go NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF HUMAN SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

COURSE CODE: PWR611S COURSE NAME: PROFESSIONAL WRITING

DATE: JULY 2017 MODE: FM, PM & DI DURATION: 3 HOURS MARKS: 100

SECOND OPPORTUNITY / SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER

EXAMINERS MrT. Chunga

Dr T. Frans

Ms J. Hunter

Mrs F. Nanyeni

Ms J. Pasi

MODERATOR: Mr C. Gwasira

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Answer ALL the questions.

2. Write clearly and neatly.

3. Number the answers clearly.

PERMISSIBLE MATERIALS

1. Examination paper.

2. Examination script.

THIS QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 7 PAGES (INCLUDING THIS FRONT PAGE)

SECTION A: E- MAIL, MEMORANDA AND BUSINESS LETTERS [30]

QUESTION 1

1.1. You are the class representative, and your classmates requested you to ask your lecturer to cancel the next class due to the assignment which is due the following day. The class wants to work on the assignment. The head of department should also be aware of this. Write an email to your lecturer. Invent the e-mail addresses.

E-Mail: [20]

Copy the following e-mail structure in your examination book and write the e-mail of about 100

words to your lecturer.

To...

Cc...

Subject:

1.2. Explain the difference between a direct and an indirect approach to writing. (2)

1.3. What approach is required when writing a tactful letter and why? (1)

1.4. If you realise that your audience is objective in an indirect plan message what should you do? (2)

1.5. What is the meaning of “netiquette”? (1)

1.6. Mention two examples of netiquette advice. (2)

1.7. State two the differences between an email and a memo? (2)

SECTION B: REPORT WRITING [30]

QUESTION 2

Although Early Childhood Development (ECD) is included in the programmes at Namibia’s

Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, it tends to be neglected by policy makers. Now

ChildFund, an American NGO, considers training and providing 30 “guide mother” volunteers in

Namibia. These trained volunteers teach early childhood development to parents in home

visits, helping families build strong relationships and practise new ways of enriching young

children’s experiences and learning.

As an ECD specialist employed by ChildFund, you have been requested by the organisation’s

President and CEO, Anne Goddard, to compile a short formal report to inform her about the

ECD situation in Namibia. Ms Goddard wishes you to consult not only the Ministry of Gender

Equality and Childfare, but also the Unicef representative in the country, to obtain information.

Your report will guide the decision-making of the ChildFund Board regarding the need for ECD

support in Namibia. You also have to provide recommendations for a possible action plan in

the country.

Read the report below about an ECD symposium that was held in Windhoek, and then follow

the instructions for answering the question.

Strengthen childhood development

News - National | 2015-01-21Page no: 0

by Theresia Tjihenuna

Adapted from http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=132621&page=archive-read

EXPERTS in the field of education gathered in Windhoek this week to discuss ways on how to strengthen Early Childhood Development in the country.

The two-day symposium, coordinated by Unicef and the Economic Association of Namibia, follows the recent Grade 10 and 12 results that have once again awakened the country to the harsh realities of the struggling education system.

Experts hope to address the root causes of the high failure rate, saying that this could be attributed to the fact that most of Namibia's children had a shaky foundation in their early years due to disease, poverty, malnutrition and parental indifference.

Although Early Childhood Development (ECD) is included in the programmes at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, many argued that it is often overlooked by policy makers. They proposed a bottom-up approach, which means investing in the child's development

starting with a healthy pregnancy and positive parenting through the ECD concept.

Participants, including South African researcher from the Human Science Council Chris

Desmond, emphasised the need to improve the education system by focusing on ECD.

Desmond, who presented a topic under the theme 'The Cost of Inaction’, said that early interventions in a child's life (from 0-4 years old) could lead to larger returns for the country. The experts proposed an integrated intervention through ECD, whereby a child is exposed to all

the components that lead to his or her development all at once.

He said ECD does not begin at pre-primary level, but right at conception, adding that the first 1000 days of a child's life are crucial for planting a long lasting positive impact, as the brain is more receptive at this stage. Desmond explained that children are often denied an opportunity to thrive even before they take their first steps, a permanent damage that has a lasting

negative impact and is difficult to reverse.

“This is because the foundation of cognitive development occurs in the early years,” he explained. He said some threats to a child's development include a difficult pregnancy, poverty, parents who lack information, and a foundation of an unequal start in life. Desmond referred to the large gap between the rich and poor, which is prevalent in Namibia.

