Bilingual teaching practices in South African higher education : making a case for terminology planning

When the apartheid government was in power universities in South Africa were segregated according to a race and language. After apartheid, the democratic government came into power and its vision was abolition of segregation. There was also equal and equity of access to public institutions which were set aside for certain people to have access to. Access to universities was equalized and students with different racial, social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds were allowed access to universities which they used not to have access to before. The students‟ access to all universities led to diversity within these institutions. Even though this was the case, there were no changes in the system prevalent during apartheid. English, for example, continued to be the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) while the numbers of students who speak languages other than English (LOTE) as home languages was also increasing. The Constitution of South Africa (Section 6, Act 108 of 1996) acknowledges the previous marginalization of indigenous languages in the country and encourages the development and use of these languages as official languages. The right of access to educational institutions, and accessing education in one‟s language, if that language is one of the official languages, is also encouraged by the Constitution. There are other supporting legislative documents such as the Languages Bill (2011), the Higher Education Act (1997) and the national Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) (2002) that support multilingualism, the equal promotion of the official languages as well as use of multiple languages in higher education institutions (HEIs) to support learning. The above mentioned policies and legislations may exist to ensure equality and equity, and even though HEIs have become heterogonous, that does not guarantee that the students enrolled in these institutions have equal access to knowledge offered by the HEIs in SA. This research uses the theories of languages and conceptualization; language and learning as well as language planning to show that the students‟ first languages in learning can assist to facilitate cognition. Terminology development, as part of corpus planning which is the body of language planning is introduced in this study in the form of bilingual glossaries as an intervention especially for students‟ whose mother tongue is not English as language used for learning at university for different disciplines tend to be abstract. The data for this research was collected from the 2014 first year students registered in the Extended Studies Unit (ESU) in the Humanities Faculty at Rhodes University. Research methods such as questionnaires, participant observations, interviews as well as content analysis were used to collect the data. These methods were used to look at the students‟ use and perceptions of bilingual glossaries as additional resource materials which can assist them in learning. A Political Philosophy I module offered by the Political Science department was used for this research. This thesis presents a model which can be used for the development of bilingual glossaries in order to facilitate learning. The thesis recommends the use of corpus extraction tools such as WordSmith Tools (WST) that can be used to generate and extract terms and illustrates the use of this tool by extracting terms from an English Political Philosophy textbook. These terms are defined and these are then translated into isiXhosa to provide a sample of the bilingual glossary. This glossary has been designed to illustrate how the bi/multilingual glossaries with terms and definitions can be developed in order for use by students to facilitate learning them. The study also presents a terminology list which consists of Political Philosophy terms that have been generated during the corpus extraction process. It is recommended that further research looks into the development of bi/multilingual glossaries using the suggested model so that the students who are speakers of LOTE can also be able to understand abstract terms which are used at universit

Rapid biomax thermophilic composting effects on quality, nutrient release and fertiliser value of chicken litter composts.

