Reflections from the Zambezi

After working on my dissertation Challenges and Enablers of eLearning Policy Implementation in Vocational Colleges in Zambia for almost 3 years at the University of Cape Town, it was time to graduate on 9th June 2016. The graduation was the biggest at UCT due to the Faculty of Humanities being the larges faculty at the varsity. I was accompanied to the graduation by my wife Judith and first born daughter Twalumba. We left Lusaka on 6 June 2016 at 09 00 hours by a Johannesburg bound bus. The bus passed through Zimbabwe where we had a taste of an overzealous cop who slapped a heavy fine on the bus driver for an imaginary fault on the bus. The back and forth negotiations set us back by 45 minutes with a further 2 hour delay on the Beitbridge border due to lengthy border formalities. It was my first time to use this border. I experienced for myself why many complain about the very lengthy border formalities.  We arrived in Johannesburg at 11 00 hrs the following day where we ...

SCOOPING first place in the recently held National Jets quiz for junior category as well as Science Olympiads was both an overwhelming and challenging experience for me. Before the beginning of such an event, it is rare for one to feel happy and be calm.  My friend, Blessing Kalunga and I were selected to represent the province at the national level after we won the provincial competition. Both of us are from St Mary’s Secondary School in Lusaka and we are in the same grade nine class.  This year’s jets fair was held at Ndola National Technical High School from 10th to 15th August 2014.  The participants first lodged at David Kaunda National Technical High School before departure for Ndola. This was to enable students study and polish up their projects.  We left Lusaka about 09:00 hours. At about 13:25 hours, the bus stopped in Kabwe so that everyone could buy food.  The journey from Kabwe to Ndola was quite long. When we finally reached Ndola, the bus driver ...

Today(5th January, 2014) marks 1 month since Nelson Rohilhla Mandela, world renowned icon and former President of South Africa, died on 5th December 2013 in Johannesburg. A lot has been said by many greater than I about this great son of not only Africa but the world at large that it seems almost pointless to say anything more about him. However, I thought of having a glimpse into the mind of Mandela through his words and what those words mean to us. Since my vocation is education, I will focus on his famously quoted words: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." In reflecting on these words I will look at them from two angles i.e. agreeing with the words and also offering an alternative view to these words. Firstly, in agreeing with Mandela without a doubt education makes a difference in the lives of men and women, boys and girls. It makes them better persons who can handle the challenges that a changing world faces. It is for t...

I think at one point most postgraduate students come to a point where they ask themselves: Is it worth continuing with my research or I should just give it up? The following article from the Royal Literary Fund is quite helpful as it shares some experiences of postgrad students who almost thre in the towel but then found ways of staying motivated. "I remember meeting a PhD student who had been working on her thesis for years. ‘Eighty thousand words is a lot of words,’ she said. The next day I was talking with a journalist who had been commissioned to do a local-history brochure. ‘It's only 12,000 words,’ he told me. ‘I can knock that out in a weekend if I have to.’ The difference was one of attitude." "Writing is a hard way not to make a living." "At the end of the second year of doing my PhD, I took the summer off to write a cricket book that I had always wanted to write. It was helpful, not because anything was going wrong with the PhD, but be...

Learning, Cognition and Technology Seminar by Gabriel S Konayuma, Munyarari Ndoro, Jarome Reitz Postgraduate Diploma in Education (ICTs in Education)Class University of Cape Town 26 July 2011 1. Definition of Behaviourist Learning Theory Behaviourism, also called the learning perspective (where any physical action is a behaviour), is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviours (Skinner, 1984). Behaviourism as applied to learners is the idea that the learner is an empty container to be filled with “the learning”. What the learner does after learning is called his “behaviour.” The behaviour can be shaped by putting various things into the container and observing what happens (Focal Works, 2011). Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate (i.e. tabula rasa) and...

Introduction Some trends usually sound and look attractive that young people never stop to think whether they are right for them. Youths normally find it easy to fall prey to the attractions of peer pressure. “All my friends are doing it” is the catch phrase. Youths fail to analyse the consequences of their actions. I make the above statement because of the trend of boys and girls in secondary school to have girlfriends and boyfriends. Some boys and girls think that it is abnormal not to be in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex when they are in school. But is it really abnormal? This pairing up of boys and girls is more common in co-educational schools. Pupils somehow think that the very fact that they are in a co-educational school means that they must have a boyfriend or girlfriend. Those in boys only or girls’ only schools will make efforts to have girl or boy friends in some neighbouring or sister schools. The writer recalls whilst attending a boys’ secondary school, ...

In the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector in Zambia, some attempts have been made to apply sustainable development at the institutional level. This paper looks at the practice of integrating entrepreneurship in TVET carried out by the Mobile Mission Maintenance Vocational Training Centre (MMMVTC) in Ndola, Zambia. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which MMMVTC had integrated the principles of education for sustainable development (ESD) in its skills development programmes. The specific objectives of the study were: 1. To examine the definition of sustainable development as used by the centre; 2. To examine how entrepreneurship training in TVET has incorporated economic, social and environmental issues; 3. To identify methods that trainers use to deliver sustainable development; 4. To highlight some of the best practices that the MMMVTC employs in entrepreneurship training with respect to economic, social and environmental issues; 5. To ide...

TVET systems in Africa differ from nation to nation. This is due to the different socio-economic conditions of the nations. In addition TVET is delivered at different levels in different type of institutions. These are Technical Vocational Schools, Polytechnics, Enterprises and Apprenticeship Training Centres. This is to enable trainees from various backgrounds to access training suitable to their needs. It has been stated that the socioeconomic environment and the contextual framework in which TVET delivery systems currently operate in Africa is characterized, in general, by: • Uncoordinated, unregulated and fragmented delivery systems TVET provision spread over different ministries e.g. In Zambia the key ministries are: Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MSTVT); Ministry of Education (MOE); and Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development (MSYCD). • Low quality In general, the quality of training is low with undue emphasis on theory and certification rather th...

Writing a dissertation is a requirement in most Masters degree’s in addition to course work in order to get a qualification. A number of students find it difficult to complete their qualifications because of having to write a dissertation. However, that should not be the case. Any student that has passed his coursework can and should be able to write a passing dissertation. What are the tips to writing a good dissertation? 1. Ensure you submit your research or dissertation proposal on time. Give the proposal adequate attention and follow the Universities guidelines. 2. Choose a topic where you have adequate knowledge and ready access to information. Choosing a complicated topic to impress others will just make it almost impossible for you to complete your dissertation on time. 3. Read the Universities Dissertation Guidelines before and after writing each chapter. 4. Allocate adequate time to the dissertation. Make a time plan using a Gantt- Chart and stick it at a visible ...

Introduction Christian education is education of which the basis and unifying principle is the historic Christian view of God, man and the universe in their mutual relations. This historic Christian philosophy finds its most comprehensive and consistent expression in Calvinism, or the Reformed Faith; therefore the most comprehensive and consistent Christian education must be based on, and unified by, the Reformed or Calvinistic view of God, man and the universe and their mutual relations. Why is Christian Education Needed? 1. For God’s sake (Matt. 22:37). 2. To give expression, in the educational field, the radical difference which exists between the two classes of human beings in this world, namely the regenerate and the unregenerate. Mistaken Views of Christian Education 1. Christian education does not mean education limited to the field of religion. There must be a Christian view of history and science and mathematics, as well as a Christian view of salvation and the religious l...

1. Introduction Surviving in a boarding school can be a tough experience. It can be made easier if some steps are followed. This article looks at the advantages of boarding school, the disadvantages of boarding school and how to survive in boarding school. 2. Advantages of Boarding School Boarding Schools have a number of advantages. These include more time for study, more time to develop friendships, becoming independent, more time to consult classmates and teachers and good preparation for college ad university life. (a) More time for study In boarding schools, times are allocated for afternoon and evening study times. Pupils have at least a minimum of three hours of study per day. This gives a pupil more time to revise and study their school work. Apart from study times, pupils in boarding schools have weekends which can be used for studies. Pupils in day schools may not have enough time as their boarding school colleagues. (b) More time to consult classmates ...