Senior lecturer at Zimbabwe Open University. Have research interests in Ethics and Organisational Leadership, environmental ethics, Applied Ethics, Leadership in African Independent Churches and inter-religious Dialogue
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication the world over. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that the web is the largest library on earth, offering a wealth of useful and accessible resources in a variety of disciplines and fields. The web has revolutionalised how information is accessed, making knowledge available to millions of people who would normally not have such access due to lack of libraries and the costliness of textbooks and reference materials. Budget cuts in library expenditure in many colleges and universities have deprived students of badly needed educational resources. Rather, open educational resources have modified existing pedagogical models and strategies in higher education. Wheeler (2010) argues that the enormity of accessible learning resources will eventually force academics to reinvent the way teaching- learning strategies are conceived in colleges and universities. Bil...
The growing awareness of environmental crisis has led to widespread religious reflection on the h... more The growing awareness of environmental crisis has led to widespread religious reflection on the human relationship with the environment. After perceiving the goodness of the world that he had created, God created humanity in his own image. The perfectly created human being was placed in harmony with the world and was told to subdue it. Human beings were asked to rule and not to destroy the world. This implies that God placed the duty of Stewardship upon humanity. It is the role of humanity to preserve the environment. Genesis 1:27 clearly asserts that God created human beings and this is fundamental to environmental justice which affirms the social and economical right as well as environmental self determination . The basic assumption of this paper is that, environmental justice is the spring board for sustainable development. The researcher of this paper has seen to it that deforestation is devastating the environment, good arable land is eroding, streams are getting polluted or dr...
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication in Zimbabwe. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that Scientists, scholars and academicians need to publish their findings and have them disseminated as widely as possible so that mankind can benefit from their research efforts. It is a paradigm that aims at enhancing knowledge and information sharing at unprecedented levels. As economic hardships continue to pierce into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning has rocked the hearts of many and this has created a fertile ground for the expansion of open educational resources in teacher education movement. This paper seeks to assess the importance of open educational resources in teacher education focusing on Zimbabwe Open University. Zimbabwe Open University is believed to be the largest university in Zimbabwe. This has been caused by its emphasis in the promotion, sharing and use ...
Issues relating to homosexuality are one of the primary topics of moral debates in Africa. This i... more Issues relating to homosexuality are one of the primary topics of moral debates in Africa. This is necessitated by the different perceptions that Africans have towards homosexuality. Some African societies condemn it while others embrace it with open hands. In Zimbabwe, gays and lesbians have been seen as chaos being unleashed by the profane Western society which is endeavouring to unseat governments and replace them with fiefdoms in the name of human rights. So, the challenges presented by homosexuality in different cultures of the world assume various degrees but in Africa, the phenomenon has raised issues that have proved to be a thorn in the flesh. The view of this paper is that there is moral danger if we base our moral values on the rights-based approach to homosexuality in Zimbabwe. To achieve this, the authors of this article used the qualitative approach which included interviews, published documents and internet sources to glean data. The paper argues that homosexuality is...
Marginalization means being disregarded, ostracized, harassed, disliked, persecuted, or generally... more Marginalization means being disregarded, ostracized, harassed, disliked, persecuted, or generally looked down upon. Marginalized people often include women and children, the poor, the disabled, sexual, religious, or ethnic minorities, refugees. The marginalized are those who are socially, politically, culturally, or economically excluded from main-stream society. In history, the Church in Zimbabwe has played a role in improving the lives of the marginalized, but what is religion, especially Christianity, doing for the marginalized now? Although religion is also implicated in marginalisation, the contributions in this volume did not address this angle as they focused on the role that religion can and should play to fight marginalization. The chapters come from two conferences (2012, 2014) that were held under the flag of ATISCA. The contributions have been updated to include later developments and publications.
Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings.... more Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings. At one time the Shona would view disability with an abusive and denigrating attitude while at other times they would discourage the abuse and ill-treatment of people with disability. The Shona may view people with disabilities with suspicion because it is generally agreed that such mishaps are related to certain actions or non-actions by parents or family members. The punishment and retribution of vadzimu (ancestors) can be manifested in the form of deformities in the children of the offending persons. Disability is also blamed on the works of jealous witches who do not want to see a certain family having able-bodied children. The diversity of Shona people’s attitudes towards people living with disability has been and is exhibited through taboos and folktales. It is in light of this view that this paper is set to reflect on the rich legacy of traditional Shona taboos and folktales and...
