Effects of Resource Materials on Implementation of Life Skills Education Programme in Manzini Region High Schools of Eswatini

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of resource materials on implementation of Life Skills Education programme in high schools in the Manzini region of Eswatini. The study was undertaken in four high schools in the Manzini region. This study was guided by Micheal Fullan’s Educational Change Model. The purposively sampled participants consisted of head teachers and teachers. A qualitative approach and a case study design were used for the study. The head teachers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Teachers were engaged in focus group discussions. Observations were done for all participants. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings revealed a myriad of factors that negatively affected the implementation of life skills. The factors included lack of adequate preparation of teachers and inadequate teaching/learning resource materials. The study also recommended that curriculum designers and Government should design and provide adequate support materials to teachers. Keywords: implementation, Life Skills Education, resource materials.                                                                                  DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-27-07 Publication date:September 30th 201

Women Civil Society Organisations and the Struggle for Social Justice: Interrogating the Experiences of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)

This paper explores the relationship between women civil society organisations and the government in Zimbabwe using Woman of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) in Bulawayo as case study. WOZA, like other civil society organisations in Zimbabwe, has been increasingly using protests and strikes to confront women and human rights abuses by government. They also employ negotiation techniques as in the case of the Tripartite Negotiation Forum which has been in place since 1997. All these techniques, like several other efforts have been ineffective as evidenced by the increasing gaps in social justice and gender disparities in the country. Respondents claimed that they were raped; exposed to inhuman torture like forcing a bottle into their sexual organ; insulted and called names like whores / prostitutes / beaches; and so on. At organisational level WOZA faced challenges like lack of reliable and sustainable source of funding; violence from government sponsored groups (ZRP, youth, women); and hatred by government authorities who saw the civic organisation as a front for Western imperialists. The paper recommends the establishment of a national policy framework that encourages tolerance and acceptance of diversity; cooperation between men and women in confronting their everyday social and political problems; a partnership model by various stakeholders to solve the socio-economic problems bedeviling the country; among other things. Keywords: women, civil society, organisations, social justice, experiences, WOZA DOI: 10.7176/DCS/9-4-08 Publication date: April 30th 201

Strategies to Enhance Life Skills Education in High Schools: Eswatini Context

The youth in Eswatini are facing several challenges which require a comprehensive, coordinated, and multi-sectorial response from the government and other relevant stakeholders. Cases of high school dropout rate, HIV/AIDS prevalence, violence, drug and substance abuse, and poor academic performance, are on the rise in the country. The learners’ behaviours indicate inadequate knowledge of Life Skills Education which are indicators of ineffective implementation of the programme in high schools in Eswatini. This study was therefore, conducted to ascertain strategies which can be used to enhance Life Skills Education in high schools in the Shiselweni region of Eswatini. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a multiple case study design. The theory which informed the study is the Targeting Life Skills Model by Hendricks (1998).The target population were Life Skills Education teachers and high school learners in the Shiselweni region. A purposive sample of three high schools in which the Life Skills Education programme was piloted in the region was selected. Data were collected using semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide. Interviews were conducted with a total of nine learners whereas focus group discussions were carried out with twenty Life Skills Education teachers. Data was analysed using Thematic analysis. Findings revealed several factors as vital in enhancing Life Skills Education in high schools. These are: 1) making Life Skills Education examinable, 2) collaboration with parents and other schools, and 3) provision of needed resources such as adequate training of teachers, providing incentives, and provision of a variety of instructional materials. It was recommended that Life Skills Education should be considered as an examinable subject. Furthermore, teachers should be adequately trained on Life Skills Education and be provided with needed resources. Last but not least, parents should be sensitized on the importance of Life Skills Education. Keywords: Life skills, Life Skills Education, challenges, implementation.                                                     DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-12-20 Publication date: April 30th 201

Effects of Parental Involvement in Academic Wellness of Primary School Learners in the Lubombo Region, Eswatini

This study sought to determine the effects of parental involvement on the academic performance of primary school learners in rural schools in the Lubombo region of Eswatini. The study employed a mixed method approach and the concurrent triangulation design was used. The study was guided by the ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrunner and wellness theory by Hettler. The findings revealed that education was a shared responsibility between the parents/ guardians and the school and most of the parents and guardians showed very little interest in their children’s learning. The majority of the learners did not stay with their biological parents and it affected their performance at school. The study recommended that the school should engage all parents and prompt them on the importance of parental involvement by creating plenty of opportunities for parents to be actively engaged through parent/school meetings, prize giving days, homework among other things. Moreover, it was recommended that parents and communities should be helped to better appreciate the value and benefits of education to their children. Keywords: social factors, academic achievement, disadvantaged children, rural schools DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/51-05 Publication date:September 30th 201

Challenges Faced by Learners with Partial Hearing Impairment in Lubombo Mainstream High Schools: A Wellness Perspective

This study sought to explore the challenges faced by learners with partial hearing impairment (LWPHI) in Lubombo mainstream high schools. The study used a social constructivism research paradigm and a qualitative research method. A phenomenological research design was utilised to find out how mainstream high school environment can handicap the LWPHI from reaching the vital and most cherished goal of independent living. Participants in the study were selected using purposive criterion sampling and they were 14 (n=14) in total. The data collection process entailed utilisation of individual semi-structured interviews and conducting of non-participant observation. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that restrictive school environment robbed LWPHI equalized opportunities for meaningful participation in educational activities. Hence, modified instructional strategies and social environment are pertinent if the education sector really needs to combat academic discrepancies between the ‘normal’ and the LWPHI. Keywords: hearing impairment, inclusive education, learners, mainstream schools. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-27-05 Publication date:September 30th 201

