Ke a leboga, Modulasetilo, Maloko a Palamente ... [Thank you, Chairperson, Members of Parliament ...]
... it is really an honour for me to take part in this important debate of today under the theme "Equal access to education, training, science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women". Over the past 150 years, progress in science and technology has been a key driver of women's and societal development, vastly expanding the horizons of women's potential and enabling radical transformation in the quality of life enjoyed by millions of people.
Celebrating the centenary of International Women's Day will therefore not be complete without giving some thought to the role women play in science and technology, particularly the role in our own continent. Development is an enterprise that demands the efforts of both women and men working together to construct a social order characterised by justice, equity and collective prosperity. The systems of education, science and technology must then be arranged in a way that reflects both the material and spiritual dimensions of human beings, permitting each person to play his or her rightful role in the betterment of society.
Women in Africa have traditionally been excluded from the external information technology sphere, both deliberately and because of factors working to their disadvantage, such as the lack of freedom of movement or low levels of education.
Information and communication technology opened up a direct window for women to the outside world, with information flowing to them without any distortion or censoring. This led to a broadening of perspectives, greater understanding of their current situation and the causes of poverty, and the initiation of interactive processes to overcome their status.
When the 191 United Nations member states agreed to adopt the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, 11 years ago, all the signatories might not have been aware of the importance of gender, but over the past years it has become increasingly clear that, at their core, the MDGs are about improving the condition of women throughout the developing world.
However, if the problems highlighted in the MDGs are to be overcome, science and technology need to be seriously considered. Mobilising science and technology would play a pivotal part in the achievement of targets set by the MDGs and the 2010 - African Women's Decade, because advances in science and technology allow society to mobilise new sources of energy and materials, fight disease, produce crops, assemble and disseminate information and transport people and goods with greater speed and safety. The empowerment of women in the context of scientific and technological knowledge entails building up the abilities and skills of women to gain insight into issues affecting them and also building their capacity to voice their concerns. It entails developing the capacities of women to overcome social and institutional barriers and strengthen their participation in the economic and political processes, so as to produce an overall improvement in their quality of life.
The objective of the 2010 - 2012 African Women's Decade launched in October 2010 is to reinvigorate commitments to the accelerated implementation of agreed global and regional commitments on gender equality and women's empowerment. It is truly encouraging that out of the 10 themes, a special focus will be on education, science and technology, to achieve parity in education at secondary and tertiary levels and higher retention rates for girls, with increased literacy levels of women through adult education, while promoting the contribution of women scientists.
In this regard, South Africa sets an admirable example to the rest of Africa with the SA Women in Science Awards, hosted by the Department of Science and Technology since 2003 as part of government's efforts to recognise and create incentives for women scientists and researchers in the country and to profile successful women scientists whose distinguished achievements in research and innovation are an inspiration to the nation, particularly to young women and girls.
In August 2009, the hon Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, publicised results on the role of women in the fields of science and technology in the country indicating that, although women make up only 33% of publishing scientists in the country, their numbers have increased in recent years and that trends showed an increased enrolment of women in higher education when compared to a similar study five years earlier. Women are advancing against men in the science fields, particularly engineering, agricultural studies and biology.
However, she also highlighted problems preventing women, and specifically black women, from increased participation in science, including financial difficulties before and during tertiary studies, gender stereotyping, legacies of disadvantage in black communities, negative dynamics at workplaces, and the lack of attention to women's specific needs.
In September 2010, five outstanding African women scientists were honoured when they received prizes at a Women Scientist Regional Award ceremony held at the African Union in Addis Ababa. The women were celebrated for their work in two fields of science, namely life and earth science, and basic sciences, technology and innovation.
Society at large must be made aware of the consequences of science and technology in the everyday lives of women and measures should be adopted to eliminate obstacles that women come up against when embarking on a career in scientific studies. Intolerance must be combated, programmes for continuing training enabling women to renew their professional skills must be offered, training programmes on equal opportunities should be set up, and principles of parity in all policy decisions and in the strategic choices of politicians, managers and administrators need to be developed.
It is increasingly clear that achieving the ambitious targets underlying the 2010 - 2020 African Women's Decade remains closely linked to raising the living conditions of millions of African women. As mothers, primary caregivers, scientists, leaders and housewives, women in Africa play a role in society that cannot be underestimated. Improving the quality of life is a moral imperative that cannot be escaped.
In conclusion, for girls and women living in poverty, education is not only the key to a brighter future, but also a key to survival. You educate a woman, you educate a nation. Thank you. [Applause.]