“ECD investment outcomes can be achieved in multiple different ways, including more enrolments at primary, secondary and higher education level, leading to an educated population,” he said, adding that a largely educated population in turn leads to a drop in child and maternal mortalities.

“Educated women are more likely to take care of themselves than those who are not,” he said.

Unicef country representative Micaela Marques De Soussa said that despite positive gains, children in Namibia face enormous inequities. “Poverty affects 34% of children, while one in three children is stunted, 13% of primary school aged children are out of school, with an increasing dropout rate at secondary level, and alarming levels of socially tolerated family violence, parental neglect and child abuse,” she said.

In a follow-up meeting that involved all stakeholders yesterday — i.e. Unicef, the Gender and Child Welfare and Education ministries and NGOs — the group discussed the Expanded High Level Technical Committee for Transition of ECD and Expansion of Quality Integrated ECD

Services in Namibia. The Ministry of Education presented the pros and cons of a possible transition of the Early Childhood programme from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to the Ministry of Education.

The group says it hopes to visit President Hage Geingob to sell the idea. “Hopefully, he will be sympathetic,” said education consultant Justin Ellis.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING THIS QUESTION

‘i You may use relevant information from the article and invent any details required, but

may not copy whole sentences from the article.

2. Write ONLY the following sections of the report:

e The identification section

e The terms of reference section

e The procedures section (give at least 2 methods used to collect information)

e The conclusion section

e The recommendations section (provide at least 3 recommendations)

e Finish with your signature and the completion date

e DO NOT WRITE THE FINDINGS SECTION

Number of words: 400

SECTION C [40]

QUESTION 3: PERSUASIVE WRITING [30]

Read the following extract and use the ideas in it to answer a persuasive writing task below it.

Five reasons why fast Internet benefits students: Being connected to fast Internet means

greater access to information, and with broader access students have 100 times the

possibilities.

1. New Ways of Learning The web has created new, more mobile ways of learning through

online tutorials and classrooms. Learning a new language or skill, such as computer

programming or simply doing math exercises online, helps supplement and advances the

curriculum learned in the classroom. Students also benefit from accessing these new ways of

learning at home. The Federal Communications Commission reports that students with

broadband at home have a 7% higher graduation rate.

2. Collaboration and Communication With busy after-school schedules, finding time and a

convenient place where everyone can meet gets hard. With the web, you can hold meetings,

share ideas, and communicate at a time and location that works for your schedule. The current

national average access speed per student is just 6.5 Kbps meaning cutting-edge education

applications are inaccessible to most kids.

3. Discover, Create, Design, Build Exposure to new topics, accessibility to online tools and

programs, and the freedom to experiment cultivates new passions and outlets to express these

interests. Try some of our favorite knowledge-sharing resources next time you’re online: Khan

Academy, MIT Open Courseware, Wikipedia, The Google Art Project, Code Academy, and

Google in Education. An expected 77% of jobs in the next decade will require technology skills.

4. The Next Step: College, Internship, Job Search Whether it’s looking for jobs, internships, or

colleges, students can explore these important “next steps” through the information available

on the web.The Federal Communications Commission reports that already more than 80% of

Fortune 500 companies require online job applications.

5. Endless Research Opportunities Access to online libraries, databases, and news articles

quickly expands the amount of data students can directly apply to their studies. Studies have

shown that increased Internet usage leads to higher test scores, including one school that

achieved a 15% point increase on AP tests.

Sources: 1FCC report, http://goo.gl/dg6G9 (2012). 2 U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, p.24,

http://goo.gl/QOrqW (2012). 3 Ibid, p.16. 4 FCC Daily Briefing, p.4, http://goo.gl/dDvUE (2012).

5 FCC research study, http://goo.gl/XGh76 (2011).

In 2016 a group of students from the Namibia University of Science and Technology hostel

staged a demonstration demanding wireless internet connection to the hostel. Among the

reasons given for the need for wireless internet connections was its importance in their study

related activities. As the SRC President, write a persuasive memo (using the AIDA principle) to

the Vice Chancellor of NUST to persuade him provide wireless internet connection to the

campus hostel. The memo should be about 250 words long.

QUESTION 4: BUSINESS PROPOSAL [10]

4.1. Briefly define the concept “business proposal” (1)

4.2. Business proposals are persuasive in nature. What are the three characteristics of effective

persuasive messages? (3)

4.3. What are the six principal parts of a business proposal letter? (6)

END OF QUESTION PAPER