Master of Science in Soil Science University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban Pietermaritzburg 2016.Large accumulation of organic waste produced from intensive animal production systems pose challenges for disposal and direct land application of these materials adversely affect the environment. Composting aids to reduce waste volume and produce a stable product, rich in nutrients, that is valuable for soil fertility improvement. The Biomax system has been developed as a system to rapidly compost organic wastes at 70-80 oC in a 24 h period. The stability, quality and fertiliser value of the compost needs to be understood. Considering the high temperatures involved it would be essential to establish whether or not the addition of the enzyme is entirely necessary in the process. The objectives of this study was to determine effects of the Biomax composting time and enzyme addition on chicken litter compost stability, quality, nutrient release, in soils, and dry matter yield and nutrient uptake of spinach. Biomax composts were produced from mixtures of chicken litter and other organic wastes with (W) and without (N) the BM1 enzyme. Compost samples were collected after 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h of composting, and analysed for pH, EC, total C, N, and P, exchangeable bases, trace elements, fulvic and humic acids and Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. An incubation study was carried out with final composts (after 24 h of composting) applied to soil at 0, 1, 2 and 3 % (w/w) and destructive sampling was done after 0, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 56 days of incubation. The samples were analysed for pH, mineral N, available P, and bases. A glasshouse experiment was also conducted using the final compost produced with the BM1 enzyme. The compost was applied as the nitrogen source to 3 kg soil at 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 t/ha and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) grown for eight weeks. The pH of compost with the BM1 enzyme decreased with composting time while the one without the enzyme increased between 1 and 12 h. Total C, electrical conductivity (EC), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) and humification ratio (HR) were not affected by composting time for both composts. Total N increased up to 18 h of composting and became constant afterwards for both composts. Pathogenic organisms E. coli and Salmonella species were not detectable in all composts irrespective of composting time. In the incubation study NH4-N levels initially were similar statistically for all rates of both composts, except for soil treated with 1% of compost with the enzyme, which had lower NH4-N than that amended with 3% of the compost without the enzyme. Levels of soil NO3-N showed rapid increase in all treatments including control between 14 and 28 days of incubation and remained constant thereafter. The amount of available P was higher in soil treated with 3 % of both composts. There was no differences in spinach tissue nitrogen concentrations among the different application rates of Biomax compost. Spinach dry matter yield and N uptake improved with addition of compost. The findings of this study implied that the Biomax system is not effective in stabilising chicken litter into compost but it effectively sterilizes the organic waste materials and that the resultant composts rapidly release nutrients at sufficient rates to improve dry matter yield and nutrient uptake of spinach. Keywords: Biomax compost, mineralisation , nutrient composition, plant nutrient uptake, spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Implementation of facilities management strategy for Amathole District Municipality

Facilities management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure the functionality of the built environment by integrating people, places, processes and technology. It combines management and business with the most current professional and technical knowledge to provide a people-oriented and effective work environment. The study has the following objectives: to determine whether pro-active planning in order to optimise sustainable physical infrastructure is currently being carried out; to determine whether the cost structure of facilities management is being analysed to ensure proper planning that is aligned with the budget and to determine whether the organisational structure of facilities management (FM) is developed and fully staffed with qualified officials and that it is being operated from the correct department. This will ensure that facilities management carries out its mandate of creating jobs. The mixed research methodology was used in this study as both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed in gathering, organising and analysing information obtained from the participants. Pilot questions were distributed to all relevant managers within the Amathole District Municipality. The primary data was gathered from Directors, Heads of Departments (HODs), general managers, senior managers, unit managers and assistant managers with a view to ascertaining their level of understanding of the importance of facilities management (FM) within the Amathole District Municipality. The secondary data for this study was obtained from a literature review of relevant publications from various sources, such as reports, books, the internet and articles. From the respondents’ responses, it can be noted that facility management is of benefit to the organization in that it provides for cost value benefit, the development of policies, safety, good property management and an efficient security system. One of the main drawbacks is the lack of a facilities manager in the department. No Senior Manager has been appointed with the facilities management portfolio, which would assist the top management in making informed decisions. As a result, there is no facilities management strategy, policy or framework to guide the portfolio in the right direction

A critical analysis of the applicability of King III in the local government sphere: a case of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape from 2009-2011

The purpose of this mini-dissertation is to investigate the applicability of the King III in local government sphere, as well as to evaluate the impact it is likely to have if its principles and recommendations were to be fully implemented. Local government has been plagued by very serious challenges of poor service delivery and this has been attributed, in the main, to a lack of adequate resources to address backlogs and maintain existing infrastructure. it is therefore very important that all resources are harnessed and channelled to where they are most need, in service delivery. The investigation of the systems and procedures that are in place to ensure prudent financial management and accountability is a worthwhile study. the BMC, is one of two economic hubs of the Eastern Cape. The mini dissertation commences with assessment of governance arrangements that are in place at the BMC against the minimum standards proposed by the King III. It explores the full range of principles proposed in the codes and compares that to practices and procedures at BMC. To avoid a long winded discussion because the principles are close to ten in number; these have been combined and formulated into four broad themes. A consolidated discussion on manifestations on bad governance or poor adherence to good governance in the public sector is discussed in detail. Finally, the impact of various initiatives currently being pursued to promote good governance will be examined, key lessons will be drawn and recommendations for further studies will be made

