JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

LAND REFORM POLICY FORMULATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

2024-11-04T18:04:38+00:00

Intense ideological and political standoffs persist over land and agrarian reform in former settler countries where land access, ownership, and utilisation wield enormous socio-economic and political implications. Focusing on South Africa (SA) and Zimbabwe, this article contributes to the ongoing debate on land reform. Drawing on qualitative secondary literature review and abstraction, this article identifies land reform policy evolution in SA and Zimbabwe and explores the implications of land reform policy on socio-economic and political development. The article shows that since colonial times, asymmetrical land access, ownership, utilisation, and widespread land expropriation by settlers have been the major source of political instability, landlessness, rural poverty, high population densities, and poor land management in SA and Zimbabwe. The article argues for the need for theoretically and conceptually mature land reform debates located within the broad framework of trajectories of transformation, not only economic but also structural.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN THE ABSENCE OF A SOCIAL COMPACT, SOCIETAL POLARIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

2024-11-04T18:11:37+00:00

South Africa, a nation marked by profound disparities, is deeply entrenched in the painful historical legacies of its past. The discourse on socio-economic transformation has been ongoing since the African National Congress (ANC) came into power in 1994, aiming to foster a social compact and reconcile the polarized society. Despite these efforts, black communities continue to face discrimination in service delivery. Daily reports of protests in impoverished, predominantly black communities emphasize the absence of a social compact in South Africa. This paper, primarily conceptual in nature and relying on secondary data, seeks to explore the nexus between the absence of a social compact, societal polarization, and its impact on service delivery in South African local government. It contends that addressing issues of poor service delivery, public protests and anti-government sentiment must start with acknowledging the absence of a social compact. This recognition should serve as the foundation for pursuing new paradigms for effective development and good governance practices at the local government level. The findings of this study suggest that the absence of a social compact is not only a result of human actions but also reflects structural issues. This absence exacerbates societal divisions, erodes trust in governance structures and hampers collaborative efforts crucial for effective service provision. Furthermore, societal polarization compounds challenges related to resource allocation and perpetuates disparities in service access, particularly impacting marginalized communities. In conclusion, the paper proposes policy recommendations aimed at fostering social cohesion, addressing structural inequalities, and promoting inclusive governance practices.

MODELS FOR REAL-TIME TRAFFIC FLOW MANAGEABILITY AND DECISION-MAKING IN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

2024-11-04T18:25:49+00:00

This article explores models in Intelligent Transportation Systems for real-time traffic flow manageability, focusing on decision-making processes. It covers forecasting, planning, implementing, and controlling strategies to manage traffic flow and ease congestion. Traffic flow prediction models, like dynamic route guidance and traffic flow prediction, utilize historical data and real-time inputs for proactive decision-making. Traffic flow planning models, such as dynamic route guidance index and route efficiency factor, aid in route selection and signal timing optimization. In order to streamline the boundless complexity, the authors assume that it is effective to delineate the managerial capacity paradigm of intelligent transportation systems into the two separate scenarios of “stable and known situation” and “unstable and with large uncertainty situation”. The article proposes a hypothesis to improve the decision-making process in traffic flow. The distinction between these two situations is essential for the smooth running of the business and requires a thorough understanding of the traffic flow in real time, making decisions in intelligent transport systems in order to direct the traffic. The article focuses on data-driven decisions for smoother traffic flow.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA THROUGH INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE LAND RESOURCE USE IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

2024-11-04T18:30:57+00:00

The evaluation of the agricultural land in the Republic of Moldova represents the main factor in the sustainable rural space development and it emphasizes economic criteria for the efficiency of land resources. The hedonic price in the sales-purchase transactions of parcels in agricultural land may be the scientific innovation and originality of the geographically weighted regression methodology with the spatial approach in the used econometric model. The price of agricultural land used parcels in Maiovca village, Ocnița district were evaluated by using the data from transactions registered in 2022 and the results of the geographically weighted regression stands up the suitable conclusions of the licensed assessors in the field. The autocorrelation coefficient value evaluated by SAR is ρ = 0.072 according to Cobb Douglas model confirms the high quality of the regression techniques carried out and the used spatial methodology can be implemented in cadastral practice for the taxation in the agrarian sector. The geographically weighted regression utility proposed in this methodology has advantage in research area because of the similar evaluation techniques carried out in the countries of the European Union that are adjacent to the Republic of Moldova.

