Shoorai Konyana

Great Zimbabwe University, Educational Foundations and Curriculum Development, Faculty Member

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Shoorai Konyana is a PhD holder from the Central University of Technology Free State (South Africa)
and holds a Master of Education degree (Curriculum studies) from the University of Zimbabwe, Special
Honours in Religious Studies and a Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) degree from Great
Zimbabwe University. She was the Chairperson of the Reviewers Committee for the Teacher Education
Research Conference in Zimbabwe (TERCZim) and a member of the TERCZim National Research
Chairpersons (2016-2020). Currently she is a lecturer in the Educational Foundations and Curriculum
Development Department at Robert Mugabe School of Education, Great Zimbabwe University. She is a
member of the Research Committee at Robert Mugabe School of Heritage and Education. She is
interested in integration of ICTs in education and in greening the Teacher Education Curriculum and how
the teacher education curriculum addresses environmental, cultural and economic components of
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and comparative teacher education. She has proven
herself as a scholar by presenting papers in national and international conferences. She has published a
number of articles on teacher education in addressing environmental issues and has supervised students’
dissertations at Masters level. She is an affiliate member of the Southern African Society for Educators
(S.A.S.E).
Supervisors: Prof. M.A. Modise and Prof. V. Nyawaranda
Phone: +263772713290
Address: 1521 Raylands
Gweru
Zimbabwe

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Sophia Chirongoma

Midlands State University

Macloud Sipeyiye

Ayanda Hlatshwayo

Tenson Muyambo

Zimbabwe Open University

Oswell Rusinga

NELLY MUZONDI

Rudo Mukurazhizha

Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

Terence Mupangwa

vengesai chimininge

Zimbabwe Open University

Heena Mishra

Panjab University, Chandigarh(India)

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Papers by Shoorai Konyana

From taboos to ecological wisdom: Ndau women's indigenous practices on menstrual waste management

From taboos to ecological wisdom: Ndau women’s indigenous practices on menstrual waste management, 2021

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Exploring the Effectiveness of Whatsapp Application on Teaching and Learning at One Midlands Teacher Education Institution in Zimbabwe

Exploring the Effectiveness of Whatsapp Application on Teaching and Learning at One Midlands Teacher Education Institution in Zimbabwe, 2024

Generally, social media platforms have been utilised to convey personal and nonacademic informati... more Generally, social media platforms have been utilised to convey personal and nonacademic information. Lecturers at higher education institutions have treated social media as a non-formal means of communication. However, with the advent of COVID-19-induced lockdowns, social media platforms gained importance in conveying both formal and non-formal information. This study thus analysed the effects of utilising the whatsapp platform for teaching and learning at one Midlands Teacher Education institution. Through the connectivism lens, the study adopted a qualitative case study generating data through interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Findings pointed to the fact that though sceptical about social media platforms in general, lecturers and students utilise whatsapp to a greater extent for online teaching and learning and for conveying important information. Most students own smartphones and Whatsapp, and though prone to cyberbullying and circulation of falsehoods, the platform was preferred to other platforms as it was categorised under cheaper modes of conveying information to many people at once. The study recommends that while integrating social media applications in teaching and learning, lecturers and students should verify the authenticity of social media information. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the use of blended learning and the possibility of utilising social media in educational contexts.

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Experiences and Challenges of Adapting to Online Learning during Covid -19 Induced Lockdown: The Case of Gweru Urban Tertiary Students in Zimbabwe

International e-Journal of Educational Studies

The novel Corona virus resulted in lockdown measures being put in place in order to curb the spre... more The novel Corona virus resulted in lockdown measures being put in place in order to curb the spread of the virus. This led to the closure of all schools and tertiary institutions. In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development (MHEISTD) announced the suspension of face-to-face teaching and learning and indicated that learning would continue online. This was an unexpected new experience for tertiary students. This study sought to explore the experiences and challenges faced by tertiary students in Gweru in adapting to online learning during the lockdown induced by COVID-19. The study was a netnographic study in which a cybercommunity of fifty tertiary students from five different tertiary institutions in Gweru was created. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select the students who participated in a WhatsApp group. The students participated in text discussions, voice calls, and group discussions and responded to qu...

