A Sociolinguistic Study of Women Representation in Rwandan Proverbs

In almost all communities, proverbs reflect every aspect of the social and cultural lives of people. In Rwandan culture proverbs embed wisdom, values, norms, and social restriction. As in other languages, in Kinyarwanda, proverbs are used as a tool for human communication. Kinyarwanda proverbs have certainly the features of gender as they disclose the real and normal life of Rwandans. Gender-related Kinyarwanda proverbs that value women are referred to when valuing women's role in the community. This contributes to the journey of women’s emancipation that Rwanda is currently fostering. However, there are some negative proverbs that strengthen the roots of gender discrimination linked to patriarchal social norms and practices. Despite an outstanding progress in women’s empowerment and gender promotion that Rwanda has made, Kinyarwanda proverbs still contribute to women exclusiveness in a way that attributes negative traits to them. Thus, the gender discrimination persists.  This paper reveals the findings of a study on the socio-linguistic perspectives that explore the place and role of women and/or girls in the Rwandan society. Therefore, this paper outlines Kinyarwanda proverbs that loop women and girls in a negative perspective, and their effects in achieving Rwanda Vision 2050 goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study examines 30 Kinyarwanda proverbs related to disempowerment of women and girls. They were analyzed by using the feminist theories of the Radicals and Critical Discourse Analysis by Norman Fairclough. Keywords: Proverbs, gender equality, Vision 2050, SDGs. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-24-02 Publication date: December 31st 202

The Impact Of Teachers’ Temperament On Students’ Attitudes And Performance

Teaching is a noble profession that deals with varied personalities. Besides, students may be inspired or discouraged by the mannerisms teachers show in class sessions. Thus, in this paper, the authors sought to assess the impact of teachers’ temperaments on students’ achievements. To get authentic results, the researchers chose to use both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, where the data collection tools were questionnaires. The target population was aimed at 150 students from Rwanda Polytechnic—IPRC Musanze (years 1, 2, and 3). Moreover, in this study, the sampling was selected through a stratified random technique. The results have shown that a large number of students love smart, flexible, and time-management teachers, among others. Students, on the other hand, lose interest when they have a teacher who is lax, rigid, or shabby, to name a few characteristics

Phytosociological Study of Nyungwe Montane Savannahs

It is uncommon to find savannahs encompassed into tropical montane rainforests. The case of Nyungwe savannahs is one of these particularities and until now no explanation on their origin, structure and dynamics was given. This unprecedented research documented special floristic diversity of montane savannahs of Nyungwe, described the structure of their plant communities to provide data for their sustainable conservation. In this paper origin of these savannahs was discussed. The study was conducted in three sites harbouring five savannahs:Karamba, Nyabitimbo and Muzimu. Eight plant communities (4 in savannah-forest contact zone and other 4 in savannah) were identified with 198 species. Vascular species were distributed in 71 families. Phytogeographic distribution analysis of species showed the predominance of afromontane species (Mo) in sampled savannahs (31%), followed by East African montane species (Mo, EA) with 22% of all species. Montane endemism proved the predominance of ‘relatively restricted endemic species’ identified in 2or3 montane systems (among Kivu-Ruwenzori, ImatongsUsambara, UluguruMlanje, and Ethiopia with 41.1%) followed by ‘afromontane endemic wades’ identified in 4to7 systems representing 39.9%). ‘Local endemic montane species’ represented 31% of all species. Thus, these savannahs are favourable to species coming from almost seven African montane systems. Keywords: Nyungwe, Plant communities, montane savannahs

Genetic improvement of laying hens viability using survival analysis

The survival of about eight generations of a large strain of laying hens was analysed separating the rearing period (RP) from the production period (PP), after hens were housed. For RP (respectively PP), 97.8% (resp., 94.1% ) of the 109 160 (resp., 100 665) female records were censored after 106 days (resp., 313 days) on the average. A Cox proportional hazards model stratified by flock (= season) and including a hatch-within-flock (HWF) fixed effect seemed to reasonably fit the RP data. For PP, this model could be further simplified to a non-stratified Weibull model. The extension of these models to sire-dam frailty (mixed) models permitted the estimation of the sire genetic variances at 0.261 ± 0.026 and 0.088 ± 0.010 for RP and PP, respectively. Heritabilities on the log scale were equal to 0.48 and 0.19. Non-additive genetic effects could not be detected. Selection was simulated by evaluating all sires and dams, after excluding all records from the last generation. Then, actual parents of this last generation were distributed into four groups according to their own pedigree index. Raw survivor curves of the progeny of extreme parental groups substantially differed (e.g., by 1.7% at 300 days for PP), suggesting that selection based on solutions from the frailty models could be efficient, despite the very large proportion of censored records

Functional and phylogenetic diversity of an agricultural matrix avifauna: the role of habitat heterogeneity in Afrotropical farmland

Varied strategies to alleviate the loss of farmland biodiversity have been tested, yet there is still insufficient evidence supporting their effectiveness, especially when considering phylogenetic and functional diversity alongside traditional taxonomic diversity metrics. This conservation challenge is accentuated in the Afrotropics by the rapid agricultural expansion and intensification for the production of cash crops and by a comparative lack of research. In this study, we assessed how farming practices influence avian phylogenetic and functional diversity. We conducted point-count surveys to assess avian diversity in monocultures of tea and mixed crop farming systems surrounding the Nyungwe rainforest in south-west Rwanda, allowing us to investigate the drivers of avian diversity at farm level. Species composition was found to be moderately different between farm types, with mixed crop farms supporting higher phylogenetic diversity than tea plantations. There were no significant seasonal differences in species composition, functional or phylogenetic diversity. Overall, functional diversity did not differ between farm types, but the dispersion of trophic-related traits was significantly higher in mixed crop farms. Both functional and phylogenetic diversity were influenced by floristic diversity, vegetation height, tree number, and elevation to varying degrees. Our results also (i) highlight the role of farmland heterogeneity (e.g., crop species composition, height, and tree cover extent) in encouraging avian functional and phylogenetic diversity in the Afrotropics and (ii) indicate that the generally negative biodiversity impacts of monoculture agriculture can be partially alleviated by extensive agroforestry with an emphasis on indigenous tree species

Challenges Faced by Trainers in Implementing Competence-Based Training (CBT) in Rwanda TVET Institutions: A Case of Rwanda Polytechnic.

Rwandan Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has embraced the Competence-based Training (CBT) approach to enhance graduates' employability skills and address the nation's need for skilled workers. However, the implementation of this promising method faces challenges. A recent investigation examined the obstacles encountered by instructors in Rwanda's TVET institutions as they adopt the CBT framework. The study aimed to evaluate trainers' perceptions of CBT, explore its significance in teaching methods, and identify challenges. The research outcomes are expected to provide valuable insights to the Ministry of Education, Rwanda Polytechnic's Integrated Polytechnic Regional Colleges (IPRCs), development partners in the TVET sector, and future scholars. Utilizing qualitative methodologies like comprehensive interviews, data was meticulously gathered and analyzed. The study concluded with actionable recommendations to improve the implementation of the CBT model in Rwandan TVET institutions. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical skill development, thereby strengthening the workforce with competent professionals capable of meeting the changing demands of the nation's economy.Keywords: Trainer Challenges, TVET, CBT Implementatio

Chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing

The study of the archaeological remains of fossil hominins must rely on reconstructions to elucidate the behaviour that may have resulted in particular stone tools and their accumulation. Comparatively, stone tool use among living primates has illuminated behaviours that are also amenable to archaeological examination, permitting direct observations of the behaviour leading to artefacts and their assemblages to be incorporated. Here, we describe newly discovered stone tool-use behaviour and stone accumulation sites in wild chimpanzees reminiscent of human cairns. In addition to data from 17 mid- to long-term chimpanzee research sites, we sampled a further 34 Pan troglodytes communities. We found four populations in West Africa where chimpanzees habitually bang and throw rocks against trees, or toss them into tree cavities, resulting in conspicuous stone accumulations at these sites. This represents the first record of repeated observations of individual chimpanzees exhibiting stone tool use for a purpose other than extractive foraging at what appear to be targeted trees. The ritualized behavioural display and collection of artefacts at particular locations observed in chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing may have implications for the inferences that can be drawn from archaeological stone assemblages and the origins of ritual sites

Estimation of genetic parameters of egg production traits of laying hens by restricted maximum likelihood applied to a multiple-trait reduced animal model

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