The training of the non-specialist music teacher in Zimbabwe : a case study

The focus of this study thus was to establish if the training of teachers at a particular teachers’ training college in Zimbabwe is equipping students as future teachers with the required competences to realise the aims and objectives of the Zimbabwe Primary Music Syllabus. This study follows on the above-mentioned initial small-scale investigation conducted in 2002, which revealed that teachers lacked the required competences to implement this particular syllabus effectively (Mufute, 2002:16)

Linguistic Role in the Promotion of Development Discourse in the Six Self Help Groups in the Meru Speech Community

This article examines linguistic role in the promotion of development discourse. Data is drawn from six self-help groups in Meru namely: Firstly, youth. The UN, defines 'youth', as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. In Africa youth refers to persons aged between 15 years and 35 years and were the ones studied in this study. Secondly, middle age.Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. This study defined middle age as years between 36 years and 55 years. Finally, elders or old age. Most Britons define old age as starting at 59 years. The present study defined old age as years between 55 years and above. The respondents were selected using the judgmental sampling procedure. Langer’s social ground work theory studied the analysis of data in the study. The findings of the study were elicited using tape recorded interviews on some selected development topics that helped to illustrate the linguistic role in the promotion of the development discourse. The data for the study was represented both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings of the study show the role of linguistic in promotion of development discourse. The educated respondents scored the highest percentages on development discourse topics whose original language of communicating them is English while semi-educated respondents scored highest scores on topics that required knowledge on the involvement of the respondents on the cultural life of community which is communicated from generations to generations orally in first language. The paper gives insight on how the linguistic codes spoken by an individual promotes development discourse and the practical method of the application of social ground work theory in development discourse study. Keywords: development discourse, linguistic codes, linguistic role, self-help groups, social ground theory

Gender Variations in the Use of Swear Words in Six Social Network Groups in the Meru Speech Community

The aim of the study was to investigate genderlect in the use of swear words in the six social network groups in the Meru speech community. Sample was drawn from the following social network groups: boys ‘groups, girls ‘groups, men’s groups and women’s groups using judgmental sampling method. The difference theory by Deborah Tannen studied the analysis of the data. The study found out that boys and men use more swear words than girls and women in Kimeru. These differences are informed by different socialization of both males and females in the Meru culture. Women have been instructed in the proper ways of talking just as they have been instructed in the proper ways of dressing, in the use of cosmetics, and in other “feminine” kinds of behaviour. On the other hand men have been instructed in “masculine” kinds of behaviour. Keywords: genderlect, social networks, swear words, socialization, masculine behaviour,,feminine,behaviuo

Customer satisfaction with the electronic banking services in Zimbabwe: a case of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.With the constant advances in technology, it is expected that life should become easier in various way, one of these being that people would no longer have to wait in queues in banks as technology allows people to do most of their transactions by computer or cell phone. This research sought to gather information on customer satisfaction with the electronic banking (e-banking) facilities and services in Zimbabwe. The problem which was identified is that people spend a lot of time waiting in queues for services they could access much more quickly on e-banking platforms. Three e-banking platforms were examined, these being automated teller machines (ATMs), internet banking, and mobile banking (m-banking). The research took the form of a descriptive case study design. It also took a mixed method approach where both quantitative and qualitative data was used. Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe was the location for the study. Questionnaires were distributed in all seven districts of this province, on a pro rata basis depending on population size. According to the 2012 census survey in Zimbabwe, the total population of economically active people, between the ages of 15 and 64 years living in the province was 825 911 people. The researcher used Kredjice and Morgan’s table to calculate the sample size of 384 people. Two hundred and eighty-three (283) questionnaires were returned out of the three Hundred and eighty-four (384) questionnaires which were distributed, thus the response rate was 73.7%. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20) was used to analyze the data. Results showed that e-banking services in Zimbabwe are satisfactory as there was not a single attribute of banking where the majority of people showed dissatisfaction. However, there is a need for Zimbabwean banks to continue to educate citizens on how to use e-banking facilities effectively. Internet banking had the lowest levels of reported user satisfaction with the problem emanating from a lack of internet access by the majority of citizens. There was also no significant gap realized between bank sector managers’ perceptions of customers’ needs and wants and the actual needs of customers. A model for adoption of electronic banking in Zimbabwe has been developed by the researcher and is made up of five key factors which determine the adoption of electronic banking in Zimbabwe, these are: education, accessibility, ease of use, friendliness, and security. These key factors determine the success of electronic banking in Zimbabwe. If this model is adopted it can assist Zimbabwe banks in new products development, improving service quality and therefore establish sustainable competitive advantage

