Abstract: The study examined strategies adopted by teachers in the implementation of Guidance and Counselling in junior primary schools. This paper is based on my Phd studies and only presents one facet of it. Guidance and Counselling is an area that has recently gained traction in the primary school curriculum, hence, the need to upscale its implementation. An interpretive qualitative case study research design was utilized enabling teachers to share their experiences and thoughts in a naturalistic setting and allows the researcher to capture detailed, nuanced perspectives from teachers in the real-worldcontexts. Twenty participants from four schools were purposively sampled to gather detailed, contextual data and foster a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Semi- structured interviews, observations and document analysis were used to generate data. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The research revealed that teachers were using different strategies in implementing G&C in primary schools. The results of the study further pointed out that staff development workshops were needed to enhance the implementation of G&C properly. The study recommends a culturally relevant model which embraces pedagogies such as adopting the use of cultural counselling villages.

Abstract: This research explores the increasing importance of entrepreneurial mindsets within Tanzanian corporate organizations, focusing on how organizational culture influences innovation and adaptability. In a rapidly evolving global economy, corporations must move beyond traditional business models to foster creativity, agility, and proactive problem-solving. This study investigates the extent to which Tanzanian corporations are integrating entrepreneurial thinking into their operational strategies and cultural frameworks.The research highlights that adopting an entrepreneurial mindset is no longer optional but a strategic necessity for firms aiming to remain competitive. It examines key factors such as leadership styles, risk tolerance, employee empowerment, and openness to change, all of which play pivotal roles in promoting innovation and corporate entrepreneurship. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis including interviews, surveys, and case studies the study identifies both opportunities and challenges faced by Tanzanian companies. Findings reveal that while some corporations are successfully embedding entrepreneurial values, others are constrained by rigid hierarchies, fear of failure, and limited innovation ecosystems. This research contributes to the broader discourse on corporate entrepreneurship in developing economies, providing practical recommendations for Tanzanian firms. It suggests that fostering a supportive organizational culture, promoting continuous learning, and incentivizing innovation are critical for achieving sustainable growth and competitiveness in the modern business landscape.

Abstract: The sustainability of Beach Management Units (BMUs) in Homabay County, Kenya, is often challenged by a misalignment between community values and governance structures. This study investigates the moderating effect of project committee composition on the relationship between community values and BMU sustainability. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the study sampled 647 respondents from a population of 7,151 individuals across 143 BMUs at active fishing sites. Respondents, including key informants and fishing participants from five sub-counties along Lake Victoria, were selected through stratified random, proportionate stratified, and purposive sampling techniques. Quantitative analysis revealed that community values (β = 0.847, p < 0.05) had a significant positive effect on BMU sustainability, while project committee composition moderated this relationship (β = 0.002, p < 0.05). The inclusion of project committees accounted for 75.7% of the variance in BMU sustainability, further supporting the critical role of governance structures. Qualitative findings highlighted that local ecological knowledge, such as understanding fish species behavior and seasonal shifts, is essential for sustainable fishing practices. The composition of BMU project committees particularly the inclusion of local fishermen, environmental advocates, and community elders contributed to more balanced decision-making, addressing both economic needs and ecological considerations. This study concludes that well-structured project committees aligned with community values act as a vital bridge between traditional knowledge and modern sustainability efforts. They ensure culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible decision-making, fostering long-term BMU sustainability. The findings underscore the need for inclusive, culturally aligned governance structures in BMUs, with policymakers encouraged to integrate community values into beach management strategies.

Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

Email: gwedes@staff.msu.ac.zw

Abstract: The promotion of children’s rights is a critical issue in many countries in general and Zimbabwe is no exception. International frameworks such as the Convention on the rights of the child emphasise children’s rights to autonomy, education, health and dignity yet culture dictates traditional ways of raising children which may digress from universalised children’s rights. Harmonising cultural expectations and children’s rights calls for a strategy that respects culture while protecting children’s wellbeing and development. Thus, this paper explores cultural expectations on children’s rights in Zimbabwe. The paper thus sheds light on challenges, progress made and ways to promote frameworks that balance the two for sustainable well-being of children. Using purposive sampling, the researcher selected twenty articles from Google scholar published between 2018 and 2024.The study established that there are some cultural practices that violate children’s rights. It was also revealed that children’s rights are viewed in a positive way in Zimbabwe. However, the rights are not aligned to Zimbabwean culture, thus not compatible with the norms and values of the Zimbabweans rendering them alien and irrelevant. Findings also showed that there was an overemphasis on children’s rights at the expense of responsibility. Therefore, there is need to shift from cultural practices that are harmful to children to practices that promote children’s wellbeing and development. The study also recommends that policy makers come up with a framework which harmonises children’s rights and culture in order for children to enjoy their rights while celebrating their cultural practices.

Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

Email: gwedes@staff.msu.ac.zw

Abstract: The promotion of children’s rights is a critical issue in many countries in general and Zimbabwe is no exception. International frameworks such as the Convention on the rights of the child emphasise children’s rights to autonomy, education, health and dignity yet culture dictates traditional ways of raising children which may digress from universalised children’s rights. Harmonising cultural expectations and children’s rights calls for a strategy that respects culture while protecting children’s wellbeing and development. Thus, this paper explores cultural expectations on children’s rights in Zimbabwe. The paper thus sheds light on challenges, progress made and ways to promote frameworks that balance the two for sustainable well-being of children. Using purposive sampling, the researcher selected twenty articles from Google scholar published between 2018 and 2024.The study established that there are some cultural practices that violate children’s rights. It was also revealed that children’s rights are viewed in a positive way in Zimbabwe. However, the rights are not aligned to Zimbabwean culture, thus not compatible with the norms and values of the Zimbabweans rendering them alien and irrelevant. Findings also showed that there was an overemphasis on children’s rights at the expense of responsibility. Therefore, there is need to shift from cultural practices that are harmful to children to practices that promote children’s wellbeing and development. The study also recommends that policy makers come up with a framework which harmonises children’s rights and culture in order for children to enjoy their rights while celebrating their cultural practices.

Abstract: This study was on causes of becoming homosexuals for most learners living in informal boarding facilities in Zimbabwe. Interpretivism was employed in this work as a research paradigm. A qualitative research approach was adopted. A phenomenology research design was used to explain how the respondents perceive the phenomena. The study took place in 3 purposively selected schools in Midlands Province. The participants were also purposively selected. The participants were 18 learners (9 girls and 9 boys), six from each school (3 boys, 3 girls), and 6 teachers (1 male, 1 female from each school). The researcher used structured in-depth interviews with open-ended questions to all participants to allow probing. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used on the learner participants in their natural settings that is their respective schools. The researcher used a thematic approach to analyze the data and the presentation was purely qualitative with phrases from respondents quoted verbatim. The study found that sharing of blankets because of poverty, lack of adult supervision in IBFs, lack of information about sex from elders, and lack of the topic about homosexuality in the curriculum were the contributing factors to homosexual tendencies to learners in (IBFs) in Zimbabwe. The researcher recommends that Guidance and Counselling sessions be taken seriously in schools and more so for learners who stay in IBFs who constitute a more vulnerable group. Curriculum planners should include the topic of homosexuality in line with the African culture in the curriculum.

Abstract: A culture of a people is embedded in their folklore and expressed through it. It also gives us a glimpse into their worldview and the way they interact, their beliefs and values. Lullabies are cultural songs sang worldover to soothe and lull crying children to sleep (Gunes na Gunes, 2012). Watikuu lullabies reflect the interactions of women for they are exclusively composed and sang by women. They are songs for women by women. Some of the lullabies sung, have been passed over from generation to generation. With regard to this, the women replace the content of the lullabies, while the melody remains. The Watikuu women compose new words depending on the message they want to pass across as they sing. There is always a target audience for the messages in the lullabies. Its in this context that the researchers investigated the messages especially those whose target audience are women in an attempt to find out how women perceive themselves among the Watikuu. Given that the composers and singers of the lullabies are women, the eco-critics theory was used to guide the analysis of a woman’s perception of a woman in Watikuu lullabies.

