Prof. Ruth B Gora

Qualifications:

She holds a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil) from the University of South Africa, a Master of Education, Bachelor of Education and Certificate in Education from the University of Zimbabwe. Her doctoral research examined perceptions and attitudes towards the study of African languages in Zimbabwean high schools and their implications for human resources development.

Academic Appointments:

Ruth Gora is an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Arts Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zimbabwe. She also serves as a Training Manager in the Quality Assurance and Professional Development Directorate. She has been Chairperson of the then Curriculum and Arts Education, Faculty of Education Proctor and Deputy Dean. Prof. Gora is an experienced academic, researcher, and higher education practitioner with extensive expertise in language education, curriculum development, quality assurance and human capital development.Prof. Gora has contributed significantly to teaching, postgraduate supervision, academic leadership and research in language education and curriculum studies. She is also actively involved in higher education quality assurance processes and professional development initiatives across the region, in her capacity as: Academic Associate (UNISA); External Examiner (UNISA, University of Johannesburg and Great Zimbabwe University); and Team Leader/Reviewer - Academic and Institutional Audit (Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education).

Research Interests:

Language Planning and Policy
Language Education and Pedagogy
• Curriculum Studies
• Sociolinguistics
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• Education for Sustainable Development
• Human Capital Development
• African Languages in Education

Faculty: Education

Department: Department of Languages and Arts Education

Research Category: Education

Biography:

Ruth Gora is an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Arts Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zimbabwe. She also serves as a Training Manager in the Quality Assurance and Professional Development Directorate. She has been Chairperson of the then Curriculum and Arts Education, Faculty of Education Proctor and Deputy Dean. Prof. Gora is an experienced academic, researcher, and higher education practitioner with extensive expertise in language education, curriculum development, quality assurance and human capital development.
She holds a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil) from the University of South Africa, a Master of Education, Bachelor of Education and Certificate in Education from the University of Zimbabwe. Her doctoral research examined perceptions and attitudes towards the study of African languages in Zimbabwean high schools and their implications for human resources development.
Prof. Gora has contributed significantly to teaching, postgraduate supervision, academic leadership and research in language education and curriculum studies. She is also actively involved in higher education quality assurance processes and professional development initiatives across the region, in her capacity as: Academic Associate (UNISA); External Examiner (UNISA, University of Johannesburg and Great Zimbabwe University); and Team Leader/Reviewer - Academic and Institutional Audit (Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education).

Email: goraruth@yahoo.com

Phone: +263 772 380 550

Publications:

 EDITED BOOK

1. Makuvaza, N. & Gora R. B. (Eds) (forthcoming). Negotiating Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu and Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the Updated Curriculum (2019-2022) in Zimbabwe: A Reader for Africa (accepted by University of Zimbabwe Publications, 262 pages).

 BOOK CHAPTERS

1. Gora, R. B. & Muchenje, F. (2022). Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the School Curriculum: Issues and Perspectives from the South. In A. Mamvuto, F. Makuvaza, P. Kwaira, & F. Zindi (Eds), Discourses in Education and Culture in Postcolonial Zimbabwe, Harare: University of Zimbabwe Publications, pp 37-59.
2. Muchenje, F. & Gora, R. B. (2022). Approaches to Multicultural Education: Implications for Practice in Zimbabwean Primary Schools. In A. Mamvuto, F. Makuvaza, P. Kwaira, & F. Zindi (Eds), Discourses in Education and Culture in Postcolonial Zimbabwe, Harare: University of Zimbabwe Publications, pp 145-162.
3. Kasonde, A. & Gora, R. (2020). Le bilinguisme institutionnel des universités africaines et l’impératif panafricaniste à l’ère de la mondialisation: critique de la micro-pédagogie [English translation: Institutional Bilingualism in African Universities and the Imperative of Pan Africanism during the Era of Globalization: A critique of micro-pedagogy]. In S. M. X. Atenke Etoa, J. Evouna and V. Eloundou, La linguistique au pluriel: Hommage a Louis Martin Onguene Essono, pp 375 - 395.
4. Muchenje, F. & Gora, R. B. (2018). Gender role socialisation and GBV: Is our education system helping? In SIPD Institute (Eds.) Gender-based Violence in Zimbabwe: Critical questions and the way out. Harare: Southern Institute of Peacebuilding and Development, pp 58 - 76.
5. Makuvaza, N. & Gora, R. B. (2018). OPHs as a Legacy of Colonialism in Postcolonial Zimbabwe: Perspectives from Hunhu/Ubuntu Cultural Perspectives. In Mangena, Fainos & John Douglas McClymont (Eds.) Philosophy, Race & Multiculturalism in Southern Africa: Zimbabwean Philosophical Studies, III. USA: The Council for Research and Values, pp 251 - 268.
6. Gora, R. B. (2017). (Re-) Integrating African languages into the Zimbabwean Curriculum. In Shizha, Edward & Ngoni Makuvaza (Eds.) Rethinking Postcolonial Education in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st Century: Post Millennium Development Goals. The Netherlands - Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, pp 141 - 158.
7. Muchenje, F., Gora, R. & Makuvaza, N. (2016). Interrogating the Concept of Time among the Shona: A Postcolonial Discourse. In Gloria Emeagwali & Edward Shizha (Eds.) African Indigenous Knowledge and the Sciences: Journeys into the Past and Present. The Netherlands: Sense Publishers, pp 79 - 92.
8. Gora, R. (2014). The Teacher’s Rapport inside and outside the School. In Tatira, L. (Ed.) Becoming an Effective Teacher. Harare: Benaby Printing and Publishing (Private) Ltd, pp 50 – 57.
9. Gora, R. (2013). The Shona Poem in Mapara, J. and Mudzanire, B. (Eds.) (2013) UBUNTU/UNHU PHILOSOPHY: A Brief Shona Perspective. Harare: Bhabhu Books, pp 88 - 98.

 JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

1. Muchenje, F., Goronga, P. & Gora, R. (2021). Teachers’ Views on the Utility of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the Teaching of Agriculture in Selected Schools in Zvimba District, Zimbabwe. Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume 1 & 2, pp 58 – 84.
2. Gora, R. B. & Muchenje, F. (2020). Language and Gender on WhatsApp: A Sociolinguistic View. In Journal of African Languages and Literary Studies (JoALLS), Volume 1(2), pp 137-152.
3. Kasonde, A. & Gora, R. (2019). La politique bilingue dans les universités d’Afrique Australe: Perspectives pédagogiques (English translation: Bilingual policy at universities in Southern Africa: A pedagogical perspective). In Sociolinguistique & Didactique (SociD), Number 4/2019, pp 109 - 132.
4. Muchenje, F. & Gora, R. B. (2017). Locating Zimbabwe’s Language Policy in Education in the Context of Multicultural Education: Perspectives of Teachers from Selected Schools in Chegutu District. NAWA Journal of Language and Communication, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp 148 - 162.
5. Gora R. B. & Manyarara, B. C. (2016). ICTs in Teacher Education: Enhancing Quality in Language Teaching and Learning in Zimbabwe. In Namibia CPD Journal for Educators, Vol. 3, Issue 1/2016, pp113 - 123.
6. Manyarara, B. C. & Gora, R. B. (2015) Aesthetic of naming: Potential psycho-sociological effects of some forenames in use among Zimbabweans. In Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 1 & 2, pp 34 - 41.
7. Gora, R. B. & Mutasa, D. E. (2015). Impact of perception and attitude towards the study of African languages on human resource needs: a case for Zimbabwe. In Per Linguam, 2015, Volume 31(1):74-88.
8. Gora, R. (2015). Teachers’ perception and awareness of Shona dialects vis-à-vis Standard Shona in the Zimbabwean classroom: Implications for teaching and learning. In Namibia CPD Journal for Educators, Vol. 2, Issue 1/2015, pp 12 – 22.
9. Makuvaza, N. & Gora, R. (2014). What is happening to the ‘noble’ profession? Concerns about and threats to the teaching profession in high school in Zimbabwe – The Way forward. In International Journal of Social Sciences & Education, Vol.4 Issue 2, 2014, pp 477–490.
10. Gora, R. (2013). Continuity and Change: Towards National Language Policy for Education in Zimbabwe. In Online Journal of Social Sciences Research, Vol. 2, Issue 5, May 2013, pp 123-129.
11. Muchenje, F., Gora, R. & Bondai, B. (2013). Constraints of Private Sphere Responsibilities on Availability of Time to Study: A Case Study of Married Women Students at the University of Zimbabwe’s Faculty of Education. In Academic Research International, Vol. 4, No. 3, May 2013, pp 513-525.
12. Bondai, B., Gora, R. & Muchenje, F. (2012). Language and Gender: Implication for the Female Self-Concept in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, University of Zimbabwe Publications, Vol. 24, No.1, March 2012, pp 13 - 24.
13. Gora, R. (2010). The Role of Bird Characters in African Story and Myth. In Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal Publications – South Africa, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2010, pp 53 -63.
14. Gora, R., Mavunga, G., Waniwa, F. & Muringani, B. (2010). The Use of Shona as a Medium of Instruction in a Tonga-speaking Community: Parents’ and Teachers’ Perceptions. In Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, University of Zimbabwe Publications, Vol. 22, No.1, March 2010, pp 87-102.
15. Tatira, L. Sithole, N., Manyarara, B. C. & Gora, R. (2009). An Experimental Study into the Use of Computers for Teaching of Composition Writing in English at Prince Edward School in Harare. In Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, University of Zimbabwe Publications, Vol.21, No. 1 March 2009, pp 85 -101.
16. Waniwa, F., Mavunga, G., Gora, R. & Muringani, B. (2007). Teachers Colleges Preparation of Student Teachers for the Teaching of Children’s Literature: The Case of Marymount, Masvingo and Morgenster Teachers’ Colleges. In Zimbabwe Bulletin of Teacher Education, University of Zimbabwe Publications Vol. 14, Issue 1, September 2007, pp 95 -112.

