Document Actions
Volume 4 - 2
| Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
  2. Science is not only for the elite, but
it is part of our daily livesBy Buhle Khumalo “We must do away with the view that science was never meant for the ‘natives’,” argued the newly appointed Science and Technology Portfolio Committee Chairperson Nqaba Ngcobo. This was during the Budget Vote on 17 June, when Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena made his speech on the budget and the investment in science and technology for this fiscal year. Ngcobo argued that challenges of the second economy are not impossible to meet, however resources must be generated to bridge the divide between the first and second economy, with the former being a pillar to the second economy, although deeply rooted in infrastructure and the mentality of black and white. He said it would be difficult to eradicate this, as it was the plan of the apartheid regime. “The challenge at the centre of any economy is the need for jobs, the administration of economic growth in the second economy, without hindering the first economy,” said Ngcobo. For Ngcobo, a holistic approach is necessary, where all stakeholders are called for radical transformation and science is talked about, lived and applied. He contended that the department should establish the correct technical policies with stakeholders to create interventionist type systems, for people to accept that science is for everybody, although he admitted that it may be an impossible paradigm, but can be functional. Mr Ngcobo contended that there is a need for a governance framework to facilitate quick delivery to the poor through science and technology programmes. The committee argued that they, together with the department, should campaign at the science and technology institutions for transformation, and ‘how we intervene or communicate science to the public is also very important’, said Ngcobo. He added that people in the sciences are very apolitical, arrogant and impose their knowledge on others and society. They do not see themselves as part and parcel of ordinary citizens, and yet communicating science is as such a challenge to institutions, where fail-safe systems should be put in place to educate society. “Just like in engineering, systems are put in place everyday, but have fail-safe mechanisms to protect the user. The same must apply to science education and integration into our lives. We must try to make science simple. Society must understand that we use scientific processes in our lives daily and we do not even know it. For example, covering yourself with a blanket when you are cold, that process is insulation and a scientific process of heat transfer,” illustrated Ngcobo. Parliamentarians and the ministry alike also called for more investment in research and development. This is despite indications of the increase in investment in Research and Development since the sharp decrease between 1991 and 1993. A member of the Portfolio Committee Prof Ismail Mohamed, said the Department of Science and Technology would still trail behind Europe in the period of 6 years. “We have managed to persuade government to up funding of Research and Development, which will double in six years and personally, I would push for three years. We recognize that we do not have the resources, but Korea and Malaysia have done it,” said Mohamed. He added that some countries are investing more in R&D and that we might get further and further apart from development. With regard to the retention of skills of researchers, Mohamed said government has to find ways to retain them. He said the education system has to be beefed up and there is a need for skilled teachers that can nurture budding scientists. “Obviously resources have to be invested in schools, as you cannot exactly learn chemistry without a laboratory, which is among the reasons I became a mathematician. During my honours year at university, I studied Mathematics and Physics. I decided to drop Physics, as it was clear that because of apartheid I would not get employment in Physics Laboratories e.g. the Atomic Energy Corporation (AEC). For this reason and because my inclination was much more mathematics directed and work prospects were better in this direction, I decided to pursue postgraduate studies in Mathematics and not in Physics,” reflected Mohamed. Among other issues tackled in parliament, was the creation and implementation of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Mohamed contended that Indigenous knowledge, which clearly has scientific and cultural areas, should not be despised, especially things that are perceived as African. “My argument is not to patent everything, just like they did in China, but put things in the public domain or let them be part of the domain. That way nobody has the right to patent that information as it is in the public domain,” said Mohamed. Poverty alleviation was another bone of contention with parliamentarians. Mohamed said the programmes the department has in place are good. “However, I have always felt the need to push for two things, that we support basic research and develop our own products,” said Mohamed. This will improve our competition on the international market, he said, and we can look at other niche products that can be developed through the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS), while accessing international funds. However, despite the milestones reached by the department and the new exciting investments announced during Minister Mangena’s speech, Ngcobo cautioned that Science and Technology must reflect the society we live in today, and must ensure that we never repeat June 16. “Colonial powers used science to violate the very human life they are meant to improve.” |
Nominations of potential candidates for the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Board of Directors
