On relevance, decolonisation and community engagement: The role of university intellectuals

This article examines the role of intellectuals in building and sustaining engaged African universities. These intellectuals have enormous roles in conjuring and nourishing the vision of enhanced, working institutions. As guardians of nationalism and progress, they cannot and should not eschew aspects such as the politics of identity, social consciousness as well as other pertinent philosophies. It would, for example, be inconceivable to contemplate the African institutions’ transformation without reflecting on concepts such as decolonisation and Pan‑Africanism, and these are scrutinised in the ensuing discussion. The article also explores the dynamic, painstaking roles that intellectuals have to engage in. The topic on relevance and community engagement will always be important as debates on decolonisation continue. Intellectuals inside and outside the academe will always be useful in transforming society and its institutions. Yet, the work of intellectuals and their influence are buoyed by the characteristics that intellectuals possess. Whether one is a denialist, loyalist, knower or planetary intellectual will inform society of their role in mobilising communities and universities for transformation. Furthermore, the article examines the role of all intellectuals rather than those based at higher education institutions only. Oftentimes when society speaks of intellectuals, it is not the subaltern that they refer to – people outside the university who have been dominated by the hegemony displayed in higher education institutions regarding knowledge ownership. Antonio Gramsci postulates that this hegemony encompasses cultural, moral and ideological leadership over the subaltern. The findings in this debate demonstrate that it will be conscientious and selfless intellectuals who will fortify intellectual engagement for transformation of higher education institutions. The conclusions demonstrate that intellectuals have a judicious responsibility in safeguarding stability and meaningful transformation&nbsp

Work Integrated Learning (WIL): South African Universities Preparing Student Teachers for Today's Poor Schools

Plagued by many challenges, the historically disadvantaged schools in South Africa need special attention from initial teacher education programmes at higher education institutions. Recent scientific reports demonstrate that South African learners in primary schools struggle in reading, writing and numeracy. However, along with these challenges, the introduction of digital tools in schools has put more pressure on teachers in all schools. Several educators have been found unprepared for the modern technologies. This case study focused on Work Integrated Learning (WIL) of student teachers at a Gauteng university and how they could be prepared to teach using technology in poorly resourced schools. Eight participants were final year student teachers who shared their experiences from which the study sought recommendations on how teachers could learn to teach in future schools that faced challenges such as poverty of the families and inadequacy of technological resources.  The results show that WIL can be a great success in preparing novice teachers to be able to teach in schools that face a  myriad of similar challenges. The major  findings reveal that WIL is critical in ensuring that relevant initial teacher education prepares teachers who will be able to close the achievement gaps in in disadvantaged schools. Furthermore, teachers who have undergone an effective WIL focusing on poor schools are likely to empower other teachers who will support learner resilience as they improve learner achievement

Phosphogypsum beneficiation

Three alternatives for the utilisation of the phosphogypsum from the Lowveld region of South Africa were investigated in this thesis, namely (a) its suitability for use as building material; (b) its conversion to saleable ammonium sulphate and precipitated calcium carbonate; and (c) the reaction mechanism, pathway and kinetics of its thermal reduction with graphitic carbon to calcium sulphide. The phosphogypsum contains activity concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive nuclides of uranium, thorium and their progenies that are lower than the 500 Bq/kg limit set for regulation in South Africa. The K-40 activity concentration is below the minimum detectable amount of 100 Bq/kg by gamma spectrometry. The calculated values for Hex, Hin and Iγ are: 2.12 + 0.59, 3.44 + 0.64 and 2.65 + 0.76 respectively. The calculated Raeq is 513 + 76 Bq/kg. The phosphogypsum is suitable for restricted use in building materials but a final decision for its use should be taken with the consideration of scenarios of use. The phosphogypsum was converted to ammonium sulphate and precipitated calcium carbonate in a Merseburg process that has been modified by omitting the CO2 scrubbing towers. This modification reduced the heating requirement in the gypsum conversion reactor by 35 °C. The calcium carbonate precipitated as calcitic, scalenohedral polymorphs with a mean size of 3.4+ 0.1 μm in diameter. A kinetic study of the reaction between phosphogypsum and graphitic carbon was carried out in the range 25 °C to 1200 °C using a TG-DSC analyser. The results showed that after the dehydration of the phosphogypsum to anhydrite the anhydrite converts to calcium sulphide via an intermediate compound, characterised by a mass loss of 11%. The average activation energy for the reduction of phosphogypsum with iv graphite was determined using the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall- (OFW) and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) methods to be between 330-370 kJ/mol. The reaction pathway for the thermal reduction of the phosphogypsum with graphite was studied using in situ Raman spectroscopy. The dehydration of the phosphogypsum to anhydrite was completed at about 142 °C. The dehydration was followed by the formation of the intermediate compound at about 900 °C. The intermediate compound, proposed to be a dehydrated Orschallite-type compound (Ca3[SO4][SO3]2), converted to CaS at about 1000 °C

Black parental involvement in education

The South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) provides formal power in education to parents as well as communities. SASA creates the expectation for parents to be meaningful partners in school governance. It envisages a system where school-based educators would collaborate with the parents to ensure quality education, including curriculum matters such as outcomes-based education (OBE). An ethnographic study was conducted in historically disadvantaged black secondary schools. The study focused on the effects of black parental involvement on the success of their children. For a period of twelve months spread over two years (2002/2003), 24 parents with learners in eight different historically disadvantaged secondary schools (HDSS) were investigated. The findings of the study revealed that the black parents' role is crucial in the enhancement of learner success. Parents who played little or no role in their children's homework and study programmes contributed to the poor performance of their children in the classroom. Also, the extremely limited success thus far in the implementation of OBE in historically black communities was significantly due to the absence of co-operation between the school and the home. This study affirms the view that community input is crucial in the development of curriculum in schools. Without proactive black community involvement, HDSS are less likely to succeed in their efforts to improve education. South African Journal of Education Vol.24(4) 2004: 301-30

Teacher Development, Teacher Beliefs and Professional Development: The Value of Classroom Observations

All schools need teachers who are lifelong learners, teachers who engage in on-going professional development throughout their careers. Conscientious school managers will support the professional development of their teachers on a continuous basis. There are no schools that would be able to ensure maximum performance of the learners without teacher diligence, commitment and professionalism. This study reports on the findings of an investigation where three instructional leaders worked with teachers in their schools employing classroom observations. The researcher sought to explore teacher perceptions about classroom observations. It was clear from this study that teachers who are aware of their need to change their beliefs will benefit from classroom observations. The participants agreed that classroom observation has elements which enhance teacher growth and these are mentoring and coaching aspect; making teachers critical thinkers and meaningful feedback. The participants also discovered that through effective classroom observations teachers will change their belief system for the better. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n8p26

Contamination sensible et responsabilité par temps de pandémie

PlanPréliminaires1. Contexte global : d’un imprévu l’autre2. Retour en force du réel3. De la contamination infectueuse à la contamination sensible4. Visage masqué : de la responsabilité pour autrui à la responsabilité d’autruiPour fini