The relationship between strategies and performance in the manufacturing sector in ZImbabwe during economic crisis

There are different views on the nature and content of strategies that ensure positive performance in the economic crisis environment. This has created the need for studies focusing on the relationship between strategies and performance in different economic crises. Manufacturing firms in Zimbabwe have experienced declining performance since 1996. It is against this background that this study examined the dimension of strategic orientations (as measures of strategies) exercised by firms to determine their relationship with performance during the economic crisis. Data on the various dimensions of strategic orientation was collected through questionnaires, while data on performance were collected through questionnaires and financial statements. The study sample was obtained through a stratified sampling technique which falls within the sphere of probability sampling methods. The multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between the six dimensions of strategic orientation and performance. The analysis dimension of strategic orientation was dominantly exercised by many firms. The analysis dimension of strategic orientation was also the most effective because it had a positive relationship with performance (positive profitability and growth). This makes the analysis dimension of strategic orientation relevant in economic crisis. The study showed that the pro-activeness dimension of strategic orientation focused by very few firms had a positive relationship with performance (positive profitability and growth) and hence making it relevant in economic crisis. Moreover, it was established that the relationship between aggressiveness and riskiness dimensions of strategic orientation was negative and hence less relevant in economic crisis. It is therefore recommended that, for manufacturing firms in Zimbabwe to survive, improve performance and ensure sustainability in the current economic crisis environment, they need to focus dominantly on the analysis and pro-activeness dimensions of strategic orientation. This requires firms to invest more in research and development, develop strategic partnerships with other firms, strong networks, innovative and creative capabilities. In addition, firms must avoid fighting competitors and taking risky decisions. This study considered firms that are currently operational and it is recommended that future studies consider firms that closed during the economic crisis to acquire a deeper understanding of the effective strategies in economic crisis.Business ManagementD.B.L

Critical Appraisal of Teacher Education Programmes in Achieving Curriculum Goals in Kenya

This paper makes a critical appraisal of teacher education programmes in achieving curriculum goals. Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. Although ideally it should be conceived of, and organized as, a seamless continuum, teacher education is often divided into several stages, especially in Kenya. This paper, therefore, makes a critical evaluation of teacher education programmes in the Kenya school curriculum. It develops an understanding of the concepts in teacher education and the diversity of curriculum for teacher preparation at the respective stages from the neophyte or pre-primary stages to continuing education. It further examines the educational trends of post-independent Kenya in respect to teacher preparation as well as the diverse global perspectives. A comprehensive landscape of teacher education in Kenya is provided, drawing from the history. Finally, the paper dissects the emerging challenges of teacher education in Kenya in the realm of attainment of Kenya’s Vision 2030 and makes recommendation of the prospects in this field associated with this kind of education in the attaining of the overall goals of education in Keny

THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC DEBT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 2000-2017: A PANEL DATA ANALYSIS

