PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACTS
Wednesday 7 September 10.30 – 12.30
Contact Persons Meeting at Hotel Linné
12.30 – 13.00
Walk from Hotel Linné to Africa House
13.00 – 13.30
Meet & Mingle at the library of the Nordic Africa Institute Africa House in the Botanical Garden
13.30 – 14.00 14.00 – 14.30
Teacher Education Group Room 12:229, Campus Blåsenhus
14.30 – 15.00 15.00 – 15.30 15.30 – 16.00 16.00 – 18.00
Board Meeting at Hotel Linné
Registration Ihresalen, House 21, Engelska Parken Round Table at Ihresalen, House 21, Engelska Parken (open to the public)
18.00 – 18.30 Welcome Reception at Museum Gustavianum
© David Naylor
18.30 – 19.30
Thursday 8 September CAMPUS BLÅSENHUS 08.00 – 13.00
Registration at Campus Blåsenhus (08.00 Bus pick-up from hotel)
08.30 – 10.00
Lecture hall Gunnar Johansson Keynote 1: Her Excellency, Prof. Dr. Ameenah Gurib - Fakim, President of Mauritius Keynote 2: Prof. Kerstin Sahlin, Secretary General, The Swedish Research Council
10.00 – 10.30
Coffee
10.30 – 12.30
Workshop 1 – Room 12:228 New Public Management in a Local Context
Workshop 2 – Room 12:229 Universities, Social Innovation and ICTs
Workshop 3 – Room 12:230 Addressing Social and Environmental Change
Chair: Kerstin Sahlin, Secretary General, The Swedish Research Council
Chair: Eren Zink, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Chair: Carla Braga, University of Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique)
Shadow management: the effect of neoliberal policy and ombudsman on rule of law and transparency in Swedish HE
The role of information and communication technology: the new public management in practice
Nothing for us without us: Kayamandi Sweet Home
Jens Sörensen, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)
Juanita Frans, Namibia University of Science and Technology (Namibia)
New Public Management in practice: the South African case
Transformative learning through roleplay and on-line simulations
Phindile Ntliziywana, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Roddy Fox, Rhodes University (South Africa)
Workshop 4 – Room 12:231 Critical Thinking and Transformative Learning in Higher Education: Relevance of education Chair: Véronique Simon, Uppsala University (Sweden) Water under troubled bridge: the (ir) relevance of development studies pedagogy in African universities
Hilde Ibsen, Karlstad University (Sweden) Jonathan Makuwira, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (South Africa) Assessing the contribution of local universities to climate change and variability mitigation and adaptation in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe
The inclusion of indigenous knowledge systems in HE teaching and learning Dennis Banda, University of Zambia (Zambia)
Lazarus Chapungu, Great Zimbabwe University (Zimbabwe) New Public Management in the Swedish HE
Universities as social innovators: it must start with the universities themselves
Getahun Yacob Abraham, Karlstad University (Sweden)
Joseph Mlenga, Polytechnic, University of Malawi (Malawi)
Neoliberalism and the academic profession
Structures affecting institutionalisation of the Kenya open data initiative
Tor Halvorsen, University of Bergen (Norway)
Paul Mungai, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Communicating climate change risk for adaptation and mitigation in Southern Africa Henri-Count Evans, University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) Empowering communities in poverty reduction strategies through community based environmental conservation: the role of environmental justice clinic Tiffany Banda, University of Malawi (Malawi)
Research and evidence in practice: case of evidence-based policy making in Canada
Learning communities add value for efficient and relevant transformative learning
Robyn Walter, University of Waterloo (Canada)
Noxolo Mafu,Vaal University of Technology (South Africa)
Higher education, transformative learning and capabilities David O. Kronolid, Uppsala University (Sweden) Transformative learning and sustainability - the 21st century teacher Shepherd Urenje, Uppsala University (Sweden) Mainstreaming critical thinking as an essential learning outcome for undergraduate programmes: experiences of Chinhoyi University of Technology Nomalanga Hamadziripi, Chinhoyi University of Technology (Zimbabwe)
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 15.30
Workshop 5 – Room 12:228 NPM, Ethics and Public Policy
Workshop 6 – Room 12:229 The University’s Impact on Society
Chair: Elva Gomez De Sibandze Namibia University of Science and Technology (Namibia)
Chair: Shepherd Urenje, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Public private partnerships: the impact of information assymmetry
An alternative approach for universities to become more entrepreneurial: case study comparison between universities in Sweden and South Africa
Rene Albertus, University of Western Cape (South Africa)
NPM as a mechanism of accumulation by dispossession: the case of a public bulk water provider in South Africa Carina Van Rooyen, University of Johannesburg (South Africa) Ethics in occupational health: Challenges for managing occupational health and safety in an African contex Leslie London, University of Cape Town (South Africa) The determinants of implementation pitfalls of public sector reforms as a poverty reduction strategy in the period from 1994 to 2014 in Malawi Madalitso Mukiwa, Exploits University (Malawi)
Matt Pretorius, Stellenbosch University (South Africa) The role of universities as social, cultural & technological learning hubs Paul Nleya, University of Botswana (Botswana)
The use of a portfolio to enhance authentic assessment among inservice student-teachers’ in social studies education at the university of Botswana Mavis Mhlauli, University of Botswana (Botswana) Transformative, holistic learning for sustainable lifestyles - a magical sybergy of caring, consulting and creating Victoria W.Thoresen, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway) Opportunities and challenges for connecting and federating research and education communities in Malawi Victor Funsani,The Polytechnic University of Malawi (Malawi)
Workshop 7 – Room 12:230 Transnational Connections: Doctoral students and reseach collaboration
Workshop 8 – Room 12:231 Tools and the Teachers’ Role and Experiences
Chair: Tor Halvorsen, University of Bergen (Norway)
Chair: Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Holder of the Murray & Roberts Chair in Environmental Education, Rhodes University (South Africa) Universities de-stigmatizing STEM at grassroot level
Accessing larger grants for young researchers in sub-Saharan Africa: challenges and possible solutions Yogeshkumar Naik, National University of Science & Technology (Zimbabwe) Research training models, international collaboration, and the agencies of African scientists working in Africa
Norah Basopo, National University Of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe)
Shifting demographics and changing expectations: lecturers’ experiences in teaching HIV and AIDS for transformative learning in HE
Eren Zink, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Managing research collaboration in a complex transnational setting: experiences from a SANORD project
Rose Mugweni, Great Zimbabwe University (Zimbabwe) The nature of geography textbook choices in South Africa
Thembinkosi Mabila, University of Limpopo (South Africa)
Sadhana Manik, University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
Between politics and life - PhD students from non-Western countries in Uppsala, Sweden
International practicum - a transformative learning experience for teacher students
Stefanie Mallow, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Gerd Wikan, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway) Implications of the self efficacy construct on development of critical thinking skills in the classroom: exploring measurement non-vicariance of the self efficacy scale amongst service and in-service teachers in Botswana Molefhe Mogapi, University of Botswana (Botswana) How to see the world: Maps and teaching of maps in South African and Norwegian textbooks Erlend Eidsvik, Hedmark Bergen University College, (Norway)
15.30 – 16.00
Coffee
16.00 – 17.30
Matchmaking - Networking session
19.00 – 24.00
Conference Dinner at Norrlands Nation
Friday 9 September CAMPUS BLÅSENHUS 08.00 – 08.30
Registration (08.00 Bus pick-up from hotel)
08.30 – 10.00
Lecture hall Gunnar Johansson Keynote 3: Prof. Collen Masimirembwa, President and Founder, The African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology Keynote 4: Prof. Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Holder of the Murray & Roberts Chair in Environmental Education, Rhodes University
10.00 – 10.30
Coffee
10.30 – 12.30
Workshop 9 – Room 12:228 Vulnerability, Equality and Accountability in Practice
Workshop 10 – Room 12:229 Health Governance
Workshop 11 – Room 12:230 Learning across borders
Chair: Carla Puglia, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Chair: Birgitta Essén, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Chair: Victoria W.Thoresen, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway)
Mainstreaming gender for equality, social innovation, and transformation of HE: the case of South Africa and Namibia
AIDS policies, modernity and the invisibility of flexible livelihoods
Is it all about AIDS, apartheid and townships? Swedish dissertations and theses about Southern Africa 2005-2015; a survey and an analysis
Elva Gomez De Sibandze, Namibia University of Science and Technology (Namibia) A framework for addressing child online protection issues in Namibia: societal governance Fungai Bhunu Ashava, Namibia University of Science and Technology (Namibia) Time-Geography - an educational mobile tool for understanding and analysing multi cultural interaction Per Assmo, University West (Sweden)
Carla Braga, University of Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique)
Véronique Simon, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Promoting community participation in health system governance: Health Committees in rural Uganda and urban Cape Town
Transformative learning, critical thinking and global citizenship: lessons learned from Norwegian teacher students doing their practicum in Namibia
Leslie London, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Jørgen Klein, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway)
“Reclaiming stolen body parts” - narratives by immigrant women in Sweden requesting clitorial reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation/ cutting
Relevance, quality and outcomes of a transnational cooperation within education amongst three tertiary institutions
Malin Jordal, Uppsala University (Sweden) Family support for children with developmental disabilities: parental perspectives
Inequality in health: strengthening and integrating national policy on harmful use of alcohol
Nelly Malatsi, University of Botswana (Botswana)
Erik Hoel, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway)
Relevance of activity theory of ageing to the old people in the Zambian context
A transdisciplinary approach addressing health inequity - research proposal
Mubiana Kaiko Sitali, University of Zambia (Zambia)
Mats Målqvist, Uppsala University (Sweden)
Anne Marit V. Danbolt, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (Norway) Measuring international development cooperation to strengthen scientific capacity - an empirical case, lessons learned, and the way forward Rebecca Andersson, International Science Program, Uppsala University (Sweden) Political implication of support to HE in low-income countries: empirical study of donor support to four southern African countries Marta Zdravkovic, Örebro University (Sweden)
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 15.30
Council Meeting in Lecture hall Gunnar Johansson
15.30 – 16.00
Coffee
16.00 – 20.00
Tour to and Dinner in Old Uppsala
CONTENTS NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN THE SWEDISH HIGHER EDUCATION
8
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION ASYMMETRY
9
MEASURING INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION TO STRENGTHEN SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY – AN EMPIRICAL CASE, LESSONS LEARNED, AND THE WAY FORWARD
10
TIME-GEOGRAPHY - AN EDUCATIONAL MOBILE TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING MULTI-CULTURAL INTERACTION
11
THE INCLUSION OF INDIGENOUS KNOLWEDGE SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING AND LEARNING
12
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES IN POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES THROUGH COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CLINIC
13
UNIVERSITIES DE-STIGMATIZING STEM AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL
14
A FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION ISSUES IN NAMIBIA: SOCIETAL GOVERNANCE.