ANALYSIS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE COSTS OF TABLE GRAPE PLANTATIONS ACCORDING TO THE PERGOLA SUPPORT SYSTEM

2024-11-04T18:33:38+00:00

Evaluating the costs of establishment and maintenance of table grape plantations, grown through the Pergola management system, is a significant opportunity for winegrowers in the Republic of Moldova. This system, relatively new in the country, remains unadopted for many of the table grape producers. The present research highlights the methodological and technical aspects related to the costs associated with the cultivation of table grapes through the Pergola management system, which must be adapted to the specific climatic conditions of Moldova and to the current market requirements. The main objective of the research is to analyze the structure of costs that influence the yield of plantations in the long term, including the initial establishment expenses and the subsequent maintenance expenses. The author points out that although the maintenance costs of Pergola table grape plantations are high, the growing demand for quality grapes adds significant economic value to this vineyard management system. The research details the composition of the establishment and maintenance costs of table grape plantations, namely fertilization costs, irrigation costs, mechanized service costs. Concrete examples show what the structure of these costs is, thus demonstrating the importance of a correct assessment of costs in the process of establishing and maintaining table grape plantations.

AN OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE NAMIBIAN FINANCIAL SYSTEM FOCUSING ON THE BANKING SECTOR

2024-11-04T18:37:27+00:00

This article examines the evolution of Namibia’s financial system post-independence in 1990. The structure and composition of the financial system is discussed along its contributions to employment creation and economic growth. The ownership structure of the banking sector and its overall performance is also outlined. The finding reveals that there has been a significant increase in the influence of non-bank financial intermediaries, meanwhile the dominance of the financial sector continues to shrink with mounting credit risk pressures. The financial sector’s contribution to employment creation has been quite minimum and is likely to continue in the foreseeable future as developments in the artificial intelligence world accelerate. The practical policy interventions emanating from this assessment necessitate a serious consideration.

THE SUSTAINABILITY OF E-LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2024-11-04T18:42:31+00:00

The present study examines the sustainability of e-learning strategies integrated into higher education, with a particular focus on computer science disciplines. As part of a pedagogical experiment conducted at the Technical University of Moldova (TUM), 259 students were evaluated post-experimentally to analyze the effectiveness and long-term impact of these strategies on academic performance and the development of professional skills. The results demonstrated that the implementation of the e-learning-centered pedagogical model led to significant improvements in students' cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement, thus confirming the sustainability and relevance of these instructional methods. The contribution of this study lies in highlighting the academic and scientific value of effectively integrating e-learning strategies into the university educational process, as well as in formulating well-founded recommendations for optimizing e-learning strategies to meet the current demands of higher education.

THE IMPACT OF APPRENTICESHIP ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION GRADUATES

2024-11-04T18:46:58+00:00

Over time, it has been proven that the most effective way to train specialists, especially for the 3-5 qualification level, is by involving the trainees in practical activities carried out within economic entities, giving them the opportunity to learn in real working conditions . In this article, we aim to address the apprenticeship and their impact on the students graduating from vocational technical education from the perspective of their employment after graduation. The research methods used were quantitative (1286 respondents) involving final year students from 13 educational institutions (5 - centers of excellence, 1 - college, 7 - vocational schools). The questioning of the respondents focused on the students' appreciation of the quality and relevance of internships within the economic entities, as well as topics aimed at their opportunity to engage in the labor field. Given the subject under investigation, we believe that the results included in this article will be of great interest to representatives of educational institutions, economic entities, as well as researchers in the field.