학위논문 (석사) -- 서울대학교 대학원 : 국제대학원 국제학과(국제지역학전공), 2020. 8. 안재빈.본 연구는 국가채무가 경제성장에 주는 영향을 다루고 있다. 본 연구의 2000년도부터 2017년까지, 18년에 거쳐 사하라 사막 이남의 아프리카 국가(SSA)들에 대한 패널분석으로 이루어졌다. 국가 대외 부채 및 국내 부채의 영향도 분석하였다. 더 나아가, 부채-성장 관계의 제도적 질을 보장하는 대리로서의 국가 효과서으이 역살을 살펴보았다. 이를 분석하기위해 본 연구는 GMM 시스템을 주 평가 도구로 사용하고 성장에 영향을 주는 다른 변수들을 통제한 상태에서 실증적 분석을 한 결과 SSA지역은 부채와 경제성장이 역의 관계를 나타내고 있음을 확인할 수 있었는데, 평균적으로, 국가 부채 대 국가총생산(GDP)의 비율이 1 퍼센트 증가하는 것은 1인당 국가총생산(GDP per capita)의 성장률이 0.05 퍼센트 축소하는 관계를 나타내고 있다. 추가적으로 본 연구의 분석에 의하면 부채와 성장 간의 비선형적 관계가 나타나고 있으며 부채가 높을수록 국가총생산에 대한 비율이 더욱 심한 현상을 나타내고 있다. 부채-성장의 관계에 대한 좋은 정책은 중요하지 않은 것으로 나타났고, 이는 곧 부채를 어떻게 다루는지가 더 중요하다는 것을 시사한다. 그러나 본 연구의 주 결과는 국외 부채가 경제 성장에 악영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났지만 국내 부채는 통계적으로 유의미하지는 않더라도 오히려 긍정적인 효과를 보여주는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 곧 국내 시장이 미시경제적 안정성을 높여주고 외부 통화 충격을 완화시키며 경제 성장을 유도하는 금융시장의 자유화를 유도하기 때문인 것으로 나타났다. 그 결과, SSA 국가들의 정부들은 국내 시장에 투자하여 부채를 관리하고 외국채에 대한 과한 의존성을 줄이는 것을 권장한다. 탈세 및 부패를 줄이는 등 국내 자원을 동원해 정부 총세입을 증가시키는 방안들도 도입되어야 한다.The paper examines the role of public debt on economic growth. The analysis is centered on a panel of SSA countries over 18 years period from 2000-2017. The effect of public debt components of public external debt and public domestic debt is also examined. Further, the role of government effectiveness as a measure for quality of institutions on the debt-growth correlation is explored. To achieve this, the study employs system GMM as our main estimator and the empirical results indicate an inverse relationship between public debt and economic growth in SSA region taking into account other determining factors of growth: a 1 percentage point rise in public debt/GDP ratio on average is associated with a decline in real per capita GDP growth by 0.05 percentage points. Moreover, the estimation show evidence of nonlinear relationship between government debt and growth with the effect being more negative at higher levels of public debt/GDP ratio. Good policies role on debt-growth relationship is insignificant which implies that what matters is actually how debt contracted is utilized. The main finding however is whereas public external debt has a negative effect that is statistically significant on growth in the region, the estimation indicates public domestic debt has a positive impact albeit statistically insignificant. This supposedly because domestic market enhances microeconomic stability and cushions economy from external currency shocks and that it also encourages financial market liberalization which is growth promoting. (See Akram, 2016). It is hence recommended that governments in SSA consider establishing and tapping more into domestic markets for deficit financing to reduce overreliance on foreign loans. Measures should also be instituted to mobilize domestic resources to increase government revenues for instance by curbing tax evasions and fighting corruption. The use of Public Private Parterships (PPPs) can be an effective way of financing and also resource mobilization tool in the quest to bridge the huge gap of infrustructure development in Sub Saharan Africa.CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Research Questions 3 Objectives of the Study 3 Hypothesis 4 Organization of the Research 5 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 Theoretical Literature 7 2.2.1 Debt Overhang Hypothesis (DOH) 7 2.2.2. Crowding Out Theory 8 2.2.3. Debt Laffer Curve Theory 10 2.3 Empirical Literature 11 2.3.1. Studies on Role of Public Debt 11 2.3.2. Studies on Role of Public External and Domestic Debt 12 2.3.3. Studies on the Role of External Debt 13 2.4. Digression on Role of Government Effectiveness 15 CHAPTER THREE: PUBLIC DEBT IN SSA 17 3.1. Introduction 17 3.2. Overview of Public Debt in Sub Saharan Africa 17 3.3. Stylized Facts on Debt Accumulation in SSA 21 3.3.1. Evolution of Debt in LIDCs 21 3.3.2. Dynamics of Public Debt in SSA 25 3.3.3. Share of Public External Debt in Total Public Debt in SSA 28 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 35 4.1. Introduction 35 4.2. DATA AND STYLIZED FACTS 35 4.2.1. Data 35 4.2.2. Some Stylized Facts 36 4.3. ECONOMETRIC METHODS 41 4.3.1. The Augmented Production Function 42 4.3.2. Differenced GMM and System GMM 42 4.3.3. Empirical Model Specification 44 4.4. Description of Variables 45 4.4.1. Dependent Variable 45 4.4.2. Independent Variables 46 CHAPTER FIVE: ESTIMATION OF RESULTS 51 5.1 Introduction 51 5.2 Descriptive Statistics 51 5.3. Results and Discussion 53 5.3.1. OLS, FE and System GMM Estimations on the Dynamic Model 54 5.4 Hypothesis Testing and Conclusion 64 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 65 6.1 Introduction 65 6.2 Summary of Key Findings 65 6.3. Policy Recommendation 67 6.4. Limitations of the Study 68 REFERENCES 69 APPENDICES 75 ABSTRACT IN KOREAN 77Maste

