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Item An exploration of the efficacy of the Namibian child protection system in responding to violence against children(University of Namibia, 2016) Theron, Veronica R.The UN Secretary General‘s Study on Violence against Children approached child protection systems from the perspectives of human rights, public health and child protection. A global agenda to protect children emphasised the urgency of country level action with targets for governments. The UNCRC and the ACRWC underpin the delivery of high quality essential services to all children. There is increasing recognition worldwide, as well as in Namibia, that the protection of children cannot be effectively achieved through fragmented, issue-specific programmes which results in ineffective programming: this is neither sustainable nor able to reach children who are in need of protection. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of the Namibian Child Protection System in responding to violence against children. The study considered the child’s journey through the system in order to provide recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the system. A qualitative, explorative design and a phenomenological approach were used in this study. The theoretical frameworks that were employed are the Child Rights Based Approach, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems’ Approach and the Systems Approach. The target population consisted of children and parents with experience of the child protection system, as well as key experts and development partners. Non probability purposive sampling methods were used, and the primary data gathering tools were semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The researcher generated categories and sub-categories related to the central research objectives and the semi-structured interview guide. Furthermore, the researcher linked units of information to a participant and adhered to a specific set of ethical standards. This study revealed significant strengths in Namibia’s Child Protection System, such as the existence of a robust legislative framework, sound partnerships and the existence of specialised police units, shelters, child friendly courts and child witness support services. This study found that Namibia’s child protection system was still responsive to issue specific programming; prevention was not a priority and the programme did not involve the meaningful participation of children. The majority of participants interviewed were concerned that Woman and Child Protection Units only existed in regional towns and that children from villages and smaller towns still had to travel vast distances to access services. The same applied to the child witness support programme, child-friendly courts and shelters that only existed in certain regions, resulting in the majority of children having no or minimum access to protection services. Conclusions focus around the pressing need for an integrated, comprehensive child protection system with adequate capacity and resources to prevent and respond to violence against children in a coordinated manner. The overall impression drawn from the results is that the informal system does not form part of the current child protection system. Significant limitations in the system do not allow effective services to children. The results of this study enabled the researcher to develop recommendations and a proposed action plan to inform and guide key ministries with the aim of developing an Integrated Child Protection System in Namibia. The results can mobilise political will, initiate programmatic action and can guide the provision of quality services as part of the national child protection system. The results can also assist the government in promulgating critical outstanding legislation to improve the protection of Namibian children.Item Antecedents and outcomes of work-related psychological well-being of staff members of the University of Namibia(2013) Marques, Lilita A.The aim of this study was to investigate the antecedents of work-related psychological well-being and the individual and organisational outcomes thereof for staff members of the University of Namibia. Psychological well-being was conceptualized as an interrelated process between antecedent variables, psychological conditions, burnout, and work engagement. Institutions of Higher Education across the world have experience tremendous changes during the past few decades. Academics have been envied for their tenure, light workloads, flexibility and perks, such as overseas trips for study and conference purposes, and the freedom to pursue their own research interests. However, during the past two decades many of these advantages have been eroded and higher education institutions no longer provide the low stress working environment that it once did, thereby threatening the psychological well-being of staff members of these institutions. The potential costs of poor psychological well-being to organisations include low morale, low quality of services and products, and high absenteeism and turnover rates. A structured questionnaire comprising scales from various measuring instruments (Antecedents Scale, Psychological Conditions Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire) was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Research participants included all the employees (n = 306) of the University of Namibia. Making use of SPSS 20.0, the researcher carried out the following statistical analyses: descriptive analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and indirect effects. Results from the quantitative analyses showed that emotional and physical engagement was significantly predicted by work-role fit (β = .30, p < 0.01), co-worker relations (β = .20, p < 0.01) and psychological meaning (β = .39, p < 0.01). Organisational commitment was significantly predicted by psychological meaningfulness (β = .50, p < 0.01) and emotional and physical engagement (β = .50, p < 0.01). The study further confirmed that work role fit (r = -.31, p < 0.01), psychological meaningfulness (r = -.40, p <0.01), emotional and physical engagement (r = -.41, p < 0.01), and organisational commitment (r = -.37, p < 0.01 are negatively related to turnover intention. The results further demonstrated the significant effect of qualifications (p < 0.01; η2 =0.08) on cognitive engagement. Content analysis of the qualitative data indicated that employment resources played a significant role in work engagement and turnover intention, both as contributing and restraining factors. Work overload and management style were identified as significant restraining factors which detracted from emotional and physical engagement. This study provides important knowledge pertaining to the antecedents and outcomes of engagement and turnover intentions which can be used to develop future intervention strategies to prevent burnout, detachment and withdrawal behaviour of staff members of the University of Namibia.Item Well-being of educators in selected secondary schools in Namibia(2013) Janik, ManfredThis study focussed on job and personal factors that educators (N = 502) in Namibian secondary schools need for increased work engagement, positive work outcomes and decreased intention to resign. A quantitative approach with a field survey design has been used with a non-random convenience sample of educators. Measurement instruments used were: Antecedents Scale, Work-role Fit Scale, Psychological Conditions Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale, the Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Scale and a biographical questionnaire. Measurement models were tested using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. Descriptive statistics, internal consistencies of measures and correlations were analysed (using SPSS 19.0). Multivariate analyses of variance and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test direct and indirect effects of independent variables on mediators and dependent variables. The findings indicated that work-role fit and job enrichment, via psychological meaningfulness, had the strongest effects on the work engagement of educators. Work-role fit, job enrichment and resources affected emotional engagement. Commitment was affected by work-role fit, job enrichment, co-worker relations, supervisor support, sense of coherence, psychological meaningfulness and autonomy. Educator turnover increased with poor work-role fit, lack of personal resources, a weak sense of coherence and lack of psychological meaningfulness. Male (compared with female) educators experienced higher levels of depression. Female (compared with male) educators struggled with somatic complaints, social dysfunction and anxiety. Principals and Heads of Departments showed the highest organizational citizenship. Concerning age groups, educators older than 55 years showed highest work-role fit, where-as educators under the age of 35 indicated lowest work-role fit. Poor co-worker relations, low psychological safety, a weak sense of coherence and a lack of personal resources contributed to somatic symptoms. Poor co-worker relations, low job enrichment, lack of resources, weak sense of coherence, feeling unsafe and not feeling psychologically available impacted anxiety/insomnia. Poor work role fit, poor job enrichment, poor co-worker relations, low supervisor support, lack of resources, weak sense of coherence, low psychological availability and low autonomy increased social dysfunction. Low personal resources, a weak sense of coherence and a lack of psychological safety contributed significantly to depression. Indirect effects indicated that psychological safety (feeling rejected) transferred the effects of poor work-role fit, co-worker relations, cognitive resources and sense of coherence to somatic symptoms. Psychological safety (not feeling appreciated) transferred the effects of poor co-worker relations and a lack of physical/emotional resources to somatic symptoms. Psychological availability influenced the relationship between work-role fit, job enrichment and cognitive resources on the one hand and anxiety on the other hand. Psychological safety (feeling of rejection) influenced the relationship between work-role fit, co-worker relations, cognitive resources and sense of coherence on the one hand and anxiety on the other hand. Psychological availability influenced the relationship between work-role fit, job enrichment and cognitive resources on the one hand and social dysfunction on the other hand. Psychological availability also influenced the relationship between job enrichment and supervisor trust on the one hand and social dysfunction on the other hand. Psychological safety (feeling rejected) influenced the relationship between work-role fit, co-worker relations, cognitive resources and sense of coherence on the one hand and depression on the other hand.Item Child suggestibility in the Namibian legal justice system(2013) Mudzanapabwe, Joab T.This study explored whether Namibian legal and allied criminal justice professionals involved in child sexual abuse investigations were cognizant of child suggestibility and whether the concept child suggestibility was duly weighted during investigations and court proceedings. The legal practitioners were defined as prosecutors, magistrates and private defense lawyers. It was hypothesized that the Namibian legal and allied criminal justice professionals involved in child sexual abuse investigations were significantly