Issues relating to homosexuality have ignited endless debates in the fields of religion, theology... more Issues relating to homosexuality have ignited endless debates in the fields of religion, theology, politics and human sexuality. Throughout history, various moralists have condemned homosexuality as immoral and many societies have outlawed it. Philosophers have insisted for centuries that homosexuality is immoral. The bible proclaimed that it is an abomination (Lev 18v22), politicians call homosexuals the festering figure; the courts send them to jail. In our time, some nations have repealed laws discriminating against homosexuals and others have given legal recognition to homosexual relationship basing on human rights. Other communities have denounced homosexuality as unAfrican. In Zimbabwe homosexuality is widely seen as a result of the moral decadence that has gripped society and as originating in promiscuous sexual behaviour. It is in light of this background that this paper has explored the Traditional Karanga people's attitude towards homosexuality. The paper interrogated and examined the stance and the basis of moral position of the Karanga people in relation to homosexuality. The paper managed to find out that the practice is not rooted in Karanga tradition hence it emanated as a new phenomenon from other cultures. Homosexuality though it could have been prevalent among Karanga societies, it was not tolerated Documentary analysis and interviews and focus group discussion were used to glean data for this paper.
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication the world over. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that the web is the largest library on earth, offering a wealth of useful and accessible resources in a variety of disciplines and fields. The web has revolutionalised how information is accessed, making knowledge available to millions of people who would normally not have such access due to lack of libraries and the costliness of textbooks and reference materials. Budget cuts in library expenditure in many colleges and universities have deprived students of badly needed educational resources. Rather, open educational resources have modified existing pedagogical models and strategies in higher education. Wheeler (2010) argues that the enormity of accessible learning resources will eventually force academics to reinvent the way teaching-learning strategies are conceived in colleges and universities. Bill Gates (2010) in a speech at a Technomy conference said " Five years from now, on the web for free, you will be able to find the best lecturers in the world... It will be better than any single university... the best lecturer in the world will not be at hallowed institutions, reserved only for the privileged and elite, but on the web for everyone who wants access to them ". It is in light of this background that this paper seeks to assess the effectiveness of harnessing Open Educational Resources in teacher education programmes. The paper is a qualitative analysis of the effectiveness of the pedagogical methods used by the Zimbabwe Open University in teacher education. The study is informed by the contention that under current economic hardships in Zimbabwe, open and distance learning which fosters the use of open educational resources is becoming the best method in teacher education. Interviews through questioners, documentary analysis, focus group discussion and personal observations are to be used to triangulate data collection for this paper.
Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings.... more Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings. At one time the Shona would view disability with an abusive and denigrating attitude while at other times they would discourage the abuse and ill-treatment of people with disability. The Shona may view people with disabilities with suspicion because it is generally agreed that such mishaps are related to certain actions or non-actions by parents or family members. The punishment and retribution of vadzimu (ancestors) can be manifested in the form of deformities in the children of the offending persons. Disability is also blamed on the works of jealous witches who do not want to see a certain family having able-bodied children. The diversity of Shona people's attitudes towards people living with disability has been and is exhibited through taboos and folktales. It is in light of this view that this paper is set to reflect on the rich legacy of traditional Shona taboos and folktales and see the extent to which they exhibit both negative and positive attitudes of the Shona people towards people with disability. The paper will start by giving the beliefs of the Shona people on the types and causes of disability and then proceed to give Shona taboos and folktales which either accommodate or denigrate people with disability. Document and story analysis methods will be used to glean data for this paper.
ABSRACT Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the m... more ABSRACT Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication in Zimbabwe. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that Scientists, scholars and academicians need to publish their findings and have them disseminated as widely as possible so that mankind can benefit from their research efforts. It is a paradigm that aims at enhancing knowledge and information sharing at unprecedented levels. As economic hardships continue to pierce into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning has rocked the hearts of many and this has created a fertile ground for the expansion of open educational resources in teacher education movement. This paper seeks to assess the importance of open educational resources in teacher education focusing on Zimbabwe Open University. Zimbabwe Open University is believed to be the largest university in Zimbabwe. This has been caused by its emphasis in the promotion, sharing and use of open educational resources (OER). The study is premised on the understanding that it is becoming difficulty for students to get into Conventional Universities given the economic hardship we face in the country today. It is against such an understanding that the paper would want to establish the importance of vindicating open educational resources in teaching and learning in Zimbabwe. The study is also informed by the contention that in Zimbabwe, even the Conventional universities are now also opting for block release programmes so as to give opportunity to students to access education while working. Vital to note is the contention that Block release is a form of learning which call for open educational resources so as to allow a wide access to information. Be that as it may, open educational resources are growing into becoming the best mode of learning in Zimbabwe. The paper is a qualitative analysis of the importance of harnessing open educational resources in teacher education. Interviews, document analysis and personal observations are to be used to triangulate data collection for this paper. Introduction As economic hardships continue to pierce their sting into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning is rocking the hearts of many. Such a move has created a fertile ground for the expansion of Open Educational Resources in teacher education. This paper seeks to assess the importance of harnessing Open Educational Resources (OER) in teacher education with special reference to Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) which is by and large the only university in the country which stresses the use of OER in teacher education. The paper will start by giving the background of the study and then move on to the definition of OER. After this the paper will proceed to give a brief history of OER and thereafter look at how Zimbabwe Open University is using OER and the importance that is fostered by OER in teacher education in Zimbabwe. The paper will end by giving recommendations on the use of OER.
