School of Human Sciences and Education

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    Course development and practical sessions on the distance education mode. Paper presented at a workshop.
    (1999) Keyter, Charles
    The paper addresses the topic of distance education in general and how practical sessions could be incorporated and implemented as part of a course on the distance education mode.
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    Beyond values – is Namibia moving away from the legal positivism of parliamentary sovereignty?
    (RULCI-Colloquium, 2001-08) Schulz, Stefan
    How to make sense of fundamental rights and freedoms in light of constitutional conceptions deriving from political philosophy, namely justice and human dignity? The author addresses the recent judgement of the Namibian Supreme Court Chairperson of the Immigration Selection Board v Frank and Another and asks whether the court's conception of values is compatible with Constitutional Supremacy. Borrowing from Alexy’s Theory of Fundamental Rights, the term value is given another meaning: Values are understood as optimization directives, as principles posited by the constituent assembly, purposively and functionally related to Kant's supreme moral principle; the categorical imperative. Justice is then understood as a feature of society, which is the natural environment of man, it shall signify a society where the individual is taken seriously. Special Fundamental Rights and Freedoms are viewed, as subjective rights emanating from a general freedom right. It is suggested, that the construction of their meanings has to consider that in the negotiation process towards (generic) constitutional provisions for authorizing law citizens live by, truth and justice could only be revealed approximately. The maxim 'in dubio pro libertate', therefore has to be observed when balancing colliding principles - to an extent which is tenable in Light of the social order challenge.
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    Institutional open and distance learning collaboration in Namibia.
    (Staff and Educational Development International., 2002) Keyter, Charles
    Social and economic development depends to a large extent on applicable knowledge, skills and attitudes. In this regard the Government of Namibia has given the highest priority to education in the national budget of the country since Independence in 1990. Due to the fact that not all learning can be provided through formal education on campus, at schools, colleges and institutions of higher education, open and distance learning have become a viable alternative. In recent years Namibia has seen a rapid expansion of open and distance learning, which provides many thousands of Namibians the opportunity to study part-time to improve their qualifications. However, in order to provide an effective and efficient service to the open and distance learning students in Namibia, the four publicly-funded institutions involved in open and distance learning activities embarked on a mission to collaborate. The result of this collaborative effort is the establishment of the Namibian Open Learning Network (NOLNeT). This article gives an overview of this collaborative effort amongst the four Namibian publicly-funded institutions.
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    A managerial model of distance education for the NUST.
    (2003) Keyter, Charles
    Due to the fact that not all learning can be provided through formal education on campus or schools, colleges and institutions of higher education, distance education has become a viable alternative. In this regard we have seen a rapid expansion of distance education programmes at traditional face-to-face institutions, becoming dual mode institutions. Therefore, if students are to learn on the distance education mode, they need effective educational and administrative support. This implies that the management approach used by dual mode institutions will differ from conventional face-to-face institutions. The aim of this paper is to identify a managerial distance education model for the NUST. In order to develop a managerial distance education model, a distinction will be made between the macro and micro management level of distance education management. Each of these levels will be discussed in terms of certain distance education criteria identified. The current distance education model will be evaluated against the normative distance education model identified. The paper will be concluded in terms of a number of recommendations made to improve the current distance education situation at the NUST.
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    A normative distance education management model for dual mode institutions.
    (Administratio Publica, 2003) Keyter, Charles; Schwella, Erwin
    Due to the fact that not all learning can be provided through formal education on campus at schools, colleges and institutions of higher education, distance education has become a viable alternative. In this regard we have seen a rapid expansion of distance education programmes at traditional face-to-face institutions, becoming dual mode institutions. Therefore, if students are to learn on the distance education mode, they need effective educational and administrative support. This implies that the management approach used by dual mode institutions differ from conventional face-to-face institutions. The aim of this paper is to identify a normative distance education management model, which can be used in evaluating current distance education management models in operation. In order to develop a normative distance education management model, the open systems framework is used because it provides a bridge between the general managerial work and the key management issues as they relate to distance education institutions. The management functions related to distance education is identified and briefly explained. This paper concludes that the biggest challenge in the management of distance education institutions is that they remain flexible and innovative in their approach to student needs.
