The Role of Open and Distance Learning in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment - A Case of Diploma in Primary Teacher Education - The Open University of Tanzania

Open and Distance Learning could not only help in gender equality and women empowerment, but also facilitate effectiveness of teaching and learning in primary schools. However there is little knowledge about the contribution of ODL to gender equality and women empowerment in Tanzania. The paper set out to examine the role of ODL in promoting gender equality and women empowerment focusing the Open University of Tanzania Diploma in Primary Teacher Education programme in particular. The study was carried out at Green Bird Teachers college during DPTE intensive face to face session. Students from the following Regional Centers: Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Arusha, Manyara, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam and Morogoro were involved.  Questionnaire survey and documentary review methods were employed in data collection. A quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16th version). While qualitative information was analyzed using content analysis.The study observed that majority of the respondents (96.6%) recognized the benefits of DPTE in their economic, political and social wellbeing. The reasons associated with the benefits of DPTE are mostly attributed to the expected positive outcome such as expanding the level of education, increase income and leadership after completing the course.  Despite the observed benefits, increase in expenses, domestic echoes and distance reported as the most challenges that hinder the academic performance and progress of the course. The study concludes that studying through Open and Distance Learning provides student with flexibility of studying while working and handling family related matters. Thus, awareness about ODL should be provided regularly so as to attract a good number of Tanzanian to pursue their study at the Open University of Tanzania Keywords: Open and distance learning, contribution of Diploma in Primary Teachers Education, gender equality, and challenges of Open and Distance Learnin

INEQUALITY IN GENDER ROLES, A CHALLENGE TO OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING: A CASE OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN DIPLOMA IN PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION – THE OPEN UNIVERSITY OF TANZANIA

Open and Distance Learning could not only help in gender equality and women empowerment, but also may facilitate the effectiveness and strengthening of women education. However, there is little knowledge on how gender roles affect performance of girls/women education. The paper set out to examine whether inequality in gender roles affect women’s education, find out types of domestic chores that women normally engage with and how they affect their academic progress and assess whether women have assistance in performing domestic chores or not. The study was carried out at The Open University of Tanzania, Tanga Regional center. Fifty-one (51) Female students pursuing Diploma in Primary Teacher Education were involved. Questionnaire survey and documentary review methods were employed in data collection. A quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20th version). While qualitative information was analyzed using content analysis. The study observed that majority of the respondents (71%) agreed that inequality in division of household roles affect their academic carriers. Food preparation, washing clothes, house cleanness and family care mentioned as the main domestic chores that attribute to poor academic progress among DPTE female students at the OUT. The study concludes that division of household roles should be restructured so as to refrain women from domestic chores that constraints their participation in education.  Article visualizations

The efficacy of crude extract of Aloe secundiflora on Candida Albicans

In- vitro studies on the efficacy of crude extracts of Aloe secundiflora on Candida albicans was conducted. Five mature leaves of Aloe secundiflora were collected and the crude extract was prepared, then autoclaved. Theextract was then tested on Candida albicans grown on solid media. The results from these studies revealed complete inhibition of Candida albicans growth caused by Aloe secundiflora crude extract on solid media. The findings from this study suggest that the crude extract of Aloe secundiflora can inhibit the growth of Candida albicans. Further studies are required to establish the in-vivo activity of the crude extract, the active ingredient, dosage and safety of Aloe secundiflora, before recommending for clinical use.Keywords: Aloe secundiflora, alternative medicine, opportunistic infections, crude extrac

EFFECTS OF SCHOOL DISTANCE ON GIRLS’ EDUCATION AND INFLUENCE ON GENDER INEQUALITY IN SECONDARY EDUCATION: CASE STUDY OF COMMUNITY SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PANGANI AND HANDENI DISTRICTS, TANZANIA

Gender equality in education has been an issue of interest in developing strategies for many countries across the world whereas gender issues have been integrated into the world development agendas. Despite efforts made to achieve gender equality in education, few countries worldwide have attained full gender parity in secondary education. Tanzania like other SSA countries has worked hard to achieve gender equality in education as given by EFA goal number 5, MDG goal number 3 and currently SDG goal number 5. However, the problem of girls dropping out early from school and poor academic performance continues to be prevalent (URT, 2016). Long school distance is pointed out as one of the factors influencing gender inequality in secondary education. This study, therefore, examined the effects of school distance on girls’ education and its influence on gender inequality in secondary education. The study was guided by three specific objectives, which were carried out through Cross-Sectional - Convergent Parallel Mixed methods research design to allow simultaneous collection and merging of quantitative and qualitative data. The sample was obtained by using simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques making a total of 101 sample sizes, comprising 79 respondents for quantitative data and 22 for qualitative information. Data analysis involved thematic analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative findings. Study findings revealed that girls are more vulnerable to the problem of long school distances than boys because of biological formation and socially constructed beliefs about gender roles. The study findings noted that school distance encourages the prevalence of sexual harassment, early sexual relations and teenage pregnancy among school girls all of which lead to poor academic performance and or school dropout. Additionally, this study indicated that school distance coupled with the burden of domestic chores negatively affects girls’ school attendance, classroom learning and academic performance. This study, therefore, concludes that long school distance is one among main factors that affect girls’ education and contribute to the persistence of gender disparities in secondary education. To resolve the problem, this study recommends on the introduction of education PPPs so as to merge efforts among education stakeholders in building school hostels in every community secondary school in the country and fully furnish them with the required facilities.  Article visualizations