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication the world over. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that the web is the largest library on earth, offering a wealth of useful and accessible resources in a variety of disciplines and fields. The web has revolutionalised how information is accessed, making knowledge available to millions of people who would normally not have such access due to lack of libraries and the costliness of textbooks and reference materials. Budget cuts in library expenditure in many colleges and universities have deprived students of badly needed educational resources. Rather, open educational resources have modified existing pedagogical models and strategies in higher education. Wheeler (2010) argues that the enormity of accessible learning resources will eventually force academics to reinvent the way teaching- learning strategies are conceived in colleges and universities. Bil...
The growing awareness of environmental crisis has led to widespread religious reflection on the h... more The growing awareness of environmental crisis has led to widespread religious reflection on the human relationship with the environment. After perceiving the goodness of the world that he had created, God created humanity in his own image. The perfectly created human being was placed in harmony with the world and was told to subdue it. Human beings were asked to rule and not to destroy the world. This implies that God placed the duty of Stewardship upon humanity. It is the role of humanity to preserve the environment. Genesis 1:27 clearly asserts that God created human beings and this is fundamental to environmental justice which affirms the social and economical right as well as environmental self determination . The basic assumption of this paper is that, environmental justice is the spring board for sustainable development. The researcher of this paper has seen to it that deforestation is devastating the environment, good arable land is eroding, streams are getting polluted or dr...
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication in Zimbabwe. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that Scientists, scholars and academicians need to publish their findings and have them disseminated as widely as possible so that mankind can benefit from their research efforts. It is a paradigm that aims at enhancing knowledge and information sharing at unprecedented levels. As economic hardships continue to pierce into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning has rocked the hearts of many and this has created a fertile ground for the expansion of open educational resources in teacher education movement. This paper seeks to assess the importance of open educational resources in teacher education focusing on Zimbabwe Open University. Zimbabwe Open University is believed to be the largest university in Zimbabwe. This has been caused by its emphasis in the promotion, sharing and use ...
Issues relating to homosexuality are one of the primary topics of moral debates in Africa. This i... more Issues relating to homosexuality are one of the primary topics of moral debates in Africa. This is necessitated by the different perceptions that Africans have towards homosexuality. Some African societies condemn it while others embrace it with open hands. In Zimbabwe, gays and lesbians have been seen as chaos being unleashed by the profane Western society which is endeavouring to unseat governments and replace them with fiefdoms in the name of human rights. So, the challenges presented by homosexuality in different cultures of the world assume various degrees but in Africa, the phenomenon has raised issues that have proved to be a thorn in the flesh. The view of this paper is that there is moral danger if we base our moral values on the rights-based approach to homosexuality in Zimbabwe. To achieve this, the authors of this article used the qualitative approach which included interviews, published documents and internet sources to glean data. The paper argues that homosexuality is...
Marginalization means being disregarded, ostracized, harassed, disliked, persecuted, or generally... more Marginalization means being disregarded, ostracized, harassed, disliked, persecuted, or generally looked down upon. Marginalized people often include women and children, the poor, the disabled, sexual, religious, or ethnic minorities, refugees. The marginalized are those who are socially, politically, culturally, or economically excluded from main-stream society. In history, the Church in Zimbabwe has played a role in improving the lives of the marginalized, but what is religion, especially Christianity, doing for the marginalized now? Although religion is also implicated in marginalisation, the contributions in this volume did not address this angle as they focused on the role that religion can and should play to fight marginalization. The chapters come from two conferences (2012, 2014) that were held under the flag of ATISCA. The contributions have been updated to include later developments and publications.
Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings.... more Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings. At one time the Shona would view disability with an abusive and denigrating attitude while at other times they would discourage the abuse and ill-treatment of people with disability. The Shona may view people with disabilities with suspicion because it is generally agreed that such mishaps are related to certain actions or non-actions by parents or family members. The punishment and retribution of vadzimu (ancestors) can be manifested in the form of deformities in the children of the offending persons. Disability is also blamed on the works of jealous witches who do not want to see a certain family having able-bodied children. The diversity of Shona people’s attitudes towards people living with disability has been and is exhibited through taboos and folktales. It is in light of this view that this paper is set to reflect on the rich legacy of traditional Shona taboos and folktales and...
Issues relating to homosexuality have ignited endless debates in the fields of religion, theology... more Issues relating to homosexuality have ignited endless debates in the fields of religion, theology, politics and human sexuality. Throughout history, various moralists have condemned homosexuality as immoral and many societies have outlawed it. Philosophers have insisted for centuries that homosexuality is immoral. The bible proclaimed that it is an abomination (Lev 18v22), politicians call homosexuals the festering figure; the courts send them to jail. In our time, some nations have repealed laws discriminating against homosexuals and others have given legal recognition to homosexual relationship basing on human rights. Other communities have denounced homosexuality as unAfrican. In Zimbabwe homosexuality is widely seen as a result of the moral decadence that has gripped society and as originating in promiscuous sexual behaviour. It is in light of this background that this paper has explored the Traditional Karanga people's attitude towards homosexuality. The paper interrogated and examined the stance and the basis of moral position of the Karanga people in relation to homosexuality. The paper managed to find out that the practice is not rooted in Karanga tradition hence it emanated as a new phenomenon from other cultures. Homosexuality though it could have been prevalent among Karanga societies, it was not tolerated Documentary analysis and interviews and focus group discussion were used to glean data for this paper.
Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of s... more Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication the world over. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that the web is the largest library on earth, offering a wealth of useful and accessible resources in a variety of disciplines and fields. The web has revolutionalised how information is accessed, making knowledge available to millions of people who would normally not have such access due to lack of libraries and the costliness of textbooks and reference materials. Budget cuts in library expenditure in many colleges and universities have deprived students of badly needed educational resources. Rather, open educational resources have modified existing pedagogical models and strategies in higher education. Wheeler (2010) argues that the enormity of accessible learning resources will eventually force academics to reinvent the way teaching-learning strategies are conceived in colleges and universities. Bill Gates (2010) in a speech at a Technomy conference said " Five years from now, on the web for free, you will be able to find the best lecturers in the world... It will be better than any single university... the best lecturer in the world will not be at hallowed institutions, reserved only for the privileged and elite, but on the web for everyone who wants access to them ". It is in light of this background that this paper seeks to assess the effectiveness of harnessing Open Educational Resources in teacher education programmes. The paper is a qualitative analysis of the effectiveness of the pedagogical methods used by the Zimbabwe Open University in teacher education. The study is informed by the contention that under current economic hardships in Zimbabwe, open and distance learning which fosters the use of open educational resources is becoming the best method in teacher education. Interviews through questioners, documentary analysis, focus group discussion and personal observations are to be used to triangulate data collection for this paper.
Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings.... more Disability among the traditional Shona societies was perceived with mixed attitudes and feelings. At one time the Shona would view disability with an abusive and denigrating attitude while at other times they would discourage the abuse and ill-treatment of people with disability. The Shona may view people with disabilities with suspicion because it is generally agreed that such mishaps are related to certain actions or non-actions by parents or family members. The punishment and retribution of vadzimu (ancestors) can be manifested in the form of deformities in the children of the offending persons. Disability is also blamed on the works of jealous witches who do not want to see a certain family having able-bodied children. The diversity of Shona people's attitudes towards people living with disability has been and is exhibited through taboos and folktales. It is in light of this view that this paper is set to reflect on the rich legacy of traditional Shona taboos and folktales and see the extent to which they exhibit both negative and positive attitudes of the Shona people towards people with disability. The paper will start by giving the beliefs of the Shona people on the types and causes of disability and then proceed to give Shona taboos and folktales which either accommodate or denigrate people with disability. Document and story analysis methods will be used to glean data for this paper.