 BOOKS, CHAPTERS & PAPERS/ARTICLES ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION

1. Makuvaza, N. & Gora R. B. (forthcoming). Negotiating Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu and Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the Updated Curriculum (2019-2022) in Zimbabwe: A Reader for Africa, an Introduction for Negotiating Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu and Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the Updated Curriculum (2019-2022) in Zimbabwe: A Reader for Africa, pp 1-16 (accepted by University of Zimbabwe Publications).
2. Gora, R.B. & Muchenje, F. (forthcoming). Incorporating indigenous knowledge systems in Zimbabwe’s Updated Curriculum: Issues and perspectives. In Makuvaza, N. & Gora R. B. (Eds). Negotiating Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu and Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the Updated Curriculum (2019-2022) in Zimbabwe: A Reader for Africa, pp 96-113 (accepted by University of Zimbabwe Publications).
3. Mhaka, E., Mhaka, I., Makuvaza, N., Gora, R. B. and Mutasa, J. (forthcoming) Deconstructing and reconstructing Shona culture and the disability narrative in Zimbabwean educational spaces: Implications for inclusive education. In Makuvaza, N. & Gora R. B. (Eds). Negotiating Issues of Unhu/Ubuntu and Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the Updated Curriculum (2019-2022) in Zimbabwe: A Reader for Africa, pp 237-262 (accepted by University of Zimbabwe Publications).

Patented Work:

Grants & Funding (current and Past projects):

Awards & Achievements:

• Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil), University of South Africa
• Peer Reviewer for Academic and Institutional Audits – Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education
• Regional training and certification in Internal Quality Assurance (TrainIQA)
• Participation in international higher education curriculum reform initiatives (Tuning Africa II Project)

Consultancy and advisory work (current and past):

• Facilitated the Tuning Africa II Project – Course design for outcomes-based learning in higher education to 12 African universities.
• Technical English-Shona-English interpretation during the US Forest Service and USAID/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Indigenous Reforestation Workshop.
• Technical English-Shona-English interpretation during the My Trees Community-Based Environmental Protection Programme.
• Technical review of the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Authority (ZERA) English to Shona translation document.
• Catholic Relief Services - Transcription and translation of videos for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) - Zimbabwe Program.
• Policy Review - Moyana, R. & Gora, R. (2015). Advocacy for the Integration of Gender and Climate Change in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy in Zimbabwe, commissioned by Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Zimbabwe Chapter.
• Peer Reviewer for Academic and Institutional Audits – Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education
• Academic quality assurance and higher education training initiatives
• Strategic planning and institutional capacity development in education sector organisations
• Research and policy advisory work in education and language development.

Supervision information (MPhil, DPhil, etc.):

Prof. Gora has supervised postgraduate research at Master's and Doctoral levels in areas including:
• Language education
• Curriculum studies
• Sociolinguistics
• Education policy
• Indigenous knowledge systems
• Higher education development

Professional membership, Committees, Boards:

• Alumni, Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES), German Academic Exchange Service - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
• Member, African Language Association of Southern Africa.
• Member, Forum for African Women Educationalists, Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI).
• Advisory Board Member, International Conference on Quality Assurance in Academia (ICQAA), ILMA University, Karachi, Pakistan (01 February 2022 to January 2023).
• Board Chairperson, Forum for African Women Educationalists (Zimbabwe Chapter) National Executive Committee (30 October 2021 to date).
• Vice Chairperson, Forum for African Women Educationalists (Zimbabwe Chapter) National Executive Committee (30 August 2019 to 29 October 2021).

External Profile Links (Google Scholar, ResearchGate, LinkedIn, other social media links):

Institutional Affiliation:
https://www.uz.ac.zw/index.php/departmnts-education/132-curriculum-and-arts-education/staff/679-dr-ruth-gora
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-ruth-b-gora-phd-41390265/
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruth-Gora
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1847-3554
Board Chairperson: https://fawezi.org/volunteer/dr-ruth-b-gora/
Advisory Board Member: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ilmauniversity_qualityassurance-university-highereducation-activity-6894253894529032192-RbHg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop