Hon Chairperson, since science and technology separated from the mother ship in 2004, it has been busy restructuring and "revisioning" itself. Six years later, the process has yet to come together. The Technology Innovation Agency is but one example.
Despite the Technology Innovation Agency Act being passed in 2008, a chief executive officer has yet to be appointed. Very little progress has been achieved with the migration of the seven entities into TIA. By the own admission of the chairman of the board, the set-up costs of TIA were not considered when the Act was passed. I think it's a case of "Houston, we have a problem."
The 10-year innovation plan of the department states that the aim is to transform the South African economy into a knowledge-based one. The knowledge-based economy is an expression coined to describe trends in advanced economies towards greater dependence on knowledge, information and high skills levels and the increasing need for ready access to all of these by business and public sectors.
Ireland is a good example of a successful knowledge-based economy. One of the key reasons is the heavy state investment in tertiary education as well as providing generous funding for research and development.
A three-year study of prospective science students at one South African university showed that almost half of the 313 students in a bridging programme had difficulties with basic mathematics skills. More than half were baffled by a simple graph, with 80% unable to combine equations and about 35% unable to solve even examples of problems encountered in their daily lives. Given the results of this study and the fact that South Africa has been ranked number 45 out of 134 countries in the 2009 World Economic Forum, there clearly is still a lot of work to be done to achieve the department's vision.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is a major player in South Africa's research and industrial arena so as to establish the relevancy of its business focus, particularly to address our drastic need to export products to earn foreign exchange for wealth creation. This entity's research impacts on, among other areas, renewable and alternative energy, new drug development, climate change, and water and coastal issues.
While the CSIR has listed its achievements in its glossy publication, detail about its role in respect of climate change is seriously lacking. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges ever to confront humanity. South Africa's geographic position is one of its assets, and it can enable us to play a leading role in climate change.
What are our researchers doing in respect of land degradation, drought- resistant crops, water quality and ocean changes along our coastline? What is the Deputy Minister doing for South Africans to map their carbon footprint?
One of the main effects of climate change is the increased incidence of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. A more urgent response is needed in prevention, early-warning systems - detection - and treatment. It is my considered opinion that these areas fall in the research domain of the