Syllabus differentiation in mathematics in Ciskei : the reality as against intention

The topic of this half-thesis was conceived after the author had noted with interest, that an alarmingly high number of pupils in the Mdantsane Central District of the Ciskei were registering for Higher Grade (HG) mathematics for their final (Standard 10) year. What mattered most was that the failure rate was abnormally high. As a teacher of the subject for 14 years as at the end of 1988, the author had seen very weak pupils passing through his hands who had nevertheless insisted on registering for the examination in HG mathematics. A look through the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Report of 1971 which recommended the syllabus differentiation, revealed that the intention of the relevant HSRC Committee was to offer a subject at a level in accordance with a pupil's interest, aptitude and ability. In a survey undertaken by the author, samples of teachers, pupils and parents indeed confirmed the existence of a very high number of HG candidates, as suspected. The survey also revealed an aversion to the standard grade (SG) course by some pupils, teachers and even principals. A desire for university education was shown to be in the minds of most pupil respondents. Well sourced registration statistics clearly showed that the Department of Education and Training (DET) in the Republic of South Africa and the Department of Education in the Ciskei had by far the greatest proportion of pupils on the HG in mathematics in comparison with the other race groups.Standard 10 (Std 10) results for two years taken separately confirmed the author's suspicion that aptitude and/or ability were not taken into consideration by most pupils, in the choice of grade. The results were not good at all. In most cases the uninformed pupil was acting alone in taking the important decision, perhaps with only peer group pressure to contend with. Three independent opinions suggested that there was probably a general feeling that Black education was already inferior, even without the syllabus differentiation hence the reluctance to register for the SG option. Furthermore, the investigation indicated that there was no adequate provision for technical education for Blacks in either the RSA or Ciskei which would provide the alternative to a university career for a pupiL Amongst other things, a mild form of pupil screening and a well structured careers guidance programme are suggested in the concluding chapter

Job satisfaction amongst middle managers of Department of Health

Job satisfaction studies are an essential element for ensuring improvement in service delivery. The researcher was committed to assist top management with important information that can make them aware of the causes and consequences of job satisfaction (Nel, Van Dyk, Haasbroek, Schultz, Sono and Werner, 2006:52). Job satisfaction is not only concerned with feeling good at work, it also encompasses job content, the work environment and interaction with all people. The study was conducted at the Department of Health in the Province of the Eastern Cape. This study aimed to describe the level of job satisfaction amongst middle managers of the Department of Health (DoH) at the Head Office, in terms of remuneration, interpersonal relationships, development, support, recognition, extent of supervision, their attitude to the work itself and working conditions

Job satisfaction amongst middle managers of Department of Health

Job satisfaction studies are an essential element for ensuring improvement in service delivery. The researcher was committed to assist top management with important information that can make them aware of the causes and consequences of job satisfaction (Nel, Van Dyk, Haasbroek, Schultz, Sono and Werner, 2006:52). Job satisfaction is not only concerned with feeling good at work, it also encompasses job content, the work environment and interaction with all people. The study was conducted at the Department of Health in the Province of the Eastern Cape. This study aimed to describe the level of job satisfaction amongst middle managers of the Department of Health (DoH) at the Head Office, in terms of remuneration, interpersonal relationships, development, support, recognition, extent of supervision, their attitude to the work itself and working conditions

The centrality of partnership between local congregations and Christian development organisations in facilitating holistic praxis

CITATION: Celesi, M. P. & Bowers-Du Toit, N. F. 2019. The centrality of partnership between local congregations and Christian development organisations in facilitating holistic praxis. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 75(4):a5523, doi:10.4102/hts.v75i4.5523.The original publication is available at https://hts.org.zaPublication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.Central to the argument of this article is the view that enhanced partnership between local congregations and Christian development organisations has the potential to facilitate holistic congregational praxis. In most cases, these entities of the church are found in the same locality, and therefore, need to define how they can together play a bigger and meaningful role in the transformation of their community. Bound by their faith mandate, working together as partners as opposed to competing with each other, they will find strength in each other and portray a good image of the Christian community in society. Guided by partnership ethos of trust, equality and mutual respect, they can both play a leading role in the nation-building project of South Africa. The article therefore explores the findings of the ‘Faith Matters’ study with regard to the relationship between local congregations and Christian development organisations and seeks to make recommendations with regard to ways in which this partnership could be strengthened.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/5523Publisher's versio