Citation Impact of Institutional Repositories in Selected Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania

Institutional Repositories (IRs) development in Tanzania has made publications readily available, accessible, and retrievable. IRs have increased the visibility of researchers and institutions and have contributed to the University ranking. Several Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania have developed their IRs hosting institutional publications. This study assessed the citation impact of IR contents of selected Tanzanian HLIs. The study evaluated the citation impact of IR contents using publications indexed in the Scopus database. Four HLIs were purposively selected. The search within reference advanced feature for the Scopus database was conducted. The publications indexed in Scopus citing the selected IR contents from 2018 to 2022 were identified and extracted. Data analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The study findings indicated that the Tanzanian IR contents had a low citation impact. The study recommends that Tanzanian HLIs devise strategies for increasing IR content visibility. The strategies may include registering the IRs in online platforms and ensuring the Handle System is implemented to improve the accessibility of the IR content. Furthermore, the HLIs should create awareness of research visibility, enabling researchers to publish and increase their visibility

In ovo antiviral potency of the leaf constituents of Tanzanian Toussaintia species against Infectious Bursal Disease Virus and Newcastle Disease Virus

The chemical constituents of Toussantia orientalis and T. patriciae (Annonaceae) leaf extracts were evaluated for their antiviral activities in ovo against Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) and Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). The nine-day-old embryonated eggs in a set of five were used for testing through the allantoic route inoculation assay for each tested compound and controls. For NDV assay, the allantoic fluids from the specimens were further harvested to determine viral contagion. The tested compounds exhibited potency with varying levels of significance at a screening concentration of 360 µg/ml against the two viral strains. Embryos infected with IBDV survived, grew to normal size with complete organ formation and had mean weights comparable to those of the uninfected ones when treated with the aminocinnamoyl tetraketides 1, 2, and 4, glucosylflavonoid 7 from T. orientalis and ursolic acid derivatives 9 and 10 from T. patriciae demonstrating high efficacy against IBDV. The compounds also exhibited antiviral activity against NDV, showing viral titre reduction ranging from 1:16 - 1:256 in the haemagglutination test, with compound 11 having the lowest titre value (1:16) followed by compound 7 (1:32). The compounds that exhibited significant antiviral efficacy could be considered potential leads for the development of antiviral agents.Keywords: Aminocinnamoyl tetraketides, ursolic acids, Toussaintia orientalis, Toussaintia patriciae, Annonaceae

The contribution of Microfinance Institutions on Household Income: A case of Brac project Dar es Salaam.

The contribution of microfinance institution on household income as the subject of the study, where a sample of 150 microfinance participants were chosen as a sample study, which was carried out in the Dar es Salaam region. Interviews, observations and review of documents were the methods used to collect data. The results demonstrate that 84% of respondents were able to save 10% to 20% of their earnings, demonstrating the beneficial effects of microfinance in raising households’ income. This was attributed to the fact that the majority of loan beneficiaries were able to expand their enterprises as a result of getting loans, which resulted in greater returns and, as a result, improved saving capacity. In order to compare the income levels before and after taking out loans, the researcher went further and evaluated the respondents’ income levels before and after taking loan. According to the results it was depicted that most of the respondent’s income level was low before taking the loan, 68% of the respondents could save below 100,000/= TShs. While after receiving loan more than half of the interviewed respondent’s income was between 100,000/- to 500,000/=Tshs. some of the respondents stated that the loan they received from Brac allowed them to buy items like motorcycles, which made it easier to travel to their business locations given the nature of the Dar es Salaam region, which is often plagued by traffic jams. The study recommends that the loan term be increased to meet the needs of the beneficiaries. So, the period must be increased to two years or more to provide the borrower enough time to pay the installment. This will further lower the payment-installment amount, making it simpler for the customer to pay a modest amount and promoting business growth. Keywords: Microfinance, Microfinance Institutions, Income Poverty, Income

Land use change in Maasailand drivers, dynamics and impacts on largeherbivores and agro-pastoralism

The Maasailand of Kenya and Tanzania supports one of the richest wildlife populations remaining on Earth. However, over the last century, Maasailand has experienced land transformation notably through conversion of former rangelands to croplands. With the anticipated human population increase in East Africa, more impacts should be envisaged on these rangelands. This thesis investigates the root causes and underlying drivers of land-use change in the Maasai-Steppe ecosystems, stemming from historical, socio-cultural, political as well as the biophysical conditions. To analyse the different drivers of change, an integrated methodological approach was employed. This included a collation of historical data and information derived from both gray and published literature, analysis of remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data, field surveys, workshops, observations, as well as personal communications. Observed land-use change from savannah rangelands to expansive croplands are mainly linked to government policies, land tenure, human population growth (which is also likely to be the largest future driver) and climatic conditions. Consequently these changes have impacted the agro-pastoralist community, whose main incomes for their livelihoods depend on pastoralism. Subsequent loss of formerly communal grazing lands to establish protected areas; large-scale farming and/or private ranches have aggravated the problems of sedentarization due to villagization and privatization policies of the formally mobile agro-pastoral communities. Land-use change also had negative impacts on migratory wildlife species, particularly those utilizing both protected areas and dispersal ranges in communal and/or private lands. The impacts ranged from loss of their migratory routes and corridors to massive declines of populations due to the loss of access to grazing resources. The study recommends government’s interventions for keeping the land open for access to grazing resources as well as opening up wildlife corridors, where it is deemed necessary for national interests