MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE MINISTER OF ARTS, CULTURE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DR BS NGUBANE
13 February 2001

There is a critical need to shift our productive energies towards changing
South Africa into a "knowledge-based" economy. This means that job
creation, business development and the formation of new industries
increasingly need to emphasise acquiring new skills and technology. And,
as "grandfather" industries close down we must have smart, programme
interventions to re-skill the workforce and to drive new entrepreneurial
ventures. We should have a workforce that expects to have at least three
career shifts in a lifetime. The new industries and wealth creation
opportunities are all in the technology intensive environment and the
market is global. For South Africans to compete in this environment we
need a society that has strong "problem-solving capabilities". Government
has committed to growing our "problem solving" capabilities by:
* increasing support for research capacity building in the higher
education sector,
* encouraging multi-disciplinary research engagement on problems large and
serious enough to impede socio-economic development,
* strategically directing skills and technology development in the
emerging growth areas of Information & Communication Technology,
Biotechnology and New Materials,
* placing equipment and additional technology specific equipment at
Technikons to support SMMEs to develop their technologies and skills in
order to get closer to international best practice,
* providing the environment and technology transfer support for new
technology-based start-ups.

RESEARCH GRANTS
In this context the interventions take the form of research grants,
bursaries and scholarships. One of my department's agencies, the NRF does
this. By design funding levels to the NRF have almost doubled over the
last five years. In this past year 3 497 students, received bursaries. Of
these bursaries 1 972 were awarded to black students. Also there are
currently 59 Innovation Fund projects that draw in consortia made up of
members from industry, the tertiary education sector, statutory research
institutions and non-governmental organisations.

We will also, during the next year, be taking advantage of offers of
bursaries and training made by our international partners. India and
Finland for example have made offers in the area of science and
engineering and the European Union in museum training. In terms of skills
acquisition from abroad, discussions have been held at the highest level
with Russia and Nigeria.

EQUIPMENT
Access to modern, state-of-the-art research equipment enables a research
community to conduct competitive research, innovate and train human
resources with adequate skills in research and innovation. An analysis of
the research being undertaken by South African universities indicates that
it overwhelmingly relates to real problems facing Southern Africa and if
successful, will result in economic benefit and improvements in the
quality of life for all South Africans. In 1996, South Africa was
estimated to have scientific equipment with a replacement value of R1, 79
billion. At year 2000 prices this equipment is now assumed to be worth R2,
5 billion. This equipment is stationed in Science Councils, universities,
Technikons and museums. We are also aware that the research infrastructure
base is aging at an alarming pace and researchers find it hard to remain
competitive. It is for this reason that I have introduced an "Equipment
Placement Programme" this year.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
I want to point out at this stage that all of our programmes are focussed
on developing the right "human capital". It is for this reason that the
programmes support human resource development within the tertiary
education environment and in research institutions. More importantly they
seek to establish a transfer of expertise and technology from the
"knowledge base" in universities, Technikons and Science Councils into
industry, particularly into SMMEs. There are technology transfer and
diffusion programmes such as the GODISA incubation programme and another
one called the Technology Stations Programme.

This year the GODISA programme will begin supporting two incubators, one
linked to the capacity of the CSIR and the tertiary education sector in
Gauteng and the other linked to infrastructure in the Eastern Cape. There
is also a technology transfer and skills-training programme that Mintek
will be driving within this programme for small scale miners and an
Innovation Support Centre that the University of Natal is about to launch
in embedded technology systems. There are currently seven Technikons
participating in the Technology Stations outreach programme and the focus
is in industries from electronics, metals & value-adding, chemicals,
textiles and composite materials. Here Technikon students get experiential
training with exposure to real problems of SMMEs in specific sectors.

I would like to specifically comment on a new HRD support project that
another one of our agencies is about to implement. In October 2000 Cabinet
appointed the HSRC as the official agency to undertake and provide
government with research support services in the field of HRD. I have
supported Cabinet's decision by committing R5 million to the cost of this
project. The output that is expected is a Human Resource Development
Strategy that the whole of government can commit to. Furthermore, this
initiative will have to give answers on what specific high-quality skills
our country needs. Amongst a host of other very important issues the HRD
Strategy will interrogate changes in the labour market structure, new
skill requirements, skills shortages, current and new training
requirements, public sector skills needs and SMME sector skills needs as
well as providing for mechanisms to systematically gather those skills.

ARTS AND CULTURE
In Arts and Culture we need to produce more engineers to work in the music
industry, more cameramen to give colour to the film industry and within
the sector of the crafts we need to develop appropriate technology that
will enable South Africa to manufacture indigenous products. These goods
may be clay pots, or glass substances to be used to make beads. In other
words, literally putting technology in people's hands. To this end the
CSIR has been commissioned to undertake training of crafters to assist
them to produce a better quality product and to acquire skills in
marketing and business management.

DACST is intervening vigorously in addressing strategic HRD needs of the
Arts and Culture sector and assists our associated institutions to
participate in training programmes. Presently new programmes are being
negotiated with the British Council and the EU.

I must point out that our efforts both in Arts and Culture, as well as in
Science and Technology are not only directed at the tertiary education
research and the private sector. One project we have is in the field of
adding value to agricultural products, in which training will be provided
that will impact on 4 900 individuals in rural areas.

SCIENCE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (SET) WEEK
Moreover, our children need to be given opportunities to develop as the
knowledge base and entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow in new emerging
fields such as biotechnology, new materials and information and
communication technologies. I have introduced the practice of dedicating
one week for celebrating science, engineering and technology awareness. We
will be joining thousands of children across the country from 5 to 10
March 2001 in Science Engineering and Technology (SET) Week. This year I
have given support for SET career exhibitions, school competitions,
mathematics tents and workshops in Queenstown, Thohoyandou, Pietersburg,
Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Richardsbay.

TRAINING
We are mindful of the dire need to create training opportunities for the
youth. DACST is engaged in arts education and training within three
different sectors:
* In-school arts education
* Non-formal arts education, and
* Workplace education and training

DACST's role is to create linkages where there is a need, as well as
assisting in compliance with the requirements of the SAQA Act. In this
regard DACST is working closely with the National Standards Body for Arts
and Culture to establish Standards Generating Bodies in the requisite
sub-fields. Once these unit standards have been registered the
accreditation of training in the non-formal sectors will be possible. In
the area of non-formal arts education, the Department works with a number
of tertiary institutions providing training and capacity building for
staff running community arts centres as well as NGOs providing arts
education and training. This includes training linked to the Poverty
Relief programme, in which the CSIR is a strategic implementing agent.