The Role of Planning on Performance of Community Projects in Kenya

Community Bases Organizations have had a tremendous positive impact on development in many Countries around the world. In developing countries, community projects have made it possible for many local communities to see the light of day through programs such as Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable clean water provision, Construction of places of worship, schools among others. In Kenya, an estimated two million people are being positively impacted by community based projects efforts. When a community decides to come up with a development project, it is always critical to go through a project cycle and look at the key significance of their intended project, what they want to achieve, their goals, focus, the resources needed, the skills they require and the technical knowhow. It is during this stage of brainstorming that has been referred to as Initiation stage. It has been observed that in the project initiation, it is important to involve the whole community through participation in planning, providing views on what they want and how they want the project to run and how it will be executed. This is critical since it helps in bridging confidence between the community and the donor or government. It has been observed that performance and success of the projects have a high relation to how they were initiated and the community involvement. This paper seeks to study and establish the relationship that exists between the initiation of the projects and their performance in Kakamega County. Keywords: Planning, as used here, it encompasses community project initiatio

Relaxing financing constraint in the microfinance industry : is commercialization the answer?

Published on Journal of Business & Economics ResearchA critical question facing Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) is whether they can attract commercial capital as a solution to their financing problem and as a way of relaxing strained development aid. While donations have made enormous contributions to microfinance development and poverty reduction among the poor to date, an attempt to scale-up funding from this traditional source has been an uphill task. It is argued that vast resources of commercial capital can become available to microfinance if critical success strategies of access to commercial funding are developed. This paper offers research evidence that identifies significant predictors for successful Commercialization of microfinance based on firm-level data from African MFIs for three financial years between 1998 and 2003. The research develops and tests a commercial rating rule (predictive model) for determining success in tapping commercial capital. The results indicate the emergence of new finance sources, widened financing options for MFIs and the capacity to relax growth constraints in the industry. However, the findings also suggest the need for MFIs to satisfy the interests and requirements of prospective commercial investors to overcome new challenges.A critical question facing Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) is whether they can attract commercial capital as a solution to their financing problem and as a way of relaxing strained development aid. While donations have made enormous contributions to microfinance development and poverty reduction among the poor to date, an attempt to scale-up funding from this traditional source has been an uphill task. It is argued that vast resources of commercial capital can become available to microfinance if critical success strategies of access to commercial funding are developed. This paper offers research evidence that identifies significant predictors for successful Commercialization of microfinance based on firm-level data from African MFIs for three financial years between 1998 and 2003. The research develops and tests a commercial rating rule (predictive model) for determining success in tapping commercial capital. The results indicate the emergence of new finance sources, widened financing options for MFIs and the capacity to relax growth constraints in the industry. However, the findings also suggest the need for MFIs to satisfy the interests and requirements of prospective commercial investors to overcome new challenges