15
AIDS POLICIES, MODERNITY AND THE INVISIBILITY OF FLEXIBLE LIVELIHOODS
16
ASSESSING THE CONTRIBUTION OF LOCAL UNIVERSITIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION IN MASVINGO PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE
17
RELEVANCE, QUALITY AND OUTCOMES OF A TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION IN EDUCATION AMONGST THREE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
18
HOW TO SEE THE WORLD: MAPS AND TEACHING OF MAPS IN SOUTH AFRICAN AND NORWEGIAN TEXTBOOKS
19
COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE RISK FOR ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
20
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING THROUGH ROLE-PLAYING AND ON-LINE SIMULATIONS
21
THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY: THE NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE
22
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR CONNECTING AND FEDERATING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION COMMUNITIES IN MALAWI
23
MAINSTREAMING GENDER FOR EQUALITY, SOCIAL INNOVATION, AND TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA
24
NEOLIBERALISM AND THE ACADEMIC PROFESSION
25
MAINSTREAMING CRITICAL THINKING AS AN ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOME FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES: EXPERIENCES OF CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
26
INEQUALITY IN HEALTH: STRENGTHENING AND INTEGRATING NATIONAL POLICIES ON HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL
27
NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US: KAYAMANDI SWEET HOME
28
‘RECLAIMING STOLEN BODY PARTS’ - NARRATIVES BY IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN SWEDEN REQUESTING CLITORAL RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AFTER FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING
29
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING, CRITICAL THINKING AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: LESSONS LEARNED FROM NORWEGIAN TEACHER STUDENTS DOING THEIR PRACTICUM IN NAMIBIA
30
HIGHER EDUCATION, TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING AND CAPABILITIES
31
PROMOTING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HEALTH SYSTEM GOVERNANCE: HEALTH COMMITTEES IN RURAL UGANDA AND URBAN CAPE TOWN
32
ETHICS IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: CHALLENGES FOR MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT
33
MANAGING RESEARCH COLLABORATION IN A COMPLEX TRANSNATIONAL SETTING: EXPERIENCES FROM A SANORD PROJECT
34
LEARNING COMMUNITIES ADD VALUE FOR EFFICIENT AND RELEVANT TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING
35
WATER UNDER TROUBLED BRIDGE: THE (IR)RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES PEDAGOGY IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES
36
FAMILY SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: PARENTAL PERSPECTIVES
37
BETWEEN POLITICS AND LIFE – PHD STUDENTS FROM NON-WESTERN COUNTRIES IN UPPSALA, SWEDEN
38
A TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH ADDRESSING HEALTH INEQUITY – RESEARCH PROPOSAL
39
THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOK CHOICES IN SOUTH AFRICA
40
THE USE OF A PORTFOLIO TO ENHANCE AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT AMONG INSERVICE STUDENTTEACHERS’ IN SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA
41
UNIVERSITIES AS SOCIAL INNOVATORS: IT MUST START WITH THE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES
42
IMPLICATIONS OF THE SELF EFFICACY CONSTRUCT ON DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM: EXPLORING MEASUREMENT NON-INVARIANCE OF THE SELF EFFICACY SCALE AMONGST PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS BOTSWANA
43
SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS AND CHANGING EXPECTATIONS: LECTURERS’ EXPERIENCES IN TEACHING HIV AND AIDS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
44
THE DETERMINATS OF IMPLEMENTATION PITFALLS OF PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS AS A POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY IN THE PERIOD FROM 1994 TO 2014 IN MALAWI
45
STRUCTURES AFFECTING INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE KENYA OPEN DATA INITIATIVE
46
ACCESSING LARGER GRANTS FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
47
THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AS SOCIAL, CULTURAL & TECHNOLOGY LEANING HUBS
48
NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN CASE STUDY
49
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH FOR UNIVERSITIES TO BECOME MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL: CASE STUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES IN SWEDEN AND SOUTH AFRICA
50
IS IT ALL ABOUT AIDS, APARTHEID AND TOWNSHIPS? SWEDISH DISSERTATIONS AND THESIS ABOUT SOUTHERN AFRICA 2005-2015; A SURVEY AND AN ANALYSIS
51
RELEVANCE OF ACTIVITY THEORY OF AGEING TO THE OLD PEOPLE IN THE ZAMBIAN CONTEXT
52
SHADOW MANAGEMENT: THE EFFECT OF NEOLIBERAL POLICY AND OMBUDSMEN ON RULE OF LAW AND TRANSPARENCY IN SWEDISH HIGHER EDUCATION
53
TRANSFORMATIVE, HOLISTIC LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES—A MAGICAL SYNERGY OF CARING, CONSULTING AND CREATING
54
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING AND SUSTAINABILITY – THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHER
55
NPM AS A MECHANISM OF ACCUMULATION BY DISPOSSESSION: THE CASE OF A PUBLIC BULK WATER PROVIDER IN SOUTH AFRICA
56
RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE IN PRACTICE: CASES OF EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING IN CANADA
57
INTERANATIONAL PRACTICUM - A TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING EXERIENCE FOR TEACHER STUDENTS?
58
POLITICAL IMPLICATION OF SUPPORT TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN LOW INCOME COUNTRIES: EMPIRICAL STUDY OF DONOR SUPPORT TO FOUR SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES
59
RESEARCH TRAINING MODELS, INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION, AND THE AGENCIES OF AFRICAN SCIENTISTS WORKING IN AFRICA
60
NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN THE SWEDISH HIGHER EDUCATION Getahun Yacob Abraham Karlstad University, SWEDEN
The focus of this study is to find out about the neoliberal New Public Management entry into the Swedish higher education institutions, its effect and the possible alternative to it. The study is based on articles in academic journals, policy documents and government sponsored reports. The result of the study shows that the Swedish higher education institutions are influenced by New Public Management. This is visible as market characters such as efficiency, competition, quality control, customer satisfaction is highly valued at present in the higher education. There is also emphasis on manpower training for the labour market. Easily measurable knowledge for immediate use of economic growth are prioritized at the expense of critical and analytical knowledge. Higher education’s autonomy is to some extent violated, collegial leadership is replaced by appointee leadership, staff are under pressure to follow instructions instead of exercising their academic freedom. Based on these findings I will argue against these trends and emphasis on the importance of all partners in higher education to review the present condition in order to facilitate the possibility for keeping higher education (universities) as public autonomous institution, to keep academic freedom intact, to assure that higher education should have both professional and democratic contents, and that higher education should continue to undertake basic long term and short term research for immediate use. Keywords: Higher education; Neoliberalism; New Public Management; Sweden
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION ASYMMETRY Rene Albertus and Ojelanki Ngwenyama University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
The increase demand for public sector infrastructure improvements have led to Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts in South Africa as a strategy to facilitate relationships. The public sector has almost always been at a disadvantage due to lack of expertise and technical competence to improve government infrastructure, hence having to collaborate with the private sector. The challenges of information asymmetry have suggested that it undermined the public sectors ability to manage the private sector and leverage the necessary skills for effective management. Given the challenges with PPP failures the paper seeks to determine how management competencies can be improved to minimise dependencies on the private sector for skills improvement and harnessing expertise. The private sector exploiting the public sector has become palpable, hence the need to find solutions to improve public sector management competencies that leave them vulnerable to exploitation. The findings indicated that there is a specific gap in literature on information asymmetry and how to breach the knowledge gap. It provides strategic tools to improve public sector management challenges and give guidelines on overcoming dependency challenges.
MEASURING INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION TO STRENGTHEN SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY – AN EMPIRICAL CASE, LESSONS LEARNED, AND THE WAY FORWARD Rebecca Andersson, Leif Abrahamsson, Carla Puglia, Peter Sundin and Ernst van Groningen International Science Programme (ISP), Uppsala University, SWEDEN
New Public Management (NPM) has been gradually introduced in Sweden since the 1980’s. It is not until the recent years, however, that NPM has been introduced and applied also to Swedish development cooperation. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), has recommended the use of so called Results Based Management (RBM) to clarify expectations and demonstrate outcomes. The International Science Programme (ISP) at Uppsala University has since 1961 been working to strengthen domestic capacity for scientific research and higher education in developing countries, in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Sida, the major funder of ISP since 1965, has recent years required the implementation of a more systematic and results focused method of monitoring and evaluation of ISP, as well as the development of a logical framework. ISP has since then invested considerable time and money in developing a systematic RBM working routine. A few years into the new way of working we are now asking ourselves - what are the pros and cons of working with RBM in research cooperation? What are the gains compared to the efforts invested? What do the results tell us? When moving beyond NPM, what does it mean for the management of Swedish development cooperation in perspective of the efforts already invested by concerned organizations and actors? What is the way forward?
TIME-GEOGRAPHY - AN EDUCATIONAL MOBILE TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING MULTI-CULTURAL INTERACTION Per Assmo1 and Roddy Fox2 University West, SWEDEN1 Rhodes University, South Africa2
We live in an increasingly multi-cultural and diversified world, and we need to obtain awareness and capability to understand and analyse issues of multi-culturalism, integration and segregation. This paper presents experiences and outcome from developing an educational web-based mobile tool, for students from secondary school to university level, who use themselves as study objects and through self-reflecting analysis enhance awareness and understanding of complex multi-cultural issues. As a conceptual platform we use a time-spatial framework, inspired Hägerstrand’s time geography. The time-spatial approach advocates a local ‘all-embracing’ perspective focusing on individual people’s daily livelihoods, with all their constraints and opportunities. We use the concept of ‘pockets of local order’ to facilitate a structured analysis of human action (in time) in a certain environment (place) in relation to various forms of constraints and power relations. How people respond to constraints depends on the physical resources, socio-economic structures and cultural values of a particular society. Students’ time-spatial analyses is done using mobile smart phones. The students collect and map time-spatial dairies of their own activities. By examining their own time-spatial activities they can analyse how and why they inhabit and produce particular Pockets of Local Order, structured through various forms of constraints. The time-spatial appraisal becomes a practical self-reflecting educational tool to develop the students’ analytical understanding of multi-cultural interaction, integration and segregation.
