Forensic science in Seychelles: An example of a micro-jurisdiction forensic delivery system [Scholarly Article - Forensic Science International: Synergy, 2021]

Title:

Forensic science in Seychelles: An example of a micro-jurisdiction forensic delivery system 

 

Authors:

Jemmy T. Bouzinab,Georgina Sauziera & Simon W. Lewisa 

 

a. School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Western Australia, Australia 

b. Seychelles Police Department, Revolution Avenue, Mahe, Seychelles

 

Published:

Forensic Science International: Synergy, 16 February 2021

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X21000073

 

Abstract:

Forensic science has become an indispensable tool for even the smallest of jurisdictions. However, micro-jurisdictions often face significant challenges with respect to resource availability, administration and local governance. This paper examines the forensic service provision in Seychelles as an example of a micro-jurisdiction forensic delivery system. The impact of limited resources and remote access to consumables or services have prompted the prospective shift to localise commonly utilised forensic services. The potential for a solid foundation for a sustainable forensic service is examined in relation to jurisdictions with more advanced forensic service delivery. Reforms of the legal framework, administration, and governance structures are some of the key underpinnings for an effective forensic delivery system built on a culture of transparent science that promotes justice and creates public confidence.

SOUTH AFRICA - What landmark Kwazulu-Natal court ruling means for land reform in South Africa [The Conversation, June 2021]

Title:

What landmark KwaZulu-Natal court ruling means for land reform in South Africa

 

Author:

Ben Cousins

Emeritus Professor, Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

 

Published:

The Conversation, 22 June 2021

https://theconversation.com/what-landmark-kwazulu-natal-court-ruling-means-for-land-reform-in-south-africa-162969

 

From the article:

In a landmark judgment a South African high court has declared that people living on customary land in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, notionally held in trust by the Ingonyama (king) of the Zulu people, are the “true and beneficial owners” of that land.  

 

It confirms that the Ingonyama Trust Board is not the real owner of this land. It, therefore, cannot convert the customary land rights of occupiers to rent-paying leases as it has been doing.

Understanding the governance dynamics of a supranational university: The African pioneering model [Scholarly Article - Tuning Journal for Higher Education, 2020]

Title:

Understanding the governance dynamics of a supranational university: The African pioneering model

 

Authors:

Lazarus Nabaho, Uganda Management Institute 

Wilberforce Turyasingura, Uganda Management Institute 

Jessica Norah Aguti, Makerere University 

&

Felix Adiburu Andama, Uganda Management Institute

Published:

Tuning Journal for Higher Education, Volume 8, Number 1 (2020)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/tjhe-8(1)-2020pp27-5

Abstract:

Since the 1990s, university governance has attracted the attention of scholars. However, most of the extant studies focus on the governance of national-level universities and use national regulatory frameworks. Therefore, there is a dearth of studies that hinge on the governance of supranational higher education institutions, such as the Pan African University (PAU), with the aid of regional regulatory frameworks. Consequently, little is known about the governance architecture of supranational universities, which are a post-2010 phenomenon. In view of the above, the article answers the following question: How is the Pan African University governed within a multi-layer environment? Using an interpretive lens, data was collected from the Revised Statute of the Pan African University, 2016. Content analysis was used to analyse the resultant data. The findings revealed that observance of the values of higher education, adoption of the steering-at-a-distance university governance model by the African Union Commission and of the shared governance arrangement, and merit-based selection of staff are the hallmarks of the PAU governance architecture. The governance model of the PAU resonates with the governance architecture of country-level universities in form rather than in substance. The notable variations in the substance include the partial adoption of the philosophy of ‘letting the managers manage’, the existence of multi-governance layers, lay domination of the University Senate, the presence of ‘universities’ in PAU governance arrangement, the existence of a ‘quasi-governance’ organ with external representation at the level of the Institute, and the continental outlook of the PAU Council. Therefore, it can be concluded that the missions of the universities and their context shape universities’ governance architecture.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination: what can Canada learn from Israel? [Scholarly Article - Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, February 2021]

Title:

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination: what can Canada learn from Israel?

 

Author:

Gregory P. Marchildon

University of Toronto

 

Published:

Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 17 February 2021

https://ijhpr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13584-021-00449-x

 

Abstract:

This commentary compares Israel’s COVID-10 vaccination response to the much slower and less successful vaccination campaign in Canada. Although Canada did start with some structural disadvantages relative to Israel including less centralized and coherent emergency planning and a more complex demographic geography, there are, nonetheless, some important policy lessons Canada can draw from Israel. These include a more strategic use of national leadership in the vaccination campaign and the greater use of primary care resources and providers.

Governance challenges in distance education: a case study at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) the Namibia University Science and Technology (NUST) [Stellenbosch University - Thesis, 2020]

Title:

Governance challenges in distance education: a case study at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) the Namibia University Science and Technology (NUST)

Author:

Muundjua, Jackelins

Published:

Stellenbosch University, December 2020

[Thesis (MPA) in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Leadership]

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/109377

 

English Summary: 

Distance education increasingly acquires popularity as a platform for education delivery as it conduits the education divergence globally. The nature of the learning process poses challenges, unique and different from traditional on-campus learning. The researcher acknowledges the various challenges encountered by distance higher education (HE) centres. More of these challenges emanate from governance-related concerns. As such, the study attempted to investigate governance challenges in distance HE in Namibia, with the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) of the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST) as the case study. The study adopted the exploratory research design to explore governance challenges at the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning. Questionnaires and interviews were employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The respondents comprised distance education students, student support staff, regional coordinators, and NUST management. Purposive sampling was employed to select the sample to ensure that only knowledgeable individuals were targeted for data collection. The research findings revealed a myriad of challenges encountered by COLL distance students, student support staff, and NUST management. Most identified shortcomings were related to human resources-, infrastructural-, and administrative challenges. Despite the identified challenges at COLL, systems, policies, and strategies remain, aimed at improving quality education delivery to distance students. The study suggests norms and interventions to establish a normative framework and accompanying strategies to address the challenges encountered by COLL.

Scholarly Article (2020) - Dilemmas in Reforming Higher Education in India

Title:
Dilemmas in Reforming Higher Education in India

Authors:
Jandhyala B.G. Tilak

Published:
Higher Education for the Future, 30 January 2020
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2347631119886417

Abstract:
"Higher education system in India facing daunting challenges from within—forces from within the institutions, and from outside within the country, and from global forces. The system needs major and somewhat pressing, if not emergency reforms. At the same time, we are confronted with a variety of dilemmas in reforming higher education. It is argued here that some dilemmas are redundant, a few valid and genuine, and some need a little bold re-thinking—drawing from traditional wisdom and contemporary world experience. The paper deliberates on these different types of education dilemmas."

Short Article (Ireland): Academics have low confidence in college management - survey

Title:
Academics have low confidence in college management - survey

Author:
Carl O'Brien, The Irish Times

Published:
University World News, 23 November 2019

From the article:
"A new survey in Ireland indicates that senior academics have little confidence in the governance and management capacity of their own higher education institutions and that many are sceptical over the government's ambition to provide the best education system in Europe over the next decade."

To read the article:
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20191123070539810