The 4th Industrial Revolution: An Opportunity For South Africa To Define Its Relationship With Science And Innovation
Fourth Industrial Revolution – Image credit: cxo transform
At the beginning of the
year, I stumbled upon a movie called The
Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The movie which is based on a true story is an
inspirational film which reflects the realities and the impact of poverty,
climate change and poor governance amongst many other themes. However, the one
theme that resonated with me most is education. The young boy fuelled by his
love for science and technology and the desire to understand the
subject, manages to solve a water crisis in his community by successfully
building a large windmill that powers an electric water pump.
After watching this incredibly strong and practical representation of how Science and Technology can be used as a tool to solve problems faced by communities, I wondered, what if this 4th industrial revolution wave is an opportunity for South Africans to interrogate its relationship with science, after all, it is about new technology advancements. I wondered, what if this 4th industrial revolution is demanding that as South Africans we engage in open conversations about what science means to us as a collective?
Undoubtedly, the 4th industrial revolution is a very important aspect of an ever-changing science and technology landscape. However, just like the 1st, 2nd and 3rd revolution it will pass. Very soon if not already, the world will introduce the 5th industrial revolution –while we will still be grappling with the 4th. We therefore must be careful not to limit the science narrative in the country to just the 4th industrial revolution if the intention is to champion science and innovation that is fit for context.
Instead, there needs to be a concerted effort by government to promote the development of indigenous innovations that respond to the rising inequality, poverty and unemployment faced by many underdeveloped communities. Therefore in my view, the 4th industrial revolution should be seen by South Africans as an era that demands a more intentional definition of how science and technology ought to be used to uplift communities.
With that in mind, I am reminded that, the revolution cannot be defined without those who live the day to day realities of the triple challenge. Historically, the science and technology conversation was reserved for industry and white old males. Years later, the face of this sector is changing and while science research relevant for industry is still very much at the helm, added emphasis is now being placed on doing research for social impact.
Therefore, with this element now on the table, the conversation is incomplete without two-way engagements with underdeveloped communities who are in dire need for innovative and scientific driven solutions.
So, we must be relentless in creating inclusive spaces of engagement around science and innovation. The risk that we run as a country, of limiting the conversation to captains of industry and government is that, the interpretation of science in the era of 4IR becomes one-dimensional.
However, when we expand the conversation to teachers, young scientists and engineers, professionals, students, unemployed persons, entrepreneurs and the pensioner, the conversation changes. Pertinent questions like how should science in the 4IR era be translating in our public school system? How is it translating in underdeveloped communities and what are the shortfalls?
And for an entrepreneur, the question is very much about, how does it enable me to create more jobs and products/services fit for my context?
It is in such moments, when we come together as a collective, that we become more intentional about how science and innovation will drive and achieve meaningful socio-economic development. Further, it compels us to zoom into what does the face of socio-economic development look like for different sectors of society and more importantly, what problems science and innovation need to be solving in order to achieve this goal?
The inability for us to understand this on a much deeper level will have us shooting in the dark and adopting technologies and systems that are not fit for context and will only widen the gap.
So, before we make sweeping statements about bullet-trains and creating smart cities, we must get the fundamentals right. The unfortunate reality is, majority of public schools, especially in black communities, do not have science laboratories and equipment – a key component that gives a child the opportunity to “practicalise” science.
Innovation and incubation hubs should not just reside in the cities, when we know that as a country, we have an issue of accessibility due to the historical context of spatial planning. If driving socio-economic development through science and innovation is part of the countries agenda, we must invest in a skills retention strategy and building infrastructure for underdeveloped communities that will promote a culture of innovation and inspire an inclusive economy that responds to the triple challenges.
A meaningful revolution is not birthed by a passing wave, instead, it is founded on a strong foundation that has an appreciation for getting the fundamentals right. So in as much as the concept of the 4th industrial revolution sounds exciting, the vision has to be bigger than that.
The vision has to be driven by government and industry in collaboration with the young scientists and engineers, the entrepreneur, the student, the learner and the unemployed member of the community. When we do this as a collective, a shared meaning of how science and innovation translates into socio-economic development can be established.
I am convinced now more than ever, that no revolution for us, whether political or industrial, should be defined without us!
By
Chumisa Ndlazi
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