AFROCENTRIC PEDAGOGY APPROACH IN THE CURRICULUM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM RENEWAL IN AFRICA: A CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA

2024-11-04T18:54:29+00:00

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize in greater detail the educational system approach that is being imposed into African countries, South Africa as a case in point. Over the past years, Sub-Saharan countries have and still experience indoctrinated educational system in which the content is mimicked from purported hegemonic states such UK, USA and other western counties inter alia. The problem of education retrogrades from the prior independence of African countries in the early 1960s wherein, the colonial masters organized and silently played a crucial role in shaping the formation of education in Africa; and not much has changed in terms of education since then. A particular concern is that the system of education might have designed to impoverish African people and perpetuate dependency to the western nations. Hence, at the core center of the educational system is the curriculum which seem to be inevitable and requires an alteration, particularly in South Africa. Therefore, the outlook of this paper is to critique and interrogate the system of education in South Africa looking at the socio-economic development and a continuous alteration in respect of the curriculum. The paper shows that for the realization of African renaissance, ideals of Africa Agenda 2063 and accelerated development, the system of education must be transformed and be Africanized to benefit the people of Africa. The paper uses literature-based approach as a methodological framework in order to analyze the status quo of education in South Africa. The paper concludes and recommends that the transformation of current educational system requires an alteration to the inclusive of indigenous knowledge to vigorously respond to socio-economic woes in Africa. Furthermore, the paper advocates for indigenous knowledge consideration in the incessant curriculum renewal.

MOBILE APPLICATIONS - IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL SOURCE FOR STUDYING CHEMISTRY

2024-11-04T19:03:10+00:00

The article proposes a brief description of some mobile applications useful both for people who are starting to study chemistry, but also for students. The purpose of the publication is to direct the attention of teaching staff towards this type of tools that can be useful and diversify the student's contact with the discipline of chemistry. There were analyzed 13 mobile applications oriented for different levels of studying chemistry. The opinions expressed by users are mostly positive and express a high degree of satisfaction.

AN APPRAISAL OF THE CAPACITY OF NATIONAL COUNTER TERRORISM STRATEGY TO PREVENT AND COMBAT TERRORISM IN NIGERIA

2024-11-04T19:07:08+00:00

The standing policy adopted by Nigerian states to fight against terrorism is known as the National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST). This tactic has five pillars, namely: to forestall, to secure, to identify, to prepare, and to implement. Most of the literature engages on reasons for the emergency of terrorism, the effect of terrorism, or the strategy adopted by the terrorist to perpetrate their heinous activities. However, little attempt has been made to evaluate the efficacy of Nigeria's strategy against terrorism, especially NACTEST. Based on this backdrop, this paper is an attempt to examine the performance of Nigeria in identifying terrorist plans and its preparations to thwart them. These are two major and critical pillars of the NACTEST document (to identify and prepare). The paper adopts secondary methods of data gathering and content analysis for analyzing both primary and secondary data as a source of information gathering and content analysis methods for analyzing the generated data. The paper also adopted protracted social conflict theory to analyze the reasons for terrorism and the methods adopted by the Nigerian government to address those motivating factors. It was discovered that the Nigerian government has been able to prevent attacks by terrorists by identifying some sources of terrorist funding in Nigeria. However, it was discovered that, as far as the capacity of the government is concerned, security agencies still lack the necessary capacity to efficiently explore and detect terrorist attacks before they occur. The paper recommends more engagement of civilians and community stakeholders in fighting against terrorism in Nigeria.

THE PERSPECTIVES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN THE SOCIETY

2024-11-04T19:11:26+00:00

The world has never been so open to scientific research and technological development as it is today, nor has human competence evolved so rapidly in directions not previously appreciated. The pace of discoveries is faster, although there are scientific fields in which goals are achieved more slowly and with considerable collective effort. However, we find that the successes achieved in the field of science have had an enormous impact on people's mentality and as a consequence have formed the belief that reflects science as a dominant factor in contemporary society. A philosophical reflection on the process of scientific development reveals that for a long time, the physical sciences have been dominant, and in recent years we are witnessing a fulminating development of biology (genetics), which has not only economic implications but also the ethical implications of a major importance. At the same time, the contemporary society of information and knowledge attests to obvious factors of a unique phenomenon called integrative science. It is projected at the integrative frontier of the astrophysics field that combines the processes of the universe constitution as a quantum system (processes that go beyond the theory of quantum mechanics, but also the theory of super lathes) and the processes of life, mind and consciousness. Integrative science proposes a new understanding of reality, even the one considered today purely structural. We hope that integrative science theories will reflect the reality that includes Consciousness as a fundamental factor of Existence.