A model route to a brominated hydroxy[2,3-c]pyran- a potential precursor to extended quinones

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae (Chemistry) in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008Green et al. attempted to synthesize linear naphthopyranquinones from a naphthyl dioxolane using a TiCl4 as a catalyst. They managed to synthesise an angular naphthopyran as well as a linear naphthopyran in low yield. They showed that reducing the steric strain at position 1 of the naphthyl dioxolane afforded a low percentage yield of the linear naphthopyran plus an angular one. This thesis describes the synthesis of linear naphthopyrans with an improved percentage yield using TiCl4 as a catalyst. This was achieved by placing a OMe group of less steric hinderance at position 1 and a Br atom at position 4 of a naphthyl dioxolane. The OMe group at position 1 was to allow isomerisation to occur at position 2, and the Br atom was to inhibit isomerisation at position 4, thereby inhibiting the formation of the angular naphthopyran

The role of the office of the auditor general of South Africa in enhancing sound public financial management, with special references to the Eastern Cape Province

The 1996 Constitution of South Africa and the Public Audit Act of 2004 provide the legislative framework for the Office of the Auditor General of South Africa (OAGSA). The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors further enriched the interpretation of the framework – for government auditing. Over the years of democratic rule in South Africa, audit performance by State organs was generally poor. Despite the efforts by the OAGSA to improve the performance, very little improvement was notable. Most disturbing was the observation that there was widespread, a prevalence of recurring findings, which indicated that the OAGSA’s recommendations and guidelines were not acted upon, or largely ignored. Firstly, the research study established that the system of capitalist democracy, which comes in different varieties throughout world democracies, indeed brought about a situation where the electorate was effectively removed from its rightful place of being the principal, and had its place taken up by political parties (which are in fact, agents) - which (parties) governed on its (the electorate’s) behalf. This system, taken together with the Principal Agency and the Rational Choice Theories – fully explained the prevalence of maladministration and malfeasance in government in South Africa. Secondly, the study established that the OAGSA has done everything imaginable in its attempts to improve audit performance in government institutions – using the carrot rather than the stick approach. The legislative framework cited above, revealed that the OAGSA has the power to audit and report, while Parliament has the power to enforce corrective action. The lesson of this revelation is: that there is not much that the OAGSA can achieve without a high level of cooperation between itself and Parliament – if audit performance is to be effectively, and appreciably improved in South Africa. A disappointing discovery however was indirectly delivered to the world, through the results of a research study conducted by one Wehner in 2002, on Public Accounts Committees (PACs) (alias Standing Committees on Public Accounts (SCOPAs)) in world democracies. The Wehner study clearly demonstrated that there was nothing contained in these committees’ founding documents or enabling legislation – which in no uncertain terms, directed the committees on what procedures and processes to follow to ensure that their resolutions were acted upon. In other words there was no enforcement mechanism discernible for their resolutions. Thirdly, there were developments in case law in South Africa, which augured well for Constitutional Institutions in general. They are contained in court judgements relating to the mandate of the Office of the Public Protector (OPP). The question at the core of these developments was: whether the decisions or remedial action emanating from the OPP, were binding and enforceable. Two judgements cited as cases in point, one a High Court judgment and another a Supreme Court of Appeal’s (SCA’s), feature in the research report. The SCA, in summary found that decisions of administrative bodies of State – stand in fact and in law, until such time that a court of law invalidates them. The SCA ruled through citing a High Court judgement passed way back in 2004 - that Constitutional Institutions, although not organs of State per se – were certainly included in this 2004 finding, if one considers the rationale of this initial finding, taken together with the purpose for which Constitutional Institutions were established in South Africa in the first place. In conclusion, although visible root causes of poor audit findings appear overall to be poor consequence management and questionable leadership quality in government, the system of capitalist democracy is ultimately to blame. The system certainly had unintended consequences