Challenges Faced by Teachers in the Implementation of Guidance and Counselling in Eswatini Primary Schools

Providing guidance and counselling in schools is one of the most important services a school has to have and it is the reason why the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) introduced guidance and counselling in both primary and high schools of Eswatini. However, there are obstacles that affect the effective implementation of guidance and counselling in schools. Thus, there was a need to find out the challenges teachers face in the implementation of guidance and counselling in Eswatini primary schools. The study was a qualitative study and it employed a multiple case study design. There were 27 participants from the Shiselweni guidance and counselling pilot schools who were selected purposively. Data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings of the study revealed that guidance and counselling is affected by role ambiguity for guidance and counselling teachers, lack of required resources and inadequate supervision. Therefore, there is a great need for the Ministry of Education and Training to develop clear policies for running and managing guidance and counselling services in schools. Keywords: challenges, guidance and counselling, implementation, Primary school, Shiselweni, DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-12-21 Publication date: April 30th 201

Life Skills Education for Enhancement of Learners’ Wellness in Eswatini: A Case of High School Learners in Shiselweni Region

The researchers sought to explore how Life Skills Education enhances learners’ wellbeing. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a multiple case study design. The study used an integrative lens and was guided by the Wellness theory by Hettler (1996) and Ubuntu theory. The target population were Life Skills Education teachers and high school learners in the Shiselweni region. A purposive sample of three high schools was selected. Data were collected using semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide. Interviews were conducted with a total of nine learners whereas focus group discussions were carried out with twenty Life Skills Education teachers. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed several dimensions in which Life Skills Education enhances learners which include: socially, emotionally, intellectually, and occupationally. It was recommended that 1) the Ministry of Education and Training should consider training teachers who will specialise in teaching Life Skills Education, 2) Life Skills Education be considered a compulsory component in all pre-service teacher preparatory programmes, and that 3) mechanisms be put in place to ensure appropriate identification of teachers who will teach Life Skills Education. Keywords: Life skills, Life Skills Education, wellness, enhancement DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/59-06 Publication date:September 30th 201

Enhancing A Holistic Wellness Among Female Students at a University in Eswatini Through Relevant Intervention Strategies for Support

The study sought to explore relevant intervention strategies for addressing academic, personal, social, and career needs for female students at a university in Eswatini with a view to enhance a holistic wellness of students. A qualitative approach using a single case study design was used to collect data from twenty-two students who were purposively selected from three faculties of this university including two counselors. Data were collected using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that female students needed intervention strategies such as guidance and counselling, robust orientation services, cultivation of harmonious interactions, spiritual support, and physical support in the university to address their needs. The study recommended that the university should match quantitative growth with qualitative support by enhancing holistic wellness of female students in the institution. Keywords: wellness, female, strategy, Eswatini, students, DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-11 Publication date:September 30th 201

Graduate Employment Challenges in Zimbabwe: A Case of Zimbabwe Open University Graduates

Zimbabwe Open University has churned a very high percentage of graduates since its inception in 1994 through its Distance and Open learning Programmes. This has encouraged many people to continue to study at their own pace. Given the depressed and shrinking nature of the Zimbabwean labour market from 1999-2011, the institution has thus produced more graduates than can be absorbed by Zimbabwe’s labour market since not all of the graduates find employment in their respective fields of qualifications. This study adopted a mixed methods approach utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analyses procedures. Its goal was to establish the extent to which graduates from the Open University find employment in their fields of specialization. The study revealed that many graduates who undertook studies anticipating employment in their field of specialization are failing to do so as most of the employers are hesitant to employ people who are highly qualified, when the economy is shrinking and undergoing a depression. As a consequence, some of the graduates end up taking up any jobs that they can find, while others have emigrated to the Diaspora to seek employment. The study thus recommends a link between degree programmes and the labour market situation obtaining in the economy so as to avoid a mismatch between the two. It also recommends a needs assessment programme bythe universities and employers in a bid to synchronize programmes offered by the universities with the labour market. Keywords: Graduate unemployment, Open University, Labour Market, economic depression

Perceptions of Teachers on Wellness of Learners Living with Physical Disabilities in Upper Primary Schools in the Hhohho Region of Eswatini

The purpose of the study was to explore perceptions of teachers regarding the wellness of learners living with physical disabilities in upper primary schools in the Hhohho region of Eswatini. This study used the Wellness Theory by Hettler (1980) as its theoretical framework. The study was qualitative in its approach and it used a descriptive case study design. Through a purposive sampling, a total of 25 participants were selected, and these included 20 learners living with physical disabilities, two administrators, and three teachers. Both semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussions were used for data collection. Data from findings was thematically analyzed by scrutinizing it from commonalities. The findings revealed that the teachers at the school did not have adequate training to enable them to fully assist these learners and there was lack of social wellness among the learners who felt stigmatized just because they lived with disabilities. The study recommends that the government should mandate all teacher training institutions in the country to include a module on Inclusive Education as a core module that must be taken by all educators. Keywords: Case study, disabilities, Focus Group, perception, wellness, DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-12 Publication date:September 30th 201