Ikisiri: Bembelezi ni nyimbo za kitamaduni zinazoimbwa kote ulimwenguni ili kuwabembeleza watoto wanaolia na kuwafanya walale, (Gunes na Gunes, 2012). Bembelezi za Watikuu huimbwa na wanawake. Baadhi ya bembelezi wanazoimba ni za kupokezwa kwa hivyo hufaraguliwa wanapoziimba. Hii ina maana kuwa wanawake Watikuu hutunga maneno upya ili kukidhi haja zao za kimawasiliano kutegemea ujumbe wanaotaka kuwasilisha wakati wanapoimba. Ujumbe huo huwa na mlengwa, ni kwa muktadha huu ambapo watafiti wanapania kuchunguza ujumbe hususan unaowalenga wanawake ili kubaini vile mwanamke anavyomwona mwanamke mwenzake katika jamii ya Watikuu. Kwa kuwa wazalishaji na waimbaji wa bembelezi hizi ni wanawake, nadharia ya uhakiki-kike itatumiwa kuchunguza mtazamo wa mwanamke dhidi ya mwanamke mwenzake na kwa jumla jinsi mwanamke anavyosawiriwa katika bembelezi za Kitikuu.

Abstract: This research sought to investigate how dialogue can be effectively used as a means to conflict resolution among pastoral communities in Kenya. The study was done in Kapedo location, Turkana County. It was set to investigate the effectiveness of dialogue as a means of conflict resolution among pastoralist communities in Kapedo location. This study was guided by Relation-Cultural Theory (RCT). A mixed methods approach with a focus on descriptive research design was adopted. A sample size of 341 participants was achieved for the study. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data, while FGDs and interviews were used to collect qualitative data. SPSS software was used to analyze quantitative data while thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study found out that dialogue, if adopted, would help resolve the long-lived conflict in Kapedo location. The study recommends that the rites of passage ceremonies should be used as instruments through which the young men who are directly involved in these conflicts could be taught on the centrality of dialogue in conflict resolution in Kapedo location. A recommendation is made that other than the use of military force, a multi-level taskforce ought to be formed to oversee the use of dialogue as a means of conflict resolution. Similarly, the study recommends that the relationship between culture and conflict resolution among the pastoralists need to be independently researched.

Abstract: This study explores the sociocultural construction of male identities in informal spaces in learning institutions. Focus is placed on spaces such as boys’ toilets in secondary boarding schools in Gutu District of Zimbabwe. Considering the central purpose of graffiti as communication, this study has discussed graffiti as an important object of sociocultural theory. The study is purely qualitative and has adopted a phenomenological design that is interpretive in nature. Purposive sampling was very helpful in selecting the seven secondary boarding schools in Gutu District as information-rich cases while random sampling was used to determine participants. Group and individual interviews were carried out for data collection. Those interviews were guided by semi-structured open-ended questions which were audio-recorded in some cases. Verbatim data was immediately transcribed after the interviews together with the researcher’s observations. A digital camera was also used to capture some graffiti texts on the walls. Data analysis followed the Van Kaam 7-steps of data analysis. The findings of this study indicate that boys in secondary boarding schools appropriate the medium of graffiti to build masculine ‘virtues’ and ‘ideals’ in an open engagement with issues and questions concerning their sexuality in the toilet. The findings might be interesting not only to secondary boarding students, educators, administrators, teachers, and parents in Zimbabwe but also to a wider audience in different societies in the world. It can be recommended that students’ graffiti should be studied because there is something that students are communicating.

Abstract: In today’s highly competitive and dynamic business environment, organisations that aim to excel rely on organisational knowledge, intelligence and experience to drive their strategic planning, decision making and implementation processes. To transform organisational wisdom into value creating activities, understanding and aligning key aspects of organisational context in the direction of corporate objectives and strategies becomes management’s ultimate goal. Knowledge transfer, innovation and creativity, and learning and adaptability are realised if an organisation’s purpose, culture and structure are configured to drive competitiveness. The study examined the influence of organisational context on corporate wisdom system development in Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN)’s Eswatini division, which was presumed to have adopted the corporate wisdom concept. The study focused on how organisation purpose, culture and structure influence wisdom system development at MTN Eswatini. An objective questionnaire circulated to managerial staff using Google forms attracted 50 valid responses which were analysed to reflect the influence of purpose, culture and structure on the organisation’s wisdom system development. Since the study was conducted during the height of Covid-19 that forced many managerial staff to work from home, 50 respondents were conveniently selected to participate in the study. Results of the study show that MTN’s purpose clearly specifies value proposition to its customers (SD=.544), management and subordinates agree on goals to be pursued (SD=.756) and MTN’s purpose specifies areas of focus to achieve company goals (SD=.550). All the six elements of culture that were examined have mean scores of between 4 and 5, indicating MTN culture is configured to drive the organisation’s goals. Overall, the study established that purpose, culture and structure of MTN significantly influence MTN’s wisdom system development.