uninformed about child suggestibility and that the concept child suggestibility was not duly weighted during investigations and court proceedings. The study followed a mixed method approach of both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative approach was done through constructing a semi-structured questionnaire, which assessed the legal and allied criminal justice professionals‟ knowledge/sensitivity levels of suggestibility. The qualitative part of the study reviewed five forensic interviews (cases), and the assessment of six police dockets with two different scoring checklists. The semi-structured questionnaire was administered to fifty eight (N=58) legal and allied criminal justice professionals composed of three social workers, ten police officers, 16 prosecutors, 10 magistrates and 19 defence lawyers. The questionnaire was comprised of 36 items with sub-themes assessing suggestibility, such as source monitoring, theory of mind, and leading questions. The questionnaire was mainly scored as either “sensitive”, “non sensitive”, or “uncertain” to suggestibility. The checklist for assessing suggestibility in dockets was comprised of 81 items with a response format of “sensitive”, “non sensitive” and “unclear”. The checklist for assessing suggestibility in case reviews comprised of items that the researcher endorsed whenever a given suggestive questioning style occurred and when the child “yielded” and “shifted” to suggestive questioning. It transpired that on average the legal and allied criminal justice practitioners had limited knowledge or sensitivity to suggestibility. On a number of themes such as theory of mind, conative effect, and source monitoring, the participants showed less than 50% level of sensitivity. Significant inter-group differences pertaining to sensitivity to child suggestibility were also found. The checklist for assessing the dockets showed well below 50% sensitivity to suggestibility. The checklist for assessing suggestibility for case reviews showed that the forensic interviews were filled with suggestive questions and in more than three court cases the children “yielded” and “shifted” more than once. The study hence supported the hypothesis that legal and allied criminal justice practitioners were significantly uninformed about child suggestibility and that the concept child suggestibility was not duly weighted during investigations and court proceedings.Item The quest for a benchmark model of educational standards in Namibian Vocational Training Centres (NVTCs)(2014) Hategekimana, Kwiriha E.The purpose of this study is to investigate the quality of educational standards in Namibian Vocational Education and Training (NVET) with the purpose to provide a benchmark model aimed at improving the educational standards in Namibian Vocational Training Centres (NVTCs). The study addresses the issue of poor educational standards in NVTCs based on complaints from the society, the media and politicians that the NVET is unable to meet the job market requirements. The triangulation methodology was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Open-ended research questions and semi-structured interviews were constructed, tested in a pilot study conducted at the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre and administered to respondents in selected VTCs and stakeholder institutions in Namibia. A total population of 11 351 people comprising NVTCs, stakeholder enterprises and Vocational Education and Training (VET) activities managers at the Ministry of Education were identified. A sample of 600 respondents was obtained through the stratified random sampling method. Five categories of respondents were identified, namely NVTC trainees, instructors, graduates, Ministry of Education (MoE) stakeholders and employers of NVTC graduates. The study focused on respondents from the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) at Arandis, the Community Skills Development Centre (COSDEC) at Gobabis, COSDEC Swakopmund, the National Youth Service (NYS) at Grootfontein, NAMWATER Okahandja, Okakarara Vocational Training Centre, Development Aid From People to People (DAPP) in Windhoek, EHAFO in Windhoek, Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (KAYEC) in Windhoek and the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre. Areas of concern in NVET included causes of perceived poor educational standards, curriculum design features, curriculum implementation and comparison of CBET features with features of international VET models (Germany and Tanzania). Chi-square tests were used for data analyses and inferences from these analyses. Weaknesses in features of the CBET system were identified as poor training facilities, skills levels of instructors, VET managers and relations with the weak Namibian industry. Findings were that training facilities were in a deplorable state; communication between trainees and management was deficient, instructors lacked teaching skills, trainees lacked study skills and the CBET curriculum was short of science and technical subjects. The transition between training and the job market was poorly managed and all NVET stakeholders did not understand the CBET system in the same way. The study recommends the training of VET management and instructors, improvement of communication channels with stakeholders and the alignment of NVTC curricula with job market requirements. The job market compliance and self-reliance benchmark model (JMCSR) emerged as the result of improvements to features of the CBET system based on the German dual VET model and the Tanzanian self-reliance model. The study justifies the curricular paradigm shift from knowledge-based to production-based education for self-reliance as required by the Namibian Vision 2030. The