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE: STAKEHOLDER'S ENGAGEMENT IN SERVICE DELIVERY PLANNING IN SOUTH AFRICA

2024-11-04T19:16:51+00:00

This article examines stakeholder involvement in service delivery planning within local government, focusing on Polokwane Local Municipality. Local governments' proximity to stakeholders through integrated development planning (IDP) enables a comprehensive understanding of their needs. Municipalities are legally required to ensure active stakeholder participation, reflecting a governance model of "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Drawing on Patsy Healey's (1997) collaborative planning theory, the article uses a mixed methodology, including probability sampling of 80 respondents for questionnaires and purposive sampling of 3 respondents for semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal a significant deficit in service delivery due to inadequate stakeholder engagement, despite satisfactory legislative compliance. Challenges include demonstrations, resource constraints, service backlogs, inadequate monitoring and evaluation, and corruption. Recommendations emphasize prioritizing stakeholder involvement and enhancing institutional capacity to optimize resources, address poverty, and improve service delivery.

UNPACKING THE PLACE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE IN PANDEMIC STUDIES

2024-11-04T19:19:53+00:00

Archaeology offers a 3.5 million-year-long scientific record of human and earlier hominine problem-solving and thus has the potential to research very deep into the past human solutions to pandemics and epidemics. Heritage on the other hand acts as a positive enabler for the complex, multi-vector challenges of today’s world, such as cultural and environmental sustainability, economic inequalities, conflict resolution, social cohesion and the future of cities among others. In this way, the remote past has the capacity to educate the present world on how to cope with pandemic diseases and similar challenges in the contemporary era. Therefore, this essay seeks to open a discourse on the ways in which archaeology and heritage can contribute to the prevention and control of the present COVID-19 pandemic and similar others in the present and future. Therefore, the government and other agencies funding research pertaining to the discovery of the ways through which pandemics can be treated, controlled and prevented, need also to explore the option of archaeology and heritage studies, so as to trace the root causes of pandemic diseases. This will lead to the discovery of traditional means of treating, controlling and preventing pandemic outbreaks. This underscores the argument that almost everything that exists in the present day has some historical antecedence.

SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS USED IN ENHANCING STUDENTS’ PROFICIENCY WHILE TEACHING SPECIALIZED ENGLISH

2024-11-04T19:25:29+00:00

The teaching of specialized English encompasses a multifaceted approach that integrates the four fundamental language competences - writing, speaking, reading, and listening - within the context of specific professional domains. This article synthesizes the most important aspects in teaching specialized English, elucidating the significance of genre-based instruction, authentic materials, task-based learning, and formative assessment in fostering language proficiency and disciplinary literacy. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence, we delineate pedagogical strategies and approaches that empower learners to navigate the complexities of language use within specialized domains with confidence and competence. Knowledge of specialized English is an indispensable tool for people who want to excel in various professional fields, where effective communication is essential for success. That is why teachers should analyze thoroughly the students’ level of English and provide them with necessary information and authentic materials in order to develop their skills and help them become high quality specialists in their domains.

METHODS OF ASSESSING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LESSONS

2024-11-04T19:28:35+00:00

Assessing students' knowledge in English language lessons is a crucial aspect of language education, impacting both teaching effectiveness and student outcomes. This article explores a variety of methods used to evaluate English language proficiency, considering both traditional and modern assessment techniques. Traditional methods such as written and oral exams are examined alongside performance-based assessments like portfolios and project-based learning. Additionally, the article delves into formative assessments, including quizzes and classroom activities, and the growing role of technology-enhanced assessments through computer-based testing and language learning apps. By examining the effectiveness, advantages, and limitations of each method, the article provides valuable insights into how these diverse tools can be integrated into a comprehensive assessment strategy. The ultimate aim is to offer educators a detailed understanding of assessment practices to enhance language teaching and learning outcomes, ensuring that students are accurately and fairly evaluated in their English language proficiency.