Exploring Ndau Women’s Ecological Wisdom on Managing Pregnancy and Childbirth

Sustainable development goals series, 2022

Re-Thinking Work-Integrated for Cosmetology Studens in Zimbabwe in a POST-COVID-19 World of Work

Proceedings of ADVED 2022- 8th International Conference on Advances in Education

For Sustainable Development

Computerisation of Rural Schools in Zimbabwe:Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development (The Case of Chipinge District)

African Journal of Teacher Education, 2013

In this paper we seek to explain the relevance of introducing Computer Studies in Zimbabwe's rura... more In this paper we seek to explain the relevance of introducing Computer Studies in Zimbabwe's rural schools as a means to reduce the access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gap between rural and urban schools. We acknowledge the efforts of various stakeholders in education in introducing the Information and Communication Technology curriculum in rural schools in the last ten or so years as a commitment to bringing Science and Technology to the rural pupil. In addition, we further explore the progress that has been made by rural schools that received computers from the Government over the years. In the process, however, we observe that most rural schools have not fully embraced the ICT curriculum owing to a number of challenges. Thus, we contend in this paper that most rural schools that received donated computers had not been capacitated to fully utilise the new technology for the benefit of students, teachers and the community. As a result, most of the gadgets have been lying idle in classrooms due to lack of either proper infrastructural facilities such as computer laboratories and electricity as well as lack of trained ICT teachers. In the final submission, we implore stakeholders in education to facilitate ICT development in rural schools in Zimbabwe so as to increase access, quality and equity in education for sustainable rural development in Southern Africa. The study was qualitative in nature and relied on interviews, observations and use of the questionnaire. Using the theoretical paradigm of curriculum change and innovation, the study revealed that the use of computers for pedagogical purposes is very low in rural schools in Zimbabwe. Basing on this, the research recommends a multi sectoral approach involving government, private sector,

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Acculturation and religious ingenuity key for African Independent Churches

Religion and Social Marginalization in Zimbabwe

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.

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The Computerization of Rural School in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development: The Case of Chipinge District, South-eastern Zimbabwe

by Elias G. Konyana and Shoorai Konyana

In this paper we seek to explain the relevance of introducing Computer Studies in Zimbabwe’s rura... more In this paper we seek to explain the relevance of introducing Computer Studies in Zimbabwe’s rural schools as a means to reduce the access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gap between rural and urban schools. We acknowledge the efforts of various stakeholders in education in introducing the Information and Communication Technology curriculum in rural schools in the last ten or so years as a commitment to bringing Science and Technology to the rural pupil. In addition, we further explore the progress that has been made by rural schools that received computers from the Government over the years. In the process, however, we observe that most rural schools have not fully embraced the ICT curriculum owing to a number of challenges. Thus, we contend in this paper that most rural schools that received donated computers had not been capacitated to fully utilise the new technology for the benefit of students, teachers and the community. As a result, most of the gadgets have been lying idle in classrooms due to lack of either proper infrastructural facilities such as computer laboratories and electricity as well as lack of trained ICT teachers. In the final submission, we implore stakeholders in education to facilitate ICT development in rural schools in Zimbabwe so as to increase access, quality and equity in education for sustainable rural development in Southern Africa. The study was qualitative in nature and relied on interviews, observations and use of the questionnaire. Using the theoretical paradigm of curriculum change and innovation, the study revealed that the use of computers for pedagogical purposes is very low in rural schools in Zimbabwe. Basing on this, the research recommends a multi-sectoral approach involving government, private sector, parastatals and other stake holders to ensure that students in rural schools benefit from the new technology.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, Computer Studies, rural schools.