JMCSR benefits graduates to conform to the job market requirements, curbs unemployment and boosts national industrialisation, thus responding to the public outcry on poor educational standards in NVTCs. Further studies could focus on addressing specific entry requirements for NVTCs for each trade.Item The perceptions of grade 10 English second language teachers about the effects of code switching in their classrooms in the Caprivi education Region(2014) Simasiku, LiswaniThis study was an investigation of the perceptions of Grade 10 English Second Language teachers about the effects of Code Switching in their classrooms in the Caprivi Education Region of Namibia. A purposeful sample of twelve ESL teachers from twelve schools, four teachers from urban, four teachers from semi-urban and four teachers from rural schools were used. An observation checklist and a questionnaire were used to collect data from the respondents. Both instruments were piloted before being administered. Some of the findings that emerged from this study were that the respondents showed a lack of knowledge about theories relating to language teaching and learning. In addition, the non-availability of guiding framework or policies on the use of Code Switching in schools created uncertainty among teachers. Generally Code Switching was seen by the respondents as having good effects on learning and teaching in all subjects. It was also indicated that the Language Policy did not empower teachers to use language as the situation dictated, but rather the Language Policy dictated to teachers to subscribe to its directives. This could be one of the reasons why teachers used English in the presence of a ministerial official but as soon as s/he left the classroom they reverted to using mother tongue. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that teachers should be exposed to eclectic approaches of teaching. They should have a range of approaches from which to choose depending on the situation in which they find themselves. This would broaden teachers’ scope unlike the current situation where they are only exposed to one teaching technique. It is further recommended that the Namibian Language Policy be revised to accommodate the current language situation (that of teaching only in English even when learners do not understand) in the country. Due to the identified shortcomings in the Namibian Language Policy, the matrix-embedded model is proposed as an alternative to the English as the only medium of instruction in classrooms. Language classrooms should become learning environments where learners actively participate and grasp the knowledge that they are taught in a language they are comfortable with.Item Persuasion as a social heuristic: A rhetorical analysis of the making of the constitution of Namibia(2009) Mathe, AudrinThe study focuses on the rhetoric used during the drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia. The thesis will offer a framework for understanding negotiations in terms of distinct and coherent rhetoric. Primary sources for this thesis consist of five volumes of the Hansard of the Standing Committee on Standing Rules and Orders and Internal Arrangements of the Windhoek Constituent Assembly. To understand the rhetoric under which the Namibian Constitution was drafted, the Hansard of the Standing Committee was analysed. By analysing the Hansard, one can begin to formulate a picture of the rhetoric that led to a new Constitution of the Republic of Namibia and begin to understand rhetoric in the Namibian context. In order to make valid assertions, one has to go beyond what was said in the Constituent Assembly and look at what the participants said elsewhere. The thesis is concerned here with their words, not with their thoughts. But there is a recognition that sometimes thoughts matter as much as words. No judgements are made on the merits of their arguments. The study simply intended to examine their rhetoric and how rhetoric impacted on the final outcome of the negotiations. The study revealed that, with very few exceptions, most of the debates of the Windhoek Constituent Assembly were initially built on argument and many of them were solved through practical reasoning. This can be explained in part by the attitude of the members and in part by the constraint of the process. The study also revealed that the informative role of deliberation helped the framers of the Namibian constitution to form a more complete set of preferences than they originally had or even forced them to change positions when they were exposed to the full consequences or incoherence of their original proposals. For another, when political actors needed to justify their proposals, they found that impartial arguments were not available or, if they were, they were too obviously tied to a particular interest to be convincing. vi Persuasion as a Social Heuristic: A Rhetorical Analysis of the making of the Constitution of Namibia The appeal to fear strategy, as a means to enable delegates to better recognise the nature of the problems facing the political community and to begin thinking about potential solutions, was clearly at play at the Windhoek Constituent Assembly. Finally, the proceedings of the Windhoek Constituent Assembly which framed the Constitution show that many of the provisions of that instrument which are seemingly straightforward and artless rest in reality upon compromises, and are often laboured and tortuous. The outcome of constitution-making in Namibia was greatly influenced by the exchange of arguments and counter-arguments among the framers.Item Adolescent sexuality and reproductive behaviour in Namibia(2005) Hailonga, PanduleniItem Gemeenskapsontwikkeling in n stedelike derdewereld konteks(19941100) Grobler, Maria E.; ;