Journal of Innovation, Technology and Sustainability

Postcolonial reading of contemporary East African prose fiction

Andrew Nyongesa — 2024-06-25

Debates about relevance of humanities and social sciences have pervaded studies since the establishment of formal education. The need for curricula that inculcate skills relevant to demands for the job markets has revived debates from earlier decades. Some debates about what constitutes education appraise utilitarian and consistently denigrate immaterial attributes that the humanities and social sciences inculcate. A section of scholars disparages social sciences such as psychology as idle stories without impact on national development. As result of this trajectory of thought, the Kenya government has scaled down the number of students to be enrolled in the humanities and social sciences in senior high school under the new Competence Based Curriculum. There is general tendency to suggest that the humanities and social sciences have little or no contribution to development. This study was carried out on two East African novels to interrogate the role of the humanities and social sciences in modern African nations. Five novels by African modernist novelists (both pioneer and contemporary African writers) were read. In spite of most of the writers expressing the pertinent role of humanities, Parkin’s Baking Cakes in Kigali (2012) and Faye Small Country (2016) were purposively sampled because of representation of the Rwandan genocide as a side effect of neglecting the humanities and social sciences. The study adopted the narrative analysis qualitative design. Data from secondary sources enabled the theoretical comprehension and qualitative analysis of primary texts. The study proceeded through close textual reading of the primary and secondary texts while Quayson (2003) calibrations theory, served as a theoretical framework for interpretation. It was found that the humanities and social sciences are essential in national cohesion and development.

Enhancing green learning in education and training in TVET for sustainable development through e-Libraries in Kenya

Alice Omariba — 2024-06-25

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems play a crucial role in equipping the youth and adults with the skills required for employment, decent work, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning. This paper discusses how the e-libraries can enhance green learning in education and training in TVET colleges in order to contribute towards sustainable development. Exploratory and descriptive research designs were adopted. The study was carried out in two TVET colleges in Murang’a County. Purposive sampling was used to select the two colleges and random sampling to select the sample size of 100 instructors from the targeted population. Questionnaire was used to collect the data which was analyzed descriptively. The findings indicate that majority ofthe instructors have not embraced e-librariesfor green learning in TVET programmesin their institutions butbelieve that if accessed it will improve the understanding of sustainable concepts and provide a wide range of learning resources.

Socio-cultural dynamics in censorship of television advertisements in Kenya

Nelson N. Ndiritu — 2024-06-25

In recent years in Kenya, certain media programmes, songs and advertisements have been flagged down due to infringement of ethical codes especially for content deemed potentially harmful to children and young people. Such measures have been met with mixed reactions by the general public with some people questioning objectivity of the decisions. Against this backdrop, this qualitative content analysis research was carried out to examine the dynamics of television advertisements’ censorship in Kenya by the Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB). The study was guided by propositions of the Multimodal Discourse Analysis Framework and the Gatekeeping theory. Television advertisements censored between 2016 and 2020 were sampled. Findings indicate that television advertisement censorship is primarily driven by concerns over offensive or sexually suggestive content. Other concerns include the protection of children and youth from mimicking undesired behaviour and failure to submit an advertisement to the board for vetting before airing the ad on television. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of television advertisement censorship in Kenya and its impact on businesses, consumers, and regulatory bodies.