disability policy alternatives that promote occupational participation and justice among persons with disabilities in Namibia. Furthermore, the study has implications for advancing the practice of occupational justice in disability policy formulation.

The role of rural school libraries on childrens exposure to literacy in the Namibian context

The link between libraries and reading development has been found to be a determining factor in literacy development by scholars the world over. Based on the findings of a study on the constraints encountered by teachers in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in rural combined schools in the Oshana region, this paper analyses the role of school libraries in rural schools in Namibia. The study made use of the qualitative approach to investigate some of the causes of ineffective teaching and learning in rural schools. Each year, the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessments (DNEA) reveals poor academic performance in the National Senior Secondary Certificate examinations, particularly in the English subject. This study found that poor learner reading skills coupled with learners’ limited access to reading materials constrained the teaching of ESL. Although there were libraries at each school that participated in the study, physical set-up of the libraries often did not qualify them to be libraries in a prototypical definition of a library. It is introspection worthy to examine the role of these rural school libraries on children’s exposure to literacy in an environment of limited reading materials.

Organization Communiqué Effect on Job Satisfaction and Commitment in Namibia

Contemporary organizations, consider human resources to be the most strategic assets. Further to realize these assets to optimum, communication is crucial. With technology driven economies effective communication not only enhances organizational outcomes but also plays a dynamic role for ensuring employee commitment. In spite of this awareness, there is limited research conducted on identification and understanding the significance of organizational communication, especially in the Namibian context. Thus, the aim of this research is to address this research gap. Adopting an empirical survey research design, the population is department of the Inland Revenue employees countrywide. With sample of 150 respondents from 900, randomly selected the response rate was 66.67%. Data has been analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used as inferential statistics to assess the hypotheses and achieve the objectives of the study.

Identifying Essential Components of a Digital Health Innovation Ecosystem for the Namibian Context: Findings from a Delphi Study

AbstractThe concept of digital health innovation ecosystems is an emerging body of literature which suggests that components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems are important in the administration and delivery of healthcare services. The current literature indicates which components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems constitute a digital health innovation ecosystem, but it is less clear as to which components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems are relevant to the development of such an ecosystem for the Namibian context. The purpose of this paper was to identify the components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems relevant to the development of a digital health innovation ecosystem for the Namibian context. Therefore, the Delphi method was adopted in which 22 knowledgeable professionals from within the Namibian context were purposively selected to take part. The findings revealed essential components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems which are considered relevant to the development of a digital health innovation ecosystem for the Namibian context. Additionally, there are differences noted between the components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems essential for the Namibian context and the components of digital health, innovation and digital ecosystems identified in literature. The essential components identified will inform decision makers in the Namibian healthcare sector on the implementation of a digital health innovation ecosystem for Namibia.