ABSRACT Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the m... more ABSRACT Open educational resources are a new paradigm that is hugely impacting and changing the mode of scholarly communication in Zimbabwe. The paradigm is based on the notion and belief that Scientists, scholars and academicians need to publish their findings and have them disseminated as widely as possible so that mankind can benefit from their research efforts. It is a paradigm that aims at enhancing knowledge and information sharing at unprecedented levels. As economic hardships continue to pierce into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning has rocked the hearts of many and this has created a fertile ground for the expansion of open educational resources in teacher education movement. This paper seeks to assess the importance of open educational resources in teacher education focusing on Zimbabwe Open University. Zimbabwe Open University is believed to be the largest university in Zimbabwe. This has been caused by its emphasis in the promotion, sharing and use of open educational resources (OER). The study is premised on the understanding that it is becoming difficulty for students to get into Conventional Universities given the economic hardship we face in the country today. It is against such an understanding that the paper would want to establish the importance of vindicating open educational resources in teaching and learning in Zimbabwe. The study is also informed by the contention that in Zimbabwe, even the Conventional universities are now also opting for block release programmes so as to give opportunity to students to access education while working. Vital to note is the contention that Block release is a form of learning which call for open educational resources so as to allow a wide access to information. Be that as it may, open educational resources are growing into becoming the best mode of learning in Zimbabwe. The paper is a qualitative analysis of the importance of harnessing open educational resources in teacher education. Interviews, document analysis and personal observations are to be used to triangulate data collection for this paper. Introduction As economic hardships continue to pierce their sting into every sector of life in Africa, the need to learn while earning is rocking the hearts of many. Such a move has created a fertile ground for the expansion of Open Educational Resources in teacher education. This paper seeks to assess the importance of harnessing Open Educational Resources (OER) in teacher education with special reference to Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) which is by and large the only university in the country which stresses the use of OER in teacher education. The paper will start by giving the background of the study and then move on to the definition of OER. After this the paper will proceed to give a brief history of OER and thereafter look at how Zimbabwe Open University is using OER and the importance that is fostered by OER in teacher education in Zimbabwe. The paper will end by giving recommendations on the use of OER.
The call of the Millennium Development Goal number three to promote gender equality and empower w... more The call of the Millennium Development Goal number three to promote gender equality and empower women has robbed the mindset of many social, political and religious organizations in different parts of the world and Zimbabwe is not exceptional. The Zimbabwean government adopted MDGs; they considered MDG number three to be the most critical since the country was legging in issues of gender equality in various sectors. Thus MDG three had two targets to be achieved by 2015. Target one is to: “Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015.” Target 2 is to: “Increase the participation of women in decision making in all sectors and at all levels (to 40% for women in senior civil service positions and to 30% for parliament) by 2005 and to a 50:50 balance by 2015.” As a result of these targets, in Zimbabwe we see women in education, politics, health, mass media and other sectors lifted to positions of authority disregarding their gender. However, the authors of this paper discovered that in African Initiated Churches (AICs) in Zimbabwe, gender equality has not yet reached its peak of recognition. In these churches women are still marginalized, oppressed and sometimes abused in the name of religion and culture. This is so because some governing and teaching roles within AICs are restricted to men. In the Zionist Churches, for example, placing women on leadership somehow weakens biblical authority. Thus biblical passages like 1st Timothy 2 and 1st Corinthians 14:13-14 that seem to circumscribe the legitimacy of women in leadership in the church are quoted in series of sermons by preachers and exhorters. The authors of this paper are of the view that this lowered view of the biblical authority used by AICs in excluding women from leadership would be very lame. It is against this background that this paper explored the position of women in AICs. It focuses on issues of gender and leadership in the African Initiated Churches in Zimbabwe. A case study of the Zionist and Apostolic Churches in Chivi District of Masvingo province was used. Interviews, documentary analysis and personal observations were used to collect data.
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BIRI, Kudzai (PhD)
BISHAU, David (PhD)
CHIKAFU, Philemon Tichafara (PhD) (late)
CHIMERI, Dudzai (PhD)
CHIMININGE, Vengesai (PhD)
CHITANDO, Ezra (PhD)
GWARA, Joyline (PhD)
HUMBE, Bernard Pindukai (MA)
KONYANA, Elias G. (PhD)
KONYANA, Shoorai (MEd)
MACHINGURA, Francis (PhD)
MADZOKERE, Nyasha (MA)
MAKAMURE, Clemence (PhD)
MAPOSA, Richard (PhD) (late)
MUSASIWA, Roy (PhD)
MWANDAYI, Canisius (PhD)
MUYAMBO, Tenson (PhD)
NDLOVU, Lovemore (PhD)
SIPEYIYE, Macloud (PhD)
TOGARASEI, Lovemore (PhD)
ZIMUNYA, Clive Tendai (PhD)