THE INCLUSION OF INDIGENOUS KNOLWEDGE SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING AND LEARNING Dennis Banda and Mulenga Kapwepwe The University of Zambia, ZAMBIA
Education is supposed to bring behavioral change in human beings through the acquisition of new knowledge, skills and attitudes by the learner for individual and national progress. This paper sheds light on how the Eurocentric approach to what is knowledge has disadvanged other forms of knowledge as currently, alternative knowledge to Western knowledge is ignorance and alternative medicine to Western medicine is witchcraft. This paper tries to shed some light on how development and utilisation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), or local people’s knowledge systems/technologies, values, attitudes, morals could be adapted for teaching in Colleges and Universities in the South for the realization of sustainable development. The paper specifically addresses contextual issues and processes involved in knowledge production and the teaching of that knowledge through indigenous experimentation, songs, proverbial wisdom, taboos, beliefs, rituals and some solid innovations. The paper uses the Chewa traditional school of the Nyau dance and the Bemba marital traditional ceremony of Ukulange mbusa to showcase these claims. The paper argues that the experiential and practical ways of teaching practiced in IKS which involves all the human senses at a goal to draw the learner’s attention and focus to what is being taught could enhance the teaching in higher education where boredom is the order of the day. The paper further argues that African proverbs could be used as theoretical and conceptual frameworks in social science research in higher education. The paper proposes a model for incorporating IKS in the formal education system.
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES IN POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES THROUGH COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CLINIC Tiffany Banda University of Malawi- Chancellor College, MALAWI
Inequalities in societies are one of the most common features that characterize developing countries. Such inequalities have a tendency to create vulnerability in certain quarters of society. This paper is based on a study that examines how public and private entities can work in partnership to address the issue of poverty that directly results from social and economic inequalities prevalent in Malawi. The area under study is the Zomba Mountain catchment characterized by vast amounts of natural resources and a community facing abject poverty. Girls and women are the most vulnerable as they are involved in the collection of firewood on the mountain, rendering them prone to abuse and human rights violations, including sexual abuse and child labour. Moreover, some of these resources are under threat of extinction due to unsustainable utilization and overexploitation. The rapid depletion of resources is leading to more poverty and vulnerability on the part of women and girls who depend on the mountain for survival. This project endeavours to address such vulnerabilities through empowerment, promotion of a sustainable green economy and addressing human rights abuses. Through the University of Malawi’s Environmental Justice Clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic, the project seeks to partner with communities and private sector entities involved in logging activities in addressing issues of vulnerability and social justice. Faculty staff and students facilitate the development of skills for environmental stewardship, sustainable resource utilization and a future -facing outlook that would enable communities make adjustment that ensure sustainable livelihoods for.
UNIVERSITIES DE-STIGMATIZING STEM AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL Norah Basopo, Sanele Mnkandla and Donald Ndebele National University of Science and Technology, ZIMBABWE
Universities are deemed one of the best media to spread an idea among a target group, as they have the ability to cross the social divide. This may be achieved through prioritizing the social impact of graduates through training and providing mentoring support to be social innovators who can launch their own social ventures which benefit the society. The studying of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in high schools has been stigmatized by many as difficult and the courses intimidating. Innovations that help demystify and make these disciplines more relevant and meaningful to the learner would therefore be beneficial. With society readily accepting technology, innovations from university students in fields such as engineering, mathematics and applied sciences could, individually or collaboratively, be employed in the development of applications/ digital technologies that support investigations, experiments, game based learning, prototypes and models that aid in demonstrating scientific concepts. Such tools would help develop the necessary skills in learners. Developing user friendly M-learning platforms, using multipurpose mobile phones, would also enable teachers to meaningfully communicate with students over the phone for teaching purposes. Such innovations would thus breed a new culture of teaching and learning that will develop the critical skills and career linkages learners, who are problem solvers and can compete on the global market.
A FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION ISSUES IN NAMIBIA: SOCIETAL GOVERNANCE. Fungai Bhunu Ashava, Attlee, M, Gamundani, Mercy Chitauro, Isaac Nhamu and Josephina Mikka Namibia University of Science and Technology, NAMIBIA
Through vision 2030 and NDP4, the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) is committed to providing every child with access to ICTs. The prevalence of technology in the minor’s lives presents a new platform of abuse as some of the abuse practices can be carried out in cyberspace. Cyber-crimes against children include but are not limited to cyberbullying, sexting, child pornography, cyber harassment and grooming. A preliminary study conducted by the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)’s Digital Forensics and Information Security Research Cluster (DFISRC) in collaboration with UNICEF and CJCP has unveiled how children typically respond to these abuses and the underlying reasons. Among the reasons for not reporting the perpetrators were: Fear, not knowing where to report, trivialising the acts of abuse and some believing they can take charge of the situation. An in depth analysis of these patterns reveal that this exposes them to further abuse which goes unnoticed by adults and can result in physical abuse and trauma in some cases. The five regions studied reflected a similar trend hence the problem is at a national level and needs national invention. Through robust societal governance, the GRN can ensure that the future leaders are protected and at the same time enjoy the benefits of being citizens in a digitally connected nation. In this paper we present a proposed framework that can be used to protect children online through societal governance.
AIDS POLICIES, MODERNITY AND THE INVISIBILITY OF FLEXIBLE LIVELIHOODS Carla Braga Eduardo Mondlane University, MOZAMBIQUE
Studies of African countries’ response to AIDS and more recently to Ebola helped call into question, not only individual and behavioral factors related to those diseases, but the centrality of the healthcare delivery systems and of health policies in face of challenges of such magnitude. In central Mozambique even if living in cities and towns, families still have plots where mainly maize and other cereals are grown. Their livelihoods are mostly a flexible combination of small-scale agriculture, petty business, and task-wage. Most AIDS patients, women in particular, move between cities/towns and their fields according to the agricultural season blurring the distinction between urban and rural residence. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in central Mozambique (where in a neoliberal context, AIDS treatment is being provided through institutional arrangements comprising the state, aid agencies, and international NGOs), this paper suggests that: a) AIDS treatment schedule is fixed and rigid and does not take into account the flexibility required in the combination of diverse livelihood strategies; b) the invisibility and underrating of small scale agriculture might be associated with a single and hegemonic concept of modernity which associates the modern with the urban; c) decontextualized AIDS policies decrease women’s possibilities to access treatment.
ASSESSING THE CONTRIBUTION OF LOCAL UNIVERSITIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION IN MASVINGO PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE Lazarus Chapungu Great Zimbabwe University, ZIMBABWE
There is evidence of perpetual vulnerability of rural and urban communities to the impacts of climatic vagaries in southern Africa. Zimbabwe is worse affected. This occurs in the face of strategists, technocrats and scientists within tertiary institutions whose mandate includes strengthening the capacity of communities to address both natural and man-made problems. The contribution of Universities with regards to community adaptation and mitigation of climate change and variability is veiled in obscurity. This paper assesses the contribution of Universities in Masvingo province in enabling the capacity of local communities to cope with and mitigate climate change. The mixed methods research design was employed where both qualitative and quantitative instruments were used. The analysis was based on a final sample of 233 households, 15 key informants and field observations. Analysis of qualitative data was done by means of coding, memoing, descriptions, typologies, taxonomies and visual representations, whilst quantitative data was processed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel add INS XLSTAT to generate various forms of descriptive statistics. Results show significant efforts by local tertiary institutions that are interrupted by lack of resources in the form of finances and enabling infrastructure, bureaucratic community engagement processes and prohibitive operational environment. This is buttressed by poor coordination of efforts among the institutions that has resulted in duplication of roles. It is concluded that tertiary institutions’ contribution is not satisfactory. There is need for creating an enabling policy environment that supports mobilisation of resources and ease of community engagement processes.
RELEVANCE, QUALITY AND OUTCOMES OF A TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION IN EDUCATION AMONGST THREE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS Anne Marit V. Danbolt1, Louise Mostert2, John Luangala2 and Dennis Banda2 Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, NORWAY1, University of Zambia2
This paper reflects on the relevance, quality and outcomes of a transnational cooperation within higher education amongst three tertiary institutions: Hedmark University of Applied Sciences in Norway, the University of Namibia and the University of Zambia. This was a project funded by Norad through the NOMA programme and managed by SIU - Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education. The focus of the cooperation was the development and implementation of a Master’s degree in Literacy and Learning at the two universities in the South. Data from annual reports to SIU as well as Master’s theses submitted as part of this programme during the years 2011 – 2014 are analyzed for relevance and quality in light of the challenges that face the educational system in the two countries of implementation. Furthermore, successes and lessons learned from activities such as co-teaching, co-supervision of Master’s students, staff exchange and co-operative research are discussed, as this cooperation worked as a tool for quality development within the field of literacy and learning. Through the project activities participants also came to a better understanding of the complexities with regard to language policies of multilingual countries.
HOW TO SEE THE WORLD: MAPS AND TEACHING OF MAPS IN SOUTH AFRICAN AND NORWEGIAN TEXTBOOKS Erlend Eidsvik1, Nkululeko Ndiweni2, David Manyatsi2 and Vibeke Vågenes3 Bergen University College, NORWAY1,University of KwaZulu-Natal2, Bergen University College3
The discipline of geography is taught differently and have different positions and status in the school systems worldwide. It is, however, a discipline that is included in all national curricula’s and a elementary discipline in the formative bildung of young citizens. This paper investigates and compare challenges in geography teaching at high school level in Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Norway based on questionnaires and interviews of geography teachers in the respective countries. The paper addresses first the process of choosing textbooks: what are the instructive levels, who decides which textbooks to be used, and what are the background for the choices. Secondly, we explore the use of textbooks in the three respective cases. Finally, the paper analyses major challenges in geography education as identified by the teachers, and analyse it in an adapted model of curricula implementation. The findings illustrates a series of similarities in the three cases, but also challenges that are specific to the respective countries. These challenges need to be understood according to the position and tradition of geography in the countries. The paper concludes that the Swazi and Zimbabwean use and choice of textbooks favour British writers/textbooks/publishing houses, and consequently foster a continuation of a British understanding of geography to their students. The main challenge identified in the Norwegian system is the too limited time for teaching the curricula, leaving the highs school students with a minimum of knowledge seen in relation to the all-encompassing benchmarks defined for the subject.
COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE RISK FOR ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Henri-Count Evans University of KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA
Climate change continues to pose a serious threat to the existence of both humanity and the natural environment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment report of 2013 projected an upward trend in global temperatures and more pronounced extreme weather events. Climate change affects all of humanity but as Parks and Roberts (2009, 2010) noted, the impacts are unequal and the least developed and developing countries in global south are affected more than the developed global north. It is within this understanding, and the realisation of the impacts of climate change in Southern Africa, that this paper argues that people within the region need to have more climate change awareness in order to develop and implement climate adaptation and mitigation practices. Communication and information provision are important in the mainstreaming of climate change and promote adaptation and mitigation practices that benefit society. The key aim of this paper is to identify and analyse the key tenets of the risk communication theory (largely borrowed from health communication) that can be borrowed and applied in the communication of the climate change risks, adaptation and mitigation. By so doing, the paper will also locate current research literature and practice on risk communication related to climate change. Covello (1992: 359) defined risk communication as the “process of exchanging information among interested parties about the nature, magnitude, significance, or control of a risk”. Drawing from Covello, this paper sees climate risk communication as that communication that provides information on climate change induced risks
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING THROUGH ROLE-PLAYING AND ON-LINE SIMULATIONS Roddy Fox1, Meagen Swain1, Johanna Ollila2 and Johanna Kärki2 Rhodes University, SOUTH AFRICA1, University of Turku2
Rhodes University, South Africa, and the University of Turku, Finland, have been collaboratively investigating simulations as futures methodologies from 2006 onwards. The first part of this paper is a critical evaluation of participant reflections concerning the effectiveness of the simulations that we have run in northern Europe and South Africa. The reflections of the young adults participating in the role plays (n=c100) lie mostly in the interpretive and critical domains of futures epistemologies: they developed insight into conditions experienced in very unfamiliar African situations and started to problematise the power relations that characterised the environments they were experiencing. The online simulation ’Get a Life’ (www.getalife.fi) was developed in 2008-2013 as a consequence of the collaborations into role-playing simulations. In this simulation the users’ orientation towards the future and their decision-making regarding the future is analysed from their reflections (n=c800). The second part of the paper shows how we have taken the lessons we have learned from these simulations to develop a new on-line simulation. The new simulation uses the game engine that drives getalife.fi to simulate water futures from a southern Africa perspective. We finish by presenting the scenarios we are modelling in the new simulation and discussing how we will validate the model.
THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY : THE NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE Juanita Frans Namibia University of Science and Technology, NAMIBIA
New Public Management (NPM), is a term coined by Hood (1991) for policy to modernize the public sector and to render it more effective. The basic idea of NPM is that market-orientated management of the public sector will lead to greater efficiencies without having negative side-effects to other objectives and considerations. During the past years a lot of attention was paid to the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a key factor in business processes. It is corroborated that ICT’s could be used to achieve more efficient and effective service delivery, increase productivity, including the enhancement of business process reviews. Cartwright(2005) emphasised ICT as an integral part of the modern world and the synergy between computers, communication devices, including people and users of everyday technology. At the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), ICT is no stranger in the delivery of services and the running of all daily processes at the institution. Being the frontrunner of technological advancement, innovation and inventions, the University recognizes the value of technology in delivering superior student experiences in terms of a number of student self-help facilities and re-engineering of ICT’s on a daily basis. The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by ICT in achieving institutional strategic goals at NUST. The study further aims to highlight the advantages currently experienced on a continued basis, the understanding of input in ICT in achieving these set goals and principles and to make recommendations.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR CONNECTING AND FEDERATING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION COMMUNITIES IN MALAWI Victor Funsani, Kondwani Thangalimodzi University of Malawi, The Polytechnic, MALAWI
Malawi’s Research and Education (R&E) communities lack openness to sharing information, cross-disciplinary working and a centralized approach to information storage. This phenomenon has led to the introduction of initiatives geared to interconnect institutions of higher learning and research in the country, however the interconnection is being threatened by numerous forces including lack of Open Access repositories, lack of knowledge and skills, and leadership commitment. In view of the increased penetration of modern information and communications technologies in Malawi’s institutions of higher learning, there is need for the best minds across the country and the world to work together on ground-breaking research activities that were previously not possible or were inefficient due to poor broadband services. This concept paper looks at the opportunities and challenges of connecting, federating identities and sharing ICT experimental interoperable cloud platforms and test-beds in Malawi as an enabler for development through large-scale experimentations in small production areas like Next Generation Computing, eHealth, eGovernment, Cyber security, eAgriculture and Environmental Sustainability, ICT4D and technology enhanced learning. Both technical and policy issues covered are centered on the questions of WHAT needs to be done and HOW this can be achieved.
MAINSTREAMING GENDER FOR EQUALITY, SOCIAL INNOVATION, AND TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA Elva Gomez De Sibandze, Emily Brown, Leolyn Jackson, Cheryl Poitgiter and Andrew Niikondo Niikondo Namibia University of Science and Technology, NAMIBIA
Namibia and South Africa have rights-based Constitutions, granting girls and boys, women and men equal rights and opportunities in all spheres of life. Yet, the SADC Gender Protocol 2015 Barometer highlights the fact that the economy is still a male preserve. While enrolment figures at all levels of education have improved, the management of universities still remain the domain of men, holding obvious implications for the aspirations of women. As a means of transforming higher education, gender mainstreaming is a communication strategy to bring about fairness and objectivity. It is of particular importance in societies where women constitute 50% or more of a particular society. In the SADC region, it is mostly men who occupy prominent positions in education, industry and government, and the SADC Media tend to seek prominent sources. According to the Labour Force Survey of 2014, 42% of women were in managerial positions. In the private sector, only 40% of those in top positions are women, and the World Economic Forum predicted that it would take until 2133 to achieve global gender parity. This Paper examines the relationship between gender equality and the extent to which policy facilitates equal sharing of power in higher education structures in South Africa and Namibia. Gender mainstreaming and policy development and implementation are proposed as a transformative process to reduce inequalities in academe and society. Applying the Heidelberg framework proposed by Georg Mildenberger and Eva Bund, social innovation will be measured. This Study will include in-depth surveys and case studies.
NEOLIBERALISM AND THE ACADEMIC PROFESSION Tor Halvorsen University of Bergen, UiBGlobal, NORWAY
My paper will be a presentation of some findings from my comparative research on the transformation of the academic profession due to the neoliberal governance of academic institutions. I am comparing South Africa, Uganda and Norway. Through the most different cases analysis, variation in the way neoliberal policies are implemented are analyzed. Despite these variations, we see a common resilience within the academic profession to the kind of control, even degradation that is common, albeit in different forms for all the cases. In this particular paper emphasis will be on the reliance of the profession, and the different ways the academic community refers to common values to preserve space for critical thinking, academic freedom and influence on how their space of work is governed.
MAINSTREAMING CRITICAL THINKING AS AN ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOME FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES: EXPERIENCES OF CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Nomalanga Hamadziripi, Raphael Jingura and David Simbi Chinhoyi University of Technology, ZIMBABWE
The paper explores the interrelationship between critical thinking and transformative learning in Higher Education by underpinning critical thinking as an essential learning outcome. The explicit priority of reform efforts in Higher Education institutions in Zimbabwe is to improve the quality of student thinking. Chinhoyi University of Technology has a set of essential learning outcomes which must be attained by all its undergraduate students that denote generic knowledge, skills and values central to holistic student development. Critical thinking is part of the set of the University’s essential learning outcomes. The aim is to improve thinking and deductive reasoning skills in students. This skills set is essential for independent thought processes and critical minds. The major challenge for the University was to re-design curricular and transform pedagogy in order to achieve the critical thinking learning outcome. The curriculum challenge was either to introduce critical thinking as a course or infuse it in some of the existing courses. The pedagogical challenge was to develop teaching skills of academic staff for effective delivery of critical thinking subject material. The University undertook major transformative steps: infusing critical into the Communication Skills course and training lecturers in critical thinking. This paper presents what the University has done with respect to curriculum transformation to mainstream critical thinking in undergraduate programmes and capacity building of academic staff in critical thinking and logic with emphasis on student outcomes, challenges and future prospects for continuous improvement.
INEQUALITY IN HEALTH: STRENGTHENING AND INTEGRATING NATIONAL POLICIES ON HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL Erik Hoel1 and Hilde Ibsen2 Hedmark University College, NORWAY1, Karlstad University2
Health expressed as a human right requires health care as a public good for all citizens. Inequality, however, has increased globally since the neo-liberal wave of the 1980s, also as regards health. A new development paradigm of sustainable development set out by the United Nation (2013) speaks to ensure healthy lives and to promote well-being. Alcohol abuse is a global public health problem which affects not only the person drinking, but families and society. Harmful use of alcohol is interlinked with HIV problems, gender based violence and different forms of risks. Being a global problem, solutions need policies that are integrative involving stakeholders at different levels, from international organizations as WHO and UN to national governments, higher education institutions, NGOs and peoples. The Global status report on alcohol and health 2014 demonstrates that integrating efforts on health issues gives better results. Many national alcohol policies are only in draft form in several southern African countries. The issue tends to exist on the periphery of other health, and there has been very little focus on alcohol policies to data. The aim of our paper is to explore how the linking of different policy areas might assure a higher degree of coherence of alcohol polices and to make different sectors speak with each other. Our hypothesis is that the paradigm of NPM in health-care has constrained integrative policies, and contributed to inequality in provisions of sustainable practices. Three Southern African countries will be involved in the research: Malawi, Namibia and South Africa.
NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US: KAYAMANDI SWEET HOME Hilde Ibsen1, Varkey George1 and Merle Hodges2 Karlstad University, SWEDEN1, International Affairs, Cape Peninsula University of Technology2
New Public Management(NPM) has been “en vogue” globally since the 1980s. The concept is an abstraction of a unity of ideas based on a neo-liberal doctrine supporting privatization, entrepreneurial spirit, competition and incentivisation. The neo-liberal and neo-managerial framework doubted government capacity and believed in private sector superiority and market competition. NPM as a model of governance originated from the UK and the US, but has spread globally, also to countries in Africa, where the NPM style of public sector reforms also has spread to higher education institutions. The Mission of the modern University is manifold. One of them is to provide the opportunity for students to engage with real life challenges in communities that are in dire need for practical solutions. The University thus provides a safe and secure platform for social innovation- from testing to scaling up. The aim of our paper is to explore and critically discuss how universities, operating within a NPM paradigm, approach the mission of conducting research as a means to serve societal goals. How does Stellenbosch, Cape Town and Cape Peninsula university approach community development in the informal settlements around Cape Town, South Africa?
‘RECLAIMING STOLEN BODY PARTS’ - NARRATIVES BY IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN SWEDEN REQUESTING CLITORAL RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AFTER FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING Malin Jordal Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, SWEDEN Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) involves cutting of the clitoris, labia minora and majora, and infibulation (narrowing of the vaginal orifice). 200 million women and girls worldwide may have undergone some form of FGM/C, which is mainly practiced in Africa. An estimate of 38000 girls and women living in Sweden may have undergone FGM/C, most whom are immigrants from FGM/C practicing African countries. Reconstructive surgery of the clitoris is now available in Sweden, however still few women are aware of this kind of surgery. The study has a qualitative design. Fifteen cut women presenting themselves at Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm with the aim to undergo clitoral reconstructive surgery were recruited. The women were asked about their motives for wanting to undergo clitoris reconstructive surgery and expectations of what surgery could accomplish. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that these immigrant women felt shameful due to their cut genitals and stigmatized as ‘mutilated’ women. They hoped surgery could reshape their genitals towards ‘normality’, although aware that this might not be fully possible. Furthermore, they expressed desire to reclaim a ‘stolen’ body part perceived important for a satisfactory sexual life. Their cut genitals were seen as limiting their capacity not only to develop sexually, but also emotionally. Living in Sweden was perceived as further enabling them to think critically and distance themselves towards the practice of FGM/C. By undergoing surgery they hoped to become ‘equal’ citizens with non-cut women in Sweden.
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING, CRITICAL THINKING AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: LESSONS LEARNED FROM NORWEGIAN TEACHER STUDENTS DOING THEIR PRACTICUM IN NAMIBIA Jørgen Klein and Gerd Wikan Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, NORWAY
International study abroad programs are promoted as an efficient way of developing intercultural competence and global perspectives through its abrupt exposure to ‘otherness’. Exposure to international ‘others’ is viewed as one way to lessen nationalistic and ethnocentric attitudes while increasing global citizenship. The idea of global citizenship is closely connected to the concept global awareness, which Merryfield (2008) defines as knowledge, interest, and engagement in global issues, local/global connections, and diverse cultures. Global awareness refers to knowledge and understanding of the interdependence of the world, an attribute that is fundamental for developing global citizenship. Our focus in this paper is to investigate how Norwegian teacher students transform their global perspectives through a three-month international practicum in Namibia. This paper is based on information from a qualitative study that involve (i) semi-structured and structured interviews of students, both before and after their international practicum; (ii) focus-group interviews during the practicum; (iii) in-depth interviews with selected key informants; and (iv) interviews with teachers that have taken part in international practicum previously, and now work in schools. Our study find that many students express more tolerance and openness towards otherness after the practicum than before, which corresponds with the idea of transformative learning and global citizenship. However, a more negative attitude to certain aspects of Namibian culture and educational practices is also found. This is discussed in relation to ethnocentrism and neo-colonial thinking.
HIGHER EDUCATION, TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING AND CAPABILITIES David O. Kronlid Uppsala University, SWEDEN
Today, climate change adaptation is a rising urgent issue of global concern. The aim of this paper is to discuss how higher education for sustainable development may be a conversion factor for using various resources to expand learners’ space of capabilities (valued beings and doings) in a climate change adaptation context. The paper is set in the context of climate change adaptation drawing on Pellings (2011) work on adaptation for resilience and for transformation. The paper also draws on Amartya Sen’s capability approach and field of transformative learning research. Specifically, the concepts capabilities, functionings, conversion factors and resources are used from the capabilities approach. Whereas the capabilities literature often argues that education is one of several (basic) human capabilities the paper argues that although education is often put forward as one of several basic human capabilities in various set lists of capabilities that is presented in the capabilities literature, it is reasonable to convey education as a conversion factor for transformative and transgressive learning for climate change adaptation. This argument is based on the premise that, considering climate change adaptation, transformative learning, rather than education should (potentially) be considered a valued being and doing in a climate change adaptation context. Thus, transformative learning, rather than education, can be considered an intrinsic element of social justice.
PROMOTING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HEALTH SYSTEM GOVERNANCE: HEALTH COMMITTEES IN RURAL UGANDA AND URBAN CAPE TOWN Leslie London1, Moses Mulumba2, Hanne Haricharan1, Damaris Kiewitz3, Therese Boulle1 and Charles Ngwena4 University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA Centre for Health1, Human Rights and Development2, Cape Metropolitan Health Forum3, University of Pretoria4
Community participation and health as a right are key elements to the Primary Health Care approach. Attention has focused on elements of health system governance that enable greater responsiveness to community needs. However, little research links human rights approaches to governance in ways that recognize participation as critical to health systems. This paper explores the role of community participation structures in South Africa and Uganda, referred to as Health Committees (HCs), as vehicles to strengthen health governance through realizing the right to health. To test models of good practice, the study implemented training of HC members, strengthening Civil Society networks, engagement with health officials and policy-makers, lobbying for effective policies to empower HCs, training of health workers and development of local systems necessary for HC effectiveness. A mixed methods evaluation was undertaken, including qualitative and quantitative assessments of participants’ experiences and perceptions. Results from both countries indicate HCs have been established without sufficient capacity building for effective community oversight. HCs often address multiple vulnerabilities in their work. Health workers were also poorly oriented regarding community structures. Capacity building was effective in strengthening HC members’ sense of agency, their capacity to engage the health system and their ability to exercise claims to health rights. Failure to set clear policies delineating HC roles and provide health workers with training undermines the sustainability of interventions focused on community participation. The results support arguments that HCs have the potential to play a critical role in responsive health systems.
ETHICS IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH: CHALLENGES FOR MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT Leslie London1, Godgrey Tangwa2 , Reginald Matchaba-Hove3, Nhlanhla Mkhize4, Aceme Nyika5 and Peter Westerholm6 University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA1, University of Yaounde2, Midlands State University, Gweru3, University of Kwazulu-Natal4, Witwatersrand University5, Uppsala University6
Globalisation has transformed processes of production in fundamental ways across the globe. To protect health and safety at the workplace, international codes of ethics may play an important role in guiding professional practice in developing countries, particularly in the absence of rigorous legal systems in many developing countries. As part of the process of revising the Ethical Code of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), an African Working Group addressed key challenges for the relevance and cogency of an ethical code in occupational health for an African context through an iterative consultative process. Even in the absence of strong legal systems of enforcement, guidelines alone may offer advantageous routes to enhancing ethical practice in occupational health settings in many developing countries and provide alternative and/or complementary scaffolding to legal enforcement. Ethical codes provide guidance to address imbalance of power between employee and employer, manage Dual Loyalty conflicts and recognise sensitivity to local cultural perspectives in occupational health settings, challenges which are accentuated in developing countries. For example, in traditional African societies, balancing individual autonomy with ideas of personhood that are more collective as in the African philosophy of Ubuntu require different approaches to managing consent and stigma which may be poorly served by traditional paradigms of governance and provisioning. Stronger articulation of advocacy for prevention in occupational health practice should be an ethical norm. Ethical codes should, in their implementation, harmonize and balance individual and community needs to provide stronger moral guidance.
MANAGING RESEARCH COLLABORATION IN A COMPLEX TRANSNATIONAL SETTING: EXPERIENCES FROM A SANORD PROJECT Thembinkosi Mabila and Rachel Jesika Singh University of Limpopo, SOUTH AFRICA
In this paper we intend to share our experiences in the planning, coordination and implementation of a SANORD funded transnational collaboration project titled: “The politics of development and community mobilisation”. The collaboration was made up of a team of researchers and scholars from three universities, namely; The University of Limpopo (UL) in South Africa, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe and the University of Bergen (UB) in Norway. In this paper, we specifically examine the complexities involved in fostering collaboration between scholars who have very little or no contact with each other prior to their engagement. The presentation will focus on two levels of challenges encountered during the sourcing and set up of the relevant team of transnational collaborators. We also discuss the challenges involved in getting stakeholder participation at the hosting institution. We argue that understanding more of these complexities, especially knowledge about the preferences of stakeholders or concerns between facilitators and participants, will assist project leaders in a complex transnational setting to manage subgroups and promote connectivity that is crucial to efficient collaboration.
LEARNING COMMUNITIES ADD VALUE FOR EFFICIENT AND RELEVANT TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING Noxolo Mafu Vaal University of Technology, SOUTH AFRICA
Learning communities are defined and constructed differently across the globe according to institutional needs and goals. This study pursues the nature of learning communities through a collaboration of strategies for student support, which have an impact on transformative learning. Accordingly, this article regards mentorship, tutorship and academic literacies, first-year experience programmes, as well as, maths programmes and e-learning programmes as part of the learning communities that are geared at enhancing retention and success of a student. From this notion, it draws parallels with the theory of retention which presents critical key factors that higher education institutions can foster and create for effective, relevant and efficient transformative learning. Key words: learning communities, higher education, transformative learning, efficiency, relevance, value, student support, student engagement
WATER UNDER TROUBLED BRIDGE: THE (IR)RELEVANCE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES PEDAGOGY IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES Jonathan Makuwira Nelson Mandela Metro University, SOUTH AFRICA
The relevance of universities in the modern era has, over the past decade, come under intense scrutiny for various reasons. In the development studies field, it has been defined by the disjuncture between local contexts and imported theoretical viewpoints that often delegitimise indigenous knowledge systems over Western thought. In Africa, universities have, for several decades, been validated by western academy through, for example, reading materials that are exclusively western. Engaging post-colonial theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop an argument that posits that development studies in African universities, is like a troubled bridge because its source of knowledge, the Africa scholar, continues to exist in a seemingly tight world dictated by the western academic thought that legitimises what is good development studies knowledge. I further argue that as Africa embarks on the ‘second renaissance’, there is need to not only reconceptualise development studies pedagogy but also to reframe what development studies should look like in Africa and map out what pedagogies, appropriate to an African University positioned to serve Africa’s dream enshrined in ‘Agenda 2013’, should be. I conclude the paper by offering new perspectives on new pedagogies in development studies and how the ‘bridge’ (African Universities) can best serve both the learner and aspiring academics based on the new philosophical viewpoints buttressed by the ‘Ubuntu’ and indigenous knowledge systems.
FAMILY SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: PARENTAL PERSPECTIVES Nelly Malatsi, K. D Mpuang and S Mukhophadhyay University of Botswana, BOTSWANA
Within the disability field, there has been a growing interest in parents and families as “’change agents’’ for the children with special education and other special needs. Family support has been identified as an ingredient for improving the life chances of children with disabilities. In addition, such practices has the potential to enhance parent-child interaction as well as parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities. However, this seems to be still lacking in some developing countries like Botswana. In an exploratory study of family support in Botswana, twenty parents were engaged in two focused groups discussions to obtain the perspectives of parents caring for children with disabilities and living at home. This article summarizes key themes that emerged from the group discussions: effects of family supports on family life, flexibility of supports, barriers, unmet needs, and recommendations for change. Based on the findings, it is recommended that both social and health care professionals can enhance the well-being of children with disabilities and their families by addressing the needs of the entire family and helping families to navigate the complex service system.
BETWEEN POLITICS AND LIFE – PHD STUDENTS FROM NON-WESTERN COUNTRIES IN UPPSALA, SWEDEN Stefanie Mallow Uppsala University, SWEDEN
PhD students around the world are seen today as key players in development and economic growth. These are some of the reasons why starting and completing a PhD is no longer a matter of gathering knowledge and developing expertise but is also about politics: university rankings are pushed by politicians, universities develop internationalisation strategies targeting specific world regions and research is financed according to political interests. In this presentation, I want to explore the broader ‘context’ in which PhD studies are undertaken. In particular I want to highlight the differences between “regular” and “scholarship” employment mainly for PhD students, but also for supervisors and administrators. My presentation will be about the opportunities and challenges faced by people who are under the influences of political decisions, and how they deal with them. Beyond the political paradigms, the reduction of PhD students to ‘numbers’, I will focus on the needs of the people: who are they, how are they integrating locally, what obstacles or challenges do they face, how does this prevent them to perform to the full and what could be undertaken to address issues at stake? The aim is to identify contextual conditions that would allow serving both the political and financial frameworks given by the university, and as well meet the human aspects involved. The presentation is based on findings of my master thesis project in cultural anthropology entitled “Meeting the needs of a global academia? A study on the infrastructure of Non-Western PhD students in Uppsala.
A TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH ADDRESSING HEALTH INEQUITY – RESEARCH PROPOSAL Mats Målqvist1 and Fatima Seedat2 Uppsala University, Dep. of Women’s and Children’s Health, SWEDEN1, University of KwaZulu-Natal2
Inequity in health, i.e. socially unjust inequality, is driven by social position defined by structural determinants. Income and education as drivers of inequity are since long known and researched, and ethnicity and gender have recently been given more attention. Religion has however been quite neglected in relation to health outcomes. We therefore propose a research program to address this research gap. The transdisciplinarity of this research area requires collaboration of scholars from a multitude of disciplines as well as novel approaches on how to address the research questions at hand, as well as the methods used. Building on experiences from a Master’s program on Gender, Health and Religion at University of KwaZulu-Natal this proposal intends to extend the borders of conceptual thinking around health inequity. A multitude of research methods will be applied in the project, drawing on methodologies from different traditions, like public health research, theology, sociology and anthropology. Given the novel nature of the research area, the program aims to be theory generating. It is anticipated that the proposed research will further the understanding of the role of religion in the pathways to health inequity through the formation of a theoretical framework to apply to health interventions in order to attribute the role of religion in different contexts. The proposal will also generate an intervention proposal to target disadvantaged populations to model how addressing religion can contribute to increased health equity.
THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOK CHOICES IN SOUTH AFRICA Sadhana Manik1, Johane Hlatywayo2, Jacob Sefara and Tebogo Malahlela3 University of KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA1, Sol Plaatjie2, University of Limpopo3
South Africa has experienced multiple curricula changes upon becoming a democracy in 1994. Each change has resulted in new textbooks being fashioned and the department of education engaging in a costly exercise of textbook screening and the provision of textbooks to selected schools. This paper explores SA teachers’ experiences of Geography Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) textbooks in their contexts. Specifically, the paper addresses how geography textbooks are being selected and the nature of the Geography textbooks that teachers are being exposed to as well as particular challenges that Geography teachers encounter with the textbooks that are being used. The data is derived from an exploratory northern and southern hemisphere geography Textbook and Pedagogy study involving Norway, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. However, this paper is based specifically on the South African data which was generated amongst Geography teachers located in public schools in 4 provinces of SA: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal- all notably poor provinces in SA. Two instruments were utilized to generate data, namely questionnaires and interviews. The findings reveal that whilst learner user- friendliness, adequate well illustrated content and additional teacher resources were determining factors in Geography textbook selection, by far finance was a key over riding imperative in the selection in certain schools. We conclude that the findings have repercussions for poor provinces in the South African situation where school poverty is further perpetuated by government’s funding formula for the purchase of textbooks. Keywords: South Africa, geography textbooks, teachers
THE USE OF A PORTFOLIO TO ENHANCE AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT AMONG INSERVICE STUDENT-TEACHERS’ IN SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA Mavis Mhlauli, Keinyatse Kgosidialwa and Luke Mphale University of Botswana, BOTSWANA
This study examines a set of portfolios developed by a group of Bachelor of Education (Primary) 4th year in-service student-teachers and their views on the use of a portfolio to enhance authentic assessment in the teaching of EPS 403 (International Organizations and Governance) in the Department of Primary Education at the University of Botswana for the academic year 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively. The study used content analysis to unpack the student teachers’ views and ideas on the use of a course portfolio as an assessment tool. Purposive sampling was used to select the documents for analysis. The sample comprised of documents that were developed by a group of in-service student-teachers with a specialization in Social Studies education. Data was analysed using descriptive statistical techniques and verbatim. The findings of the study indicated that participants attach value to the use of portfolio as an assessment tool and perceive it as a worthwhile exercise as it greatly encourages students to develop critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration as well as developing academic and social skills. The conclusion drawn from these findings is that the use of a portfolio is viable for in-service teacher development as it promotes a conducive learning environment devoid of competition. The study recommends a paradigm shift for Social Studies educators to consider the use of a portfolio as an assessment tool for in-service teacher development as opposed to tests and examinations that are predominantly accorded a higher status in the University of Botswana.
UNIVERSITIES AS SOCIAL INNOVATORS: IT MUST START WITH THE UNIVERSITIES THEMSELVES Joseph Mlenga University of Malawi, MALAWI
Universities are in a privileged position of being at the hub of teaching, learning, research and innovations. Southern African countries such as Malawi face many social challenges including hunger, disease, corruption, child marriages, human rights abuses by those supposed to be duty bearers, high maternal mortality rates and lack of active citizenship. Institutions of higher learning have a role to play in overcoming such challenges through relevant innovations. However universities must themselves priotise technology advancement if they are to effectively be social innovators. A case in point is the University of Malawi which despite some laudable innovations in its 51 years of existence still lags behind in key Information Communication and Technology that is available in northern institutions such as the University of Gothenburg and Orebro University in Sweden . Many facets of academic life at University of Malawi campuses involve manual work, with comparatively less reliance on digitalisation or advanced technology. If an institution of higher learning does not in itself embrace a culture of technology upgrade or innovations it may not be effective or relevant in being a social innovator. Collaboration on an equal basis between northern and southern universities is therefore needed to share knowledge and experiences. This would help in learning from each other and networking to promote social innovation for the good of both geo-spheres.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE SELF EFFICACY CONSTRUCT ON DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM: EXPLORING MEASUREMENT NON-INVARIANCE OF THE SELF EFFICACY SCALE AMONGST PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS BOTSWANA Molefhe Mogapi, Smitta Moalosi and H. J. Nenty University of Botswana, BOTSWANA
The tertiary pre-service programme is a major producer of teachers for the schools in Botswana and as such there should be a deliberate alignment of teacher development programme objectives and classroom practice in the field. One area of concern is the difference in the self-efficacy and critical thinking construct between tertiary students and practicing teachers. Self-efficacy factor non-invariance between pre-service and in-service teachers is an indication of a possible misfit between conditions within schools and what pre-service teachers expect to find in the classroom when they start teaching. Practicing teachers also have the responsibility to inculcate critical thinking skills and depositions within the classroom. Very few research studies have attempted to understand the interrelationship between critical thinking and self-efficacy constructs within a teaching and learning environment. The interactive effects expected between the two constructs has implications for in-service and preserve teacher development, subject-matter organisation and general classroom processes. The current paper compares the critical thinking abilities and self-efficacy level of pre-service and in-service teachers to delineate factors that account for the difference. Participants from the two subgroups responded to critical thinking and self-efficacy instruments and the resultant data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis. Key words: Critical Thinking, Teacher Self Efficacy, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Curriculum Blue Print, in-service, Preserve ice, Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCT
SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS AND CHANGING EXPECTATIONS: LECTURERS’ EXPERIENCES IN TEACHING HIV AND AIDS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION Rose Mugweni Great Zimbabwe University, ZIMBABWE
This study explored lecturers’ experiences in teaching HIV and AIDS education as a course for transformative learning and behavior change at university level. The theoretical framework which guided the study is the Concerns-Based Adoption Model. The sample comprised of twenty lectures, four Heads of Departments and two Ministry of Higher Education officials in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. A qualitative case study research design was employed in the study. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions and open-ended questionnaires. The study found that lecturers had diverse experiences in teaching HIV and AIDS as a curriculum area. All twenty lectures experienced feelings of lack of direction, being overburdened and fear regarding teaching of HIV and AIDS. Some of the lecturers 15 (75%) experienced HIV and AIDS as a sensitive subject useful for transformative learning and behavior change. Yet others experienced feelings of uncertainty as to the effective and transformational nature of the course. 14 (70%) lecturers also experienced lack of information, and didactic skills regarding HIV and AIDS and its execution thereof. Overall, there were inconsistencies regarding lecturers’ experiences in the execution of HIV and AIDS education in universities due to lack of professional qualifications in HIV and AIDS education and the non-availability of policy and curriculum documents. It is recommended that the universities should become proactive in developing lecturers’ knowledge base and skills through ongoing professional development. HIV and AIDS lecturers should reflect on their practice and teach HIV and AIDS Education for students’ transformative learning and behavior change.