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    Juvenile justice in Namibia: Law reform towards reconciliation and restorative justice?
    (Restorative Justice Online., 2003) Schulz, Stefan; Hamutenya, Marthinus
    Namibia is a newly independent nation, which in the wake of colonial oppression and foreign rule has yet to develop a comprehensive juvenile justice system. The current criminal justice system is informed by stereotyped common sense concepts of ‘criminality’ and ‘the criminal’. Simplistic views undergirded by utilitarian arguments have put Namibia at odds with international instruments, such as the United Nations Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules) and the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), which have embraced a holistic perspective on juvenile crime and deviance. In the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’, a frame of mind prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, which relates to a specific communal approach to the notion of people, Namibia has set forth to establish a restorative juvenile justice system. This endeavor has led to the drafting of the Child Justice Bill, which is under scrutiny in this article. The authors highlight the arguments behind the most important parts of the draft Bill, and assess the merits of the proposed law against the backdrop of international legal instruments and law reform projects of other countries.
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    Institutional reform measures within the Namibian public sector to ensure accelerated service delivery.
    (Journal of Public Administration., 2006) Keyter, Charles
    During 2006, Namibia not only celebrated 16 years of independence, but the people of Namibia also witnessed a smooth transition of presidential power, in a peaceful, democratic and constitutional manner. The newly elected President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, committed himself and his government to accelerated service delivery. In contrast to all these positive developments within Namibia, the people of Namibia have also witnessed an increase in corruption, maladministration and poor service delivery over the last few years. In this regard this paper will briefly focus on service delivery within Namibia, as well as the positive and negative developments regarding service delivery that have taken place over the last 16 years. Thereafter a brief discussion will follow, which will identify the measures the government of the Republic of Namibia has implemented on institutional level to address these maladies and ensure accelerated service delivery. The measure put in place is the principle of ministerial accountability in accordance with the Namibian Constitution: addressing corruption directly; ensuring that public enterprises operate effectively and efficiently as socio-economic development catalysts; and to establish sound labour relations. The need to contain good communication lines between all social partners was recognised and amendments were made to the Public Service Act, 1995 (Act 13 of 1995) to streamline the disciplinary procedures under the Act.
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    The sun that never rose: A rhetorical analysis of the July 2006 "Sunrise of Currency Reform" monetary policy review statement issued by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
    (NUST, Department of English Communication, 2007) Kangira, Jairos
    This paper analyses the rhetoric that Dr Gideon Gono, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, used in his (in) famous ‘Sunrise of Currency Reform’ Monetary Policy Review Statement to make people believe that once the three zeros were removed from the currency, all economic problems would be a thing of the past. The paper argues that by largely using rhetoric that espoused the common ownership of the economic crisis, Gono attempted to create a common bond among the people. This analysis shows that Gono’s speech was fraught with buzz words and phrases such as ‘from zero to hero’ which, despite their fuzziness, were aimed at shortcircuiting the audience’s reasoning and persuading them to think that removing three zeros from the currency was a noble thing to do. Posing as a pious citizen, Gono attempted to make his speech turn the occasion into an epic moment by purporting collectivity in the exercise. It is concluded that although Gono’s speech contains a mixture of deliberative, forensic and deictic elements of a speech, the proverbial sun did not rise for the people of Zimbabwe, and that Gono’s Monetary Statement was one of his worst illusions.
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    International, African and southern African instruments and institutions driving and inhibiting reform.
