Masters Degrees (The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST))

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Browsing Masters Degrees (The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST)) by Subject "Energy policy -- Economic aspects -- Windhoek (Namibia)"

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    Assessing the prevalence of energy poverty and the impact thereof on educational well-being of high school students in Windhoek, Namibia
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Seibes, Winniefred Angel; Mohlakoana, Nthabiseng; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transition.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: There are numerous measures of energy poverty. However, binary, and unidimensional measures provide minimal insight on the extent of energy poverty experienced by households who do have access to electricity or energy supply at varying degrees. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate energy poverty amongst high school students in Windhoek, Namibia, and its impact on their educational well-being. By employing a Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) along with other binary measures of energy poverty, such as the 10% threshold on household income and energy expenditure, the study assesses household electricity connections or the lack thereof; and reliance on biomass by households. Application of the multi-tier framework to this study will produce results that will provide school authorities and policy-makers with insight on the level of energy poverty experienced by students in relation to the various attributes of household energy supply such as its capacity, reliability, availability, quality, affordability, legality, and safety. Additionally, the study provides information on the impact of energy poverty on students’ academic attainment, and performance in English, Mathematics and Science. The study found that over 80% of participating households have electricity connections. In addition, approximately 65.4% of participating households spend more than 10% of their monthly income to acquire energy sources. And households spend an average of 18.2% of their monthly income to acquire energy sources. This study employed the Multi-Tier Framework to analyse energy poverty levels based on the households’ electricity access. As per the Multi-Tier Framework approach, the Weighted-Index of Access (WIA) compiles individual household electricity access levels into a single value that represents the overall access level for households in a particular region. Thus, the Weighted-Index of Access for households participating in this study was determined to be at Tier 3. At an access level of Tier 3, households experience an inconsistent energy supply, with constrained capacity. Moreover, the energy sources used for cooking are deemed unsafe and unhealthy. In relation to educational wellbeing, the study observed a trend of high levels of student absenteeism amongst low-income households. The study thus recommends an extension of electricity subsidies to all poor households. The study also recommends increased consumer education on climate change and the impacts of the use of unclean fuels on human health and the environment. Finally, the study proposes that schools implement early-detection and intervention systems for students with high absenteeism. Opportunities for further research exists to establish households’ electricity connection status, and to identify causes for the lack thereof. Research may also be conducted to identify households’ limitations in accessing various energy sources.