THE DETERMINATS OF IMPLEMENTATION PITFALLS OF PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS AS A POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY IN THE PERIOD FROM 1994 TO 2014 IN MALAWI Madalitso Mukiwa Exploits University, MALAWI
Twenty years after adoption and implementation of New Public Management model, from 1994 to 2014, Malawi’s effort to reduce poverty appears more of a flop. During the period, three successive administration of 1994-2004, the second administration of 2004 to 2012; and the third administration of 2012 to 2014. The notable thing is that the implementation process has and continues to attract local and international investment; and heavy in nature to boost the financial, physical and human capability so that positive result of poverty reduction. Yet the opposite story of rising levels of poverty, worsening health, education, and agriculture systems coupled with in ability of government to provide critical social service continue to be told. The New Public Management motto of economy, efficiency and effectiveness is far from being achieved. Therefore, the question on whether or not the New Public Management model is compatible with Malawi’s social-economic context. This study has adopted a case study approach, and through triangulation has sought documents, opinions, and in depth views of respondents. Findings are that models and implantation contains flaws; hence, the poor results achieved so far. Therefore, it is imperative that home grown innovation with full participation of universities should be encouraged.
STRUCTURES AFFECTING INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE KENYA OPEN DATA INITIATIVE Paul Mungai1, Jean-Paul Van Belle1 and Joseph Sevilla2 University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA1, Strathmore University, Kenya2
For years, open government data (OGD) initiatives have been implemented with the objective of improving government service delivery to it’s citizens, and increasing transparency and accountability. Some of the change agents within government perceive it as a suitable tool for achieving these objectives. However, even with reasonable stakeholder buyin, these objectives have not been significantly realized. This is mainly because of the lack of consistency in the institutionalization of these initiatives, which implies that some structures are yet to been properly laid out. For institutionalization to be effective, there is need to not only need to introduce new structures, but to also discontinue others, which act as impediments. This study seeks to identify the structures that affect the institutionalization of the Kenya Open Data initiative using the lens of critical realism. This will make a comparison between the structures identified from literature, and those that seem to emerge from the data obtained in the Kenyan context. The case study method will be used and one representative case study will be provided to help demonstrate the underlying structures and support the case for the proposed configuration of structures. This study will also reflect on the applicability of institutionalization theory in studying open data initiatives, and find ways of particularizing this theory to the OGD phenomenon. This will form part of the theoretical contribution. This study will also contribute to the existing literature on OGD institutionalization in developing countries.
ACCESSING LARGER GRANTS FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Yogeshkumar Naik National University of Science and Technology, ZIMBABWE
Younger researchers in Sub Saharan Africa are able to access smaller grants from a variety of donor organisations. Access to larger grants, (e.g. from EU- HORIZON 2020) requires collaborative/ multidisciplinary approaches. Reasons appear to be lack of exposure of African scientists for ‘head hunters’ from prospective applicants in Europe etc. Lack of exposure/visibility due to: Networking (poor attendance at international meetings due to resources constraints); exposure (non ISI rated publications); relevant ICTS support (poor quality web pages) and poor motivation for regional collaboration (lack of funding/opportunities/incentives). Problems partially addressed by Deans of post graduate studies BUT needs to be addressed by Research Officers.
THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AS SOCIAL, CULTURAL & TECHNOLOGY LEANING HUBS Paul Nleya University of Botswana, BOTSWANA
In recent years, the term social innovation has become some common parlance in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Some analysts consider social innovation as being no more than just a buzz word, too vague to be usefully applied to academic scholarship. However, some social scientists ascribe significant value in the concept, because it identifies a critical type of innovation. This paper explores the role of HEIs in the diffusion of social innovations that render to society an improved quality of life. A relevant definition of social innovation has been adopted. Selected collaborative social innovations requiring government support are identified and discussed. A welfare development theoretical framework is the underpinning construct guiding the discussions. Sustainable multilateral cooperation between Nordic and Southern African HEIs is envisioned, and benchmarks would be emulated for best practices. As HEIs strive to drive economic growth and social advancement, affordances are not easily achievable without accelerated use of appropriate technologies. HEIs in collaboration with associated stakeholders require identifying potential technologies to assist in the social innovation process, and thereby benefit the economy through well-structured social innovations. This would in turn build a long standing culture within HEIs responsible for the diffusion of relevant social innovations. The paper finally recommends selected social innovations and associated technologies, techniques and practices that would help HEIs within SANORD, to fulfil and exceed the needs and expectations of societies in pursuance of social investment for the public good. Key words: Diffusion, empirical, Higher Education Institutions social innovation, social advancement, and social investment.
NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE: THE SOUTH AFRICAN CASE STUDY Phindile Ntliziywana University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
The principles of the New Public Management (NPM) were first introduced in South Africa in the 1980s, as a response, ostensibly, to the economic crisis of the 1970s. When the government of national unity (GNU) came into power in 1994, it halted earlier implementation of the NPM because it viewed the haste with which the apartheid government introduced these principles in the 1980s as an attempt to denude the post-apartheid state of assets and retain the status quo ante of white ownership of economic wealth. However, after much persuasion from multinational institutions, white capital (both within and outside South Africa) and other countries, the post-apartheid government capitulated and sought to modernise the state and the public service using the NPM prism. In this regard, NPM was introduced as an alternative to the apartheid’s centralist military system of governance. Thenceforth, there was a massive drive to restructure the public service to reflect the NPM thinking and to meet its policy demands. Principles such as privatisation, corporatisation, public-private partnerships and a performance management system became the order of the day, albeit in varying degrees. The impact of these principles also varied. This is a case study of the practical application of the NPM paradigm in South Africa. This paper looks at the lessons that can be derived from that experience, also investigating whether NPM was indeed “a management for all seasons”. Recommendations will be made on the appropriate model(s) capable of providing effective and efficient governance and delivery of public services.
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH FOR UNIVERSITIES TO BECOME MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL: CASE STUDY COMPARISON BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES IN SWEDEN AND SOUTH AFRICA Matt Pretorius and Cornelius Schutte Stellenbosch University, SOUTH AFRICA
Universities have traditionally been education and research focused. With the turn of the century and the booming of the internet bubble, more and more organisations have been focusing on entrepreneurship. Most universities have adopted a technology transfer approach, but due to the complex problems of commercialisation and a lack of financial sustainability this approach has become redundant. This leaves a research gap in the governance of entrepreneurial universities and alternative approaches to commercialisation. The complexity of the commercialisation process arises with overcoming what is known as the “valley of death”. It is a complex problem due to numerous stakeholders, barriers and both internal and external inhibitors. Governance of entrepreneurship are further complicated with different levels of expectations and perspectives from policy-makers (macro-level), investors and managers (meso-level), and inventors and entrepreneurs (micro-level). Using a “clean canvas” and a system engineering approach, an alternative approach to commercialisation was developed and called the cooperative venture capital framework. The framework balances entrepreneurial support and mitigates risks to overcome these challenges of commercialisation. It was then applied as case study example to Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and Uppsala University (Sweden). Through an ethnographic approach of convenience sampling, semi-structured, conversational interviews with entrepreneurs and managers are used to verify and validate the case study examples. This paper presents findings as a comparison analysis between the universities, while providing recommendations to establishing and governing an entrepreneurial university.
IS IT ALL ABOUT AIDS, APARTHEID AND TOWNSHIPS? SWEDISH DISSERTATIONS AND THESIS ABOUT SOUTHERN AFRICA 2005-2015; A SURVEY AND AN ANALYSIS Véronique Simon Uppsala University, Centre for Professional Development and Internationalisation in Schools, SWEDEN
Which are the main fields explored by students or researchers in Sweden, writing a dissertation, a thesis, an article or a book about Southern Africa? Do they reflect the situation in the countries studied upon, or are they rather some sort of ethnocentrically sourced product/consequence of Sweden’s commitment in some of the countries historical and political streams during the second part of 20th century, or Sweden’s engagement within fields such as agriculture, health, religion and education in the region? Is it possible to clearly identify salient topics in fields like culture (literature, arts, music)? Are there any unexpected subjects explored in those studies or publications? This survey, followed by a short analysis is based upon a digital scientific archive, DiVA (Digitala vetenskapliga arkivet), a system for publishing and searching among the research papers and student theses, developed since 2000 by Uppsala University Library and used by 29 Swedish universities.
RELEVANCE OF ACTIVITY THEORY OF AGEING TO THE OLD PEOPLE IN THE ZAMBIAN CONTEXT Mubiana Kaiko Sitali University of Zambia, ZAMBIA
Although Activity theory of Ageing was developed about 5 decades ago and is the oldest social theory of ageing, it has continued to inform practice both in developed and developing countries. Working on contract after retirement is one of the practices. Article 12 of the Madrid Plan of Action that read in part “…older persons should have the opportunity to work for as long as they wish and are able to, in satisfying and productive work…” is also rooted in the Activity theory. Recently in Zambia, a law was enacted to provide for the shifting of retirement age from 55 to 65. Activity theory posits that old people should continue middle-aged lifestyle in order to attain life satisfaction. This theory was developed in the United States of America and was predominantly tested on a convenient sample there. The United States’ economic, social and cultural context is very different from those pertaining in developing countries like Zambia. The question that one asks at point is: How relevant is the Activity Theory of Ageing to the old people in the Zambian Context? This paper is based on a PhD study that is seeking to establish the relevance of Activity theory to the old people in the Zambian Context. The overall objective is to adapt the Activity theory of Ageing to the Zambian context if found partially relevant, or to develop a model that will be directly relevant to the old people in the Zambian Context.
