Technology Adoption Readiness in Disadvantaged Universities during COVID 19 Pandemic in South Africa
- Authors: Aruleba, Kehinde. , Jere, Nobert. , Matarirano, Obert.
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: Covid 19 Readiness for school Web-based instruction Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6544 , vital:46489 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v11n2p172"
- Description: The Covid 19 pandemic has affected hundreds of million lives and taken over four million lives to date. As a result, governments and policymakers see the need for emergency action to reduce the spread of the virus. In an attempt to contain the virus, governments and policymakers worldwide introduced a different range of prote ction measures and interventions to change their citizen's behaviours , primarily through social distancing, interprovince lockdown, stay at home strategies, and quarantines. The different lockdown measures have created unique and challenging conditions wit h no documented equivalent in the education sector. A significant effect was that many Higher Education institutions worldwide were not ready to switch to online teaching and learning when the governments announced the sudden lockdown. This study discusses the effect s of the Covid 19 pandemic on South Africa Higher Education Institution s , focusing on the historically disadvantaged universities. The study went further to evaluate the readiness of lecturers from selected disadvantaged universities to adopting online teaching and learning by applying the Technology Readiness Acceptance Model (TRAM). Quantitative data was collected through an online questionnaire. Results show that the higher the average of optimism and innovativeness among the respondents' poin t towards the readiness of adopting technology. On the other hand, higher the average insecurity and discomfort show the uneasiness of adopting technologies by the respondents.
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- Date Issued: 2022
A case for ethical frameworks to enhance mobile government implementation at South African municipalities
- Authors: Makwembere, Sandra , Garidzira, Rufaro
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Government Ethics Technology and state Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7170 , vital:53081 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v17i1.826"
- Description: Interest in mobile government (m-government) is growing globally. Mobile government refers to the use of wireless and mobile technologies to deliver services to citizens, businesses, employees and other government entities. Presently, technological advancements take place despite questions on whether the existing policy and regulatory frameworks are suitable to regulate the effects of m-government. With m-government, municipal operations take place in virtual spaces where the consequences of such operations are still largely unknown and the frameworks that are apt to minimise any long-term effects on society are yet to be defined. This conceptual article suggests that ethical frameworks should be encouraged as part of mobile government implementation in municipalities to encourage reflective municipal practices and to improve judgement and behaviour in m-government decision-making. It contributes to debates on approaches to comprehensively support and guide mobile government towards positive municipal service delivery outcomes. Keywords: m-government; ethics; ethical frameworks; municipal service delivery; e-government; mobile technology
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- Date Issued: 2021
Re-engineering imperatives to enhance the effectiveness of municipal public accounts committees in South African municipalities
- Authors: Mofolo, Malefetsane A. , Adonis, Vuyo
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Criminal liability Maleficence Municipal finance--Accounting Reengineering (Management) Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7179 , vital:53082 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v9i1.510"
- Description: Background: After 26 years into democracy and 20 years of the new local government operations, the state of the majority of municipalities in South Africa still leaves much to be desired, as they are plagued with maleficence. What is concerning is that these negative tendencies that are troubling local government occur even under the watchful eye of the municipal public accounts committees (MPACs). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition and the role of MPACs, which have experienced a number of challenges since they were introduced in response to the widely held perception of the culture of lack of accountability in South African municipalities. Methods: This article is theoretical in nature, and it draws its arguments from secondary data in order to understand the composition and the role of MPACs, including its challenges. Results: This study regards the composition of the MPAC as lacking the necessary vigour to be efficient and effective in executing its duties, particularly when considering the challenges and political influences that it tends to face in its operations. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a need for re-engineering of the composition and the role of the MPAC in order to ensure that it executes its functions efficiently and effectively. Consequently, the study recommends three cardinal pillars that must be given attention in re-engineering the MPAC: policy, authority and power. Keywords: Internal accountability; maleficence; municipalities; municipal public accounts committees; re-engineering
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- Date Issued: 2021
The stories African lawyers could tell when analysing legal issues: Lessons for social sciences teachers
- Authors: Zongwe, Dunia P
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Decolonization Storytelling Law--Study and teaching Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6989 , vital:52634 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i2.6828"
- Description: Activists and academics have clamoured for the decolonisation of knowledge, including law. But, unfortunately hardly anyone has put forth strategies for how faculties should decolonise the law. A number of jurists have underscored the necessity to draw on customary laws and traditional values. Still, the #RhodesMustFall movement has, for the most part, been loud on the outcomes, but quiet on the methodologies. Joining the conversation on the decolonisation of epistemologies, this article contributes to the ongoing efforts to sanitise the law by proposing to revive African oral storytelling cultures as a way to analyse the questions of law facing society. To live up to this task, this article adopts decolonial theory and, through stylised examples, illustrates how lawyers and social scientists in Africa can utilise storytelling to contextualise, (de)construct, and comprehend those questions. This article assumes that lawyers can use African storytelling alongside the prevailing doctrinal method. That method, relaying the coloniality of law and captured by the acronym IRAC (issue(s), rules, application, and conclusion), trains students to approach conflict in society through a highly abstract and decontextualised problem-solving model. Lately, some (Western) social scientists have (re)discovered the practicality of storytelling in presenting analysis and research. However, in African oral traditions, stories worked differently from the manner in which those scientists employ them. African storytelling played a leading role, not only in conveying collective wisdom and social memory from one generation to the next, but also as a medium through which communities transmit the values that hold them together. Contribution: This article adds to the scholarship on storytelling and narratology by showing how educators can utilise stories to analyse legal questions. That rich scholarship in the humanities and the social sciences has so far not taken seriously the possibility of using stories to analyse research problems. Instead, scholars focus on storytelling mainly as a way of presenting science, not as an analytical tool. This article bridges that gap and demonstrates the analytical value of storytelling. Keywords: decolonisation of knowledge; decolonial theory; storytelling; Africa; analysis; epistemology; legal education; oral tradition.
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- Date Issued: 2021
The stories African lawyers could tell when analysing legal issues: Lessons for social sciences teachers
- Authors: Zongwe, Dunia P
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Decolonization Storytelling Law--Study and teaching Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7215 , vital:53086 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i2.6828"
- Description: Activists and academics have clamoured for the decolonisation of knowledge, including law. But, unfortunately hardly anyone has put forth strategies for how faculties should decolonise the law. A number of jurists have underscored the necessity to draw on customary laws and traditional values. Still, the #RhodesMustFall movement has, for the most part, been loud on the outcomes, but quiet on the methodologies. Joining the conversation on the decolonisation of epistemologies, this article contributes to the ongoing efforts to sanitise the law by proposing to revive African oral storytelling cultures as a way to analyse the questions of law facing society. To live up to this task, this article adopts decolonial theory and, through stylised examples, illustrates how lawyers and social scientists in Africa can utilise storytelling to contextualise, (de)construct, and comprehend those questions. This article assumes that lawyers can use African storytelling alongside the prevailing doctrinal method. That method, relaying the coloniality of law and captured by the acronym IRAC (issue(s), rules, application, and conclusion), trains students to approach conflict in society through a highly abstract and decontextualised problem-solving model. Lately, some (Western) social scientists have (re)discovered the practicality of storytelling in presenting analysis and research. However, in African oral traditions, stories worked differently from the manner in which those scientists employ them. African storytelling played a leading role, not only in conveying collective wisdom and social memory from one generation to the next, but also as a medium through which communities transmit the values that hold them together. Contribution: This article adds to the scholarship on storytelling and narratology by showing how educators can utilise stories to analyse legal questions. That rich scholarship in the humanities and the social sciences has so far not taken seriously the possibility of using stories to analyse research problems. Instead, scholars focus on storytelling mainly as a way of presenting science, not as an analytical tool. This article bridges that gap and demonstrates the analytical value of storytelling. Keywords: decolonisation of knowledge; decolonial theory; storytelling; Africa; analysis; epistemology; legal education; oral tradition.
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- Date Issued: 2021