    (Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of public administration and Management (ASSADPAM), 2007) Coetzee, Johan
    A number of international institutions and instruments are both driving and inhibiting reform. United Nations conventions play an important role in creating a moral framework for reform. However, ratification is mostly a slow process and the enforcement of provisions is discretionary and inconsistent. The World Bank took the first steps to exclude companies that were found guilty of corruption, from tenders. Financial support to developing countries to bring corrupt companies to court will strengthen the World Bank’s contribution. The Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development provides much needed access to a powerful database on corruption and good governance. The World Trade Organisation is indirectly supporting corruption by not enforcing the reduction of subsidies, that cause an unlevelled playing field. The International Monetary Fund can become a clearinghouse for allegations of corruption. The Millennium Development Account gives countries that qualify for financial support a say in aid-funded programmes and hold them accountable for achieving results, paving the way for increased accountability towards good governance. The International Chamber of Commerce is concerned about the provisions in the United Nation’s Convention Against Corruption that is discretionary, and hampers development of binding and consistent international rules. These concerns need to be turned into action.
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    Integrating an online component using a Computer Mediated Communication system to enhance the learning of English communication skills.
    (NUST, Department of Communication., 2007) Tjiramanga, Alexandra
    This paper examines a variety of activities used in the online component of an English Communication course taught to exit level students at the NUST. The study concentrates on the tasks that were given to students using the computer mediated communication system “Moodle”. The tasks under examination were part of the online component of the hybrid course taught in 2005. These tasks related to study material presented in the face-to-face classroom. They involved activities such as practice, revision, reflection, reading, writing, evaluation, collaboration and cooperation, among others. The tasks under investigation show how face-to-face teaching can be supplemented by online activities to enhance learning as well as students’ engagement and personal development in the learning process.
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    Role of culture and change management in sustainable public service reform.
    (Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM)., 2007) Coetzee, Johan
    Culture and change is complex, unpredictable and cannot be managed but do have prospects for steering. This paper concurs with Van Tonder that change management is cultural management; and also with Bate that culture and strategy are substitutes. For understanding the concept of institutional culture, the Three Layered Diagram of Schultz, et al. was found to be simplistic but useful. The ‘new’ and ‘strong’ culture provides design parameter for cultural change or reform. This paper recommends design parameters for reform of public services in the Southern African Development Community (SADC); and complements the research of Bate in providing a more detailed roadmap for institutional cultural change consisting of the following integrated phases or dimensions: Structural (understanding); spatial and temporal (origins and trajectory); processual (life cycle); contextual (environmental context) and subjective (objectives and ambitions of role players). Amongst other, the following institutional cultural change applications are discussed: For understanding a specific institutional culture, the Organisational Checklist of the United Kingdom Civil Service College is recommended; and an in-depth knowledge and thorough cultural assessment. For strategy formulation, the 7-S Strategy Framework of McKinsey, is useful but not without its limitations. This framework can be combined with the Balanced Scorecard of Kaplan and Norton to provide balanced and cohesive strategies for reform.
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    An exploration of the theme of guilt and redemption in "The Guide" by R. K. Narayan and "A Grain of Wheat" by Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
    (NUST, Department of Communication., 2007) Krishnamurthy, Sarala
    This article examines the theme of guilt and redemption in The Guide by R.K. Narayan and A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Guilt and redemption are treated as one because redemption of the two main protagonists in the two novels follows upon guilt. The protagonists of the two novels are compared with each other because both of them dupe the general public into believing that they are heroes. They follow similar paths of being ordinary men who, in the course of their lives, win the admiration of their people because of a misunderstanding.Instead of revealing their true selves they allow this misperception to continue because it suits them. How each of the protagonists meets his destiny and seeks his redemption is, in the final count, the embodiment of the philosophical vision of the two novelists writing from a post colonial perspective. Since the article deals with the theme of guilt and redemption as one, it, therefore, not only compares and contrasts the protagonists in the novels, also addresses the issue of writing in a post colonial world and how this impacts the world view of each writer.
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    New solutions, enduring challenges - The case for public sector reform in Sub-Saharan Africa re-examined.