SHADOW MANAGEMENT: THE EFFECT OF NEOLIBERAL POLICY AND OMBUDSMEN ON RULE OF LAW AND TRANSPARENCY IN SWEDISH HIGHER EDUCATION Jens Sörensen1 and Erik J Olsson2 School of Global Studies, University of Göteborg, SWEDEN1, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Lund2
We argue that the neoliberal tradition and new public management reforms of the public sector effectively erode the core (liberal) democratic values of rule of law and transparency. The tension between public law and managerially-influenced governmental policy is in practice resolved by the emergence of what we call “shadow management” in public administration, whereby managerial decisions that clash with constitutional and administrative law are dealt with in internal memos or consultancy reports and hidden from public view. The consequence is a duality in the public sector which potentially reduces public trust in institutions and undermines their democratic legitimacy. Finally, we argue that when governmental neoliberal policy clashes with legal requirements the likely effect is that the popular institution of the (governmental or parliamentary) Ombudsman, originally introduced for legal supervision over civil servants, takes on the new deceptive role of providing pseudo-legal justification for neoliberal reform, making neoliberalism and Ombudsmen a particularly problematic combination from a democratic perspective. We support our contentions by a case study of Swedish higher education but hypothesize that the mechanisms we highlight are general in nature.
TRANSFORMATIVE, HOLISTIC LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES—A MAGICAL SYNERGY OF CARING, CONSULTING AND CREATING Victoria W. Thoresen PERL/UNITWIN, Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, NORWAY
Despite the fact that numerous learning arena exist within higher education which stimulate critical thinking and transformational learning, few focus in a trans-disciplinary, holistic manner directly on sustainable development. While transformational learning consists of inspirational, systemic approaches that assist individuals to re-conceptualize and re-apply new understanding to their daily lives, there are certain core elements common to transformative learning which are particularly applicable to education for sustainable development and which, when brought together, appear to acquire an almost magical synergy. The learners’ ability to articulate their perceptions of sustainable development in relation to their own values and to identify how these are actualized in their daily life is a key core element. (“What really matters to me?” “Why do I actually do what I do?”) Developing the ability to care, consult and be creative appear equally as important. (“How does what I do affect others?” “How can we collectively find solutions?” “What about completely new approaches?”) The research that this presentation builds upon examines the synergy of these core elements of transformative learning. It considers how they are related to the learner’s understanding of the inter-linkages and interdependencies of modern society. Investigation of concrete examples of three different transformative learning methodologies implemented in a number of schools across the globe, indicates that the impact of the synergy of these core elements of transformational learning is significant but is dependent on the extent to which the learner engages in a continual learning process with those with whom he/she has contact.
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING AND SUSTAINABILITY – THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHER Shepherd Urenje SWEDESD - Uppsala University, SWEDEN
The current global trend suggests that humanity is at its greatest risk of our inability ‘‘to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’ (Brundtland, 1987). A rapidly changing climate is only one of many signs of a global system under stress, the seriousness of which is further strained by environmental degradation, increasing public health risk, social instability and lack of equity. Currently, our education system is deficient in tackling this enormous challenge. Our education requires a restructuring of the curriculum and a re-thinking of the pedagogy. The central question which we need to address is: What does it mean to teach in the 21st century? Drawing from data generated through sample in-depth cases of practitioner experiences of implementing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) change projects, the workshop will examine how new approaches to teaching and learning are enabling transformation in teacher education including “ESD Navigation Tools” (SWEDESD, 2014) that demonstrate the interconnectedness and mutually dependent dimensions of relevant content, effective methods and desired competences. Workshop participants will explore how 21st century education must be made relevant to the rapidly changing needs of society, the growing shortage of attitudes and entrepreneurial skills, the values needed for social harmony and problem solving, and the individuality needed for leadership, independent thinking and creativity essential for sustainable lifestyles and public service.
NPM AS A MECHANISM OF ACCUMULATION BY DISPOSSESSION: THE CASE OF A PUBLIC BULK WATER PROVIDER IN SOUTH AFRICA Carina Van Rooyen University of Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA By drawing on the case of a public bulk water provider in South Africa (Rand Water), this paper will argue that new public management (NPM) is a mechanism to enhance ‘accumulation by dispossession’, a process that David Harvey (2003; 2004) described as the dominant form of capital accumulation in the neoliberal era. Through NPM state services, structures and processes are turned into commodities, and valued and managed according to market principles and processes. In this paper I will use examples from Rand Water of managerial and organisational restructuring (including managerial and financial ringfencing in the form of corporatisation, introduction of an ‘entrepreneurial ethos’, and charging for services), and practices and techniques that give prominence to markets and competition (through a customer and business orientation, promotion of public-private partnerships, etc.) (Batley and Larbi 2004; Hansen 2001) to show how NPM is leading to an ‘enclosure of publics’. My qualitative study shows not only the need for ‘beyond NPM’, but also indicates two possible concerns with it: (1) public-public partnerships as part of ‘beyond NPM’ in the case of Rand Water became a tool for corporatisation and further ‘accumulation by dispossession’, and supplemented / strengthened NPM; and (2) the nature of contestations within the state organ undergoing NPM indicates what might be possible regards ‘beyond NPM’, and should be explored more.
RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE IN PRACTICE: CASES OF EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING IN CANADA Robyn Walter University of Waterloo, CANADA
Stemming from the New Public Management tradition, evidence-based policy making (EBPM) has gained traction as a more effective alternative to “opinion-based” policy making. In Canada, rhetoric about the use of EBPM is becoming more commonplace. The newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has emphasized that EBPM will be a cornerstone of his party’s policy proposals. However, as Shaun Young indicates, “despite the apparent increase in support for EBPM, recent research suggests that advances toward the general realization of EBPM have been limited, at best” (Evidence-Based Policy Making in Canada, Shaun Young, p. 6-7). This presentation will help to provide a foundational understanding of EBPM in Canada through the use of social policy case studies. It will begin by providing a discussion of what constitutes EBPM in the popular and academic senses in Canada. Building on current scholarship, it will look at the conditions which are more likely to allow for the use of EBPM in social welfare policy and program development. The project asks if political and public agreement, and conversely division, are likely to facilitate a greater use of EBPM practices. The findings of this project lay a foundation for potential predictive analyses which, consequentially, will allow policy makers to create conditions to enable the use of EBPM. Coming alongside a deepening political desire for EBPM, this research provides insight into conditions for its use in Canada.
INTERANATIONAL PRACTICUM - A TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING EXERIENCE FOR TEACHER STUDENTS? Gerd Wikan Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, NORWAY
Norwegian classrooms have become increasingly multicultural and this implies new challenges for teachers and teacher education. International practicum is often presented as efficient in developing intercultural competence and global awareness. This paper explores the professional and personal development of teacher students during a 3 months international practicum in Namibia. International practicum has a potential for transforming the students’ meaning perspective because it puts the teacher students in an unfamiliar cultural and educational context. In analysing how teacher students reflect on their experience, we will draw mainly on Mezirow’ s and Taylor’s transformation theory. Experience and experience of otherness is central in Mezirow’s theory of perspective transformation. Students that take part in international practicum will experience both. The main findings are that most students have increased their professional and personal self-efficacy and developed their communication skills with children from other culturescultural minorities. However, only a few have deepened their ability to reflect on specific cultural imprints of schooling and teaching. Moreover, many seem to lack critical reflection and openness as to how the local culture influences classroom practice and the teacher-student relationship. Thus, international experience alone does not necessarily make the students interculturally competent. With Mezirow’s theory in mind, a central question emerges; how can we design a programme that will foster transformative learning? The traditional non-interventionist programmes are waning and most new programmes are based on “a new paradigm, based in the understanding that students learn more effectively abroad when we intervene in their learning”
POLITICAL IMPLICATION OF SUPPORT TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN LOW INCOME COUNTRIES: EMPIRICAL STUDY OF DONOR SUPPORT TO FOUR SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES Marta Zdravkovic Örebro University, SWEDEN
There is global competition in leadership in knowledge production. Not only that it brings social and economic growth in a country, but also implies many political advantages. Therefore, many argue that the most developed countries don’t have a real interest in supporting higher education and research in low income countries, and why there is many criticism from behalf of southern scientists about the way support is done. This presentation aims to shed light on support given to basic science research capacity in Southern African countries, provided by the International Science Programme (ISP), Uppsala University, Sweden. It shows why research support and collaboration is needed, and how it positively impacts research capacity in low income countries. We conclude by arguing that knowledge and education is power to improve and to drive one’s own development agenda and if low income countries are to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, higher education and research in low income countries needs to be unselfishly supported.
RESEARCH TRAINING MODELS, INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION, AND THE AGENCIES OF AFRICAN SCIENTISTS WORKING IN AFRICA Eren Zink Uppsala University, SWEDEN
This paper compares three general models of PhD training in the sciences that are available to Ugandan scientists today: the full-time program abroad, the full-time program in a Ugandan institution, and the sandwich model that includes a mixture of studies abroad and in Uganda. Paying particular attention to how these models strengthen or curtail the agency of Ugandan scientists that subsequently pursue a scientific career in Uganda, I find that the sandwich model of PhD training offers a suite of advantages that are unmatched by those of full-time training programs abroad or at home. The advantages of sandwich programs extend beyond the narrow framework of the scientific and technological knowledges obtained during research training, to also include immersion and learning in a new social and cultural context, the expansion of scientific networks, and the sustaining of Uganda-based networks and knowledges. The findings from this Ugandan case study have broader relevance for other developing countries where the means for carrying out scientific research (including funding, equipment, and advanced training opportunities) primarily originate from international sources. Some comparisons will be made to Zimbabwean and Ghanaian contexts where the author is also engaged in on-going research.