    (2007) Keyter, Charles
    The main purpose of any service globally, is to promote the general welfare of the citizens of that specific country. The assumption can therefore be made that in order to promote the general welfare of the citizens: the public sector should be managed effectively, efficiently and economically. Over the last few years we have seen significant changes taking place in public administration and management in Sub-Saharan African countries. The main factors leading to public sector refor can be traced back to the following criteria, namely, the redefinition of the role of the state within society, secondly, measures were introduced to enhance public management performance and lastly it is expected from governments to adhere to the principles of good governance. Besides the above mentioned factors, the reforming of the public sector can be triggered by political scandals, corruption scandals and economic crises. The last part of the paper briefly deals with the approaches and requirements to sustain reform. Two approaches can be used, namely, a "big bang" approach which focus on massive changes at once, or an incremental strategy in which the steps are carefully designed to build support over time.
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    Review of the book Professional communication: How to deliver written and spoken messages by Jane English et al.
    (NUST, Department of Communication., 2007) Tjiramanga, Alexandra
    The article reviews the book "Professional communication: How to deliver written and spoken messages", by Jane English et al.
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    Factors, triggers and measures of public sector reform within transitional countries: Paper presented at the ASSADPAM Annual Conference and AGM, 29 May - 1 June 2007, NUST.
    (ASSADPAM (Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management)., 2007) Keyter, Charles
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    Regional integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC): A case study of Namibia's cross border migration issues in Oshikanga.
    (2007) Niikondo, Andrew
    The article is directly the product of research performed as part of the PhD dissertation on Politics and Public Management offered by the Department of Political and Administrative Studies of the University of Namibia. The main objective of this article was to investigate issues of cross-border migration and their effects on the project of the SADC regional integration. A case study of the border area around the Oshikango town at the Namibia/Angola border has yielded the empirical data. The data were gathered about the distribution of variables such as grassroots community’s understanding and attitudes towards implications of cross border migration as measured against the SADC project of regional integration. Other important variables that support investigation techniques are gender, age and education level of respondents. Informed by this investigation and based on the Oshikango case study this article has arrived at the conclusion that SADC is currently unable to achieve its goal of regulating free movement of persons in the region. The problematic seems to be that since SADC is state-based regime, member states take their refuge in the doctrine of state sovereignty, often at the expense of the common regional agenda, in other words they talk regionalism, but they act nationally. This characterised SADC as a shallow integration with limited involvement of civil society and local communities, and hence, cross-border migration control in the region became an issue. Induced by these conclusions, this article recommended encouragement of trans-frontier special development arrangements such as parks and corridors deeply integrated in trans-boundary grassroots communities.
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    Women writers' use of metaphor as gender rhetoric in discourse on HIV/AIDS and sex-related issues: The case of "Totanga patsva" (We start afresh) by Zimbabwe Women Writers.
    (NUST, Department of Communication., 2007) Kangira, Jairos; Mashiri, Pedzisai; Gambahaya, Zifikile
    This article analyses the metaphors that women writers use to communicate various messages about HIV/AIDS and sex. We argue that the writers use metaphors in their discourse mainly because the Shona culture places restrictions on words and expressions which directly refer to HIV/AIDS and sex-related issues. Such direct words and expressions are considered taboo, hence the communicators have to use metaphors which make the tabooed words and expressions mentionable indirectly. This study focuses on metaphors since other forms of figures such as similes and euphemisms are used sparingly in the anthology under examination. The metaphors that are discussed are found in seventeen stories out of twenty-five stories that make up the anthology. The remaining stories do not overtly use metaphors. It is demonstrated that metaphors in the stories that are analysed enhance communication since they are contextually used. The study demonstrates the relationship between language and culture.
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    Reflexive inquiry and reflective practice: Critical reflection and pedagogy in English language teaching.
    (NUST, Department of Communication., 2007) Krishnamurthy, Sarala
    There is an ongoing debate on learners’ poor performance in English at the NUST. The main challenge that the institution faces to train faculty is addressed by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) which has an Academic Support Unit in charge of organizing teacher training workshops, special lectures and several other activities. While some members of staff believe that it is impossible to mark a test without taking cognizance of the language in which it is written, others distinguish between form and content and choose to ignore the language component of a test. This discrepancy of thought has led to skewed results with students scoring brilliantly in their content subjects like Mathematics, Business Management courses, etc, and failing in English. The current state of affairs begs the question: what do we focus upon in our teacher training programs: is it on language or on content?