Address by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande on the occasion of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Siyakhula Festival
Her Excellency, Prof. Sabine Döring State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany;
His Excellency, Mr. Andreas Peschke Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany;
Founding father of AIMS, Prof. Neil Turok;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to be part of the Siyakhula Festival of AIMS - indeed we are growing.
There is no doubt that mathematical sciences work is becoming an increasingly integral and essential component of a growing array of areas of investigation in biology, medicine, social sciences, business, economics and economic modelling, advanced design, climate, finance, advanced materials, and many more.
All of these activities are crucial for economic growth and development, national competitiveness, and national security - and this fact should inform both the nature and scale of funding for the mathematical sciences as a whole.
Mathematical scientists contribute to every field of science, engineering, and medicine. The mathematical sciences are always innovating. They do not consist of a fixed collection of facts that are learned once and thereafter simply applied.
While theorems, once proved, may continue to be useful on a time-scale of centuries, new theorems are constantly being discovered, and adapting existing knowledge to new contexts is a never-ending process.
Education in the mathematical sciences should also reflect and embrace this mutli-dimentional quality of the discipline of mathematics. Mathematics is also converging with humanities in ways not previously appreciated.
Eugenio Moutelik indicates “that the investigation of abstract ideas and patterns is component of both mathematics and humanities, while you interpret and evaluate human experiences, civilisations and ideas, you use logic to study structures and relationships in mathematics” allowing for greater inclusion of intellects.
The significance of the mathematical sciences is paramount as it underpins South Africa’s national initiatives, both existing and in planning stages. The efficacy and success of these initiatives are predicated upon a robust mathematical sciences foundation.
The central role of the mathematical sciences in 21st century innovations and addressing and responding to global challenges cannot be over-emphasised. Hence, adequate public investment in basic science education and research is a critical factor under-pinning socio-economic development.
For global competitiveness and the generation of employment opportunities, my Department of Science and Innovation has adopted the Basic Sciences Development and Support Framework (BDSF).
The BDSF aims to promote human resource development and build research capacity in the disciplines of Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Statistics, Computer Science, Biological Sciences and Geological Sciences; as well as to facilitate knowledge generation and knowledge exploitation for sustainable socioeconomic development of South Africa.
The BDSF is implemented through the South African Basic Sciences Platform (SABSPlat) and includes interventions such as the promotion of Human Resources development in basic sciences; strengthening Basic Sciences Research and Development Capacity, enhance the basic sciences research infrastructure, support basic science awareness and engagement as well as to nurture the involvement of industry.
A recent national review commissioned by my department acknowledged that, although South Africa boasts certain areas of excellence in mathematical research and education, the overall educational infrastructure exhibits considerable limitations.
The government in partnership with key stakeholders continue to invest in mathematical sciences in order to address some of these challenges.
Initiatives such as the Mathematical Sciences Strategic Alliance (MSSA) seeks to initiate a national dialogue that will bring about greater coordination and collaboration in strengthening the mathematical sciences in South Africa and serves as a primary partner in navigating the Government Policy Imperatives for Mathematical Science and Transformation Agenda in South Africa.
Over the years, we have witnessed positive developments in the increase in academic staff capacity and especially the increase in the percentage of academics in Mathematics with a doctorate.
Not only has the academic staff capacity grown, but it has also become more inclusive of black academics where the percentage of black staff doubled from 31% in 2000 to 62% in 2020.
The research publication output of Mathematics academics and students also reveals a very positive picture; the number of articles produced, as recorded in SA Knowledgebase, increased to 328 in 2020 at an annual growth rate of 9.4% as did the number of contributing authors (from 107 in 2005 to 323 in 2020).
This means that the field has managed to broaden its active publishing base through the inclusion of post-graduate students, post-Doctoral fellows as well as visiting scholars. The positive trends in publication output are also evidenced by positive trends in transformation with rates of increases in the number of female authors at 9.3% and black authors at a high 18.5%.
The share of black authors also increased to 57% in 2020 and this is evident of the role of science and innovation in transforming society.
It is our view that, for Africa to become a frontier of growth and harness its youth potential, there must be growing recognition that Africa’s education programmes must be reimagined to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit that benefits society.
Because it serves to encourage the demographic potential of youth, higher education in Africa must first and foremost help to shape the continent’s future. This begins with recognition that African academia does not exist in a vacuum, but it is one variable in the developmental dynamic.
South Africa commends the work done by AIMS to capacitate students in mathematical sciences. As a department, our support to AIMS covers the core running costs; the appointment of African and South African tutors; one postdoctoral fellow, and support for capacity building workshops focused on Historically Disadvantaged Institutions and Individuals (HDI’s).
Our support for AIMS over the years amounts to more than R90 million and covers the core running costs; the appointment of African and South African tutors; postdoctoral fellows, Masters, and PhD students as well as support for capacity building workshops focused on Historically Disadvantaged Institutions and Individuals (HDI’s).
Since the first intake of students in 2003, the AIMS South Africa has produced a total of 3200 alumni from 44 African countries, 35% of whom are introduced alongside the current Master’s programme.
Through my other department, the Department of Higher Education and Training, we have allocated over R32. 5 million between 2018 and 2022. This brings collective allocation of the two Departments to over R120 million.
According to UNESCO Science Report, only a third of scientists in Africa are women – and, while gender equality in African research is gradually progressing, women scientists in most countries continue to describe their careers as an ‘obstacle course.’
The UNESCO report on science noted that more women than men gained a masters degree, representing 53%, only 43% continued on to a doctorate and barely a quarter become researchers.
My Ministry fully supports the promotion of women in STEM in Africa. And the AIMS Women in STEM Initiative (AIMSWIS), an AIMS flagship program dedicated to accelerating progress for African women in STEM through evidence-based reporting and advocacy, leveraging increased investments, adoption of best practices, engaging men and collaboration across African women in the STEM pipeline.
It is therefore pleasing to note that of the 3200 AIMS Alumni, 35% are women.
We, however, have to do better! Through AIMS, South Africa continues to prepare students for the new technologies by introducing subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Machine Learning.
This is also aligned to the implementation plan of the White Paper on Science, Technology, and Innovation; called the Decadal Plan priority on education and skills for the future. We congratulate you on your partnership with Google DeepMind to advance artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Many technological innovations and advancements are built upon mathematical principles. From designing algorithms for artificial intelligence and machine learning to developing encryption techniques for cybersecurity, mathematics plays a crucial role in driving technological progress.
More broadly, mathematics is the language of science and is indispensable for theoretical and empirical research in natural and social sciences. It helps scientists formulate hypotheses, model real-world phenomena, and analyse experimental data.
At the same time, studying mathematics fosters critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. It helps individuals develop a structured approach to analysing problems and making sound decisions, which are valuable in both personal and professional life. Mathematics also plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, healthcare, and sustainable development.
It provides tools for modelling complex systems, predicting future trends, and designing strategies to mitigate risks and optimize outcomes.
In summary, mathematical sciences serve as a fundamental pillar of human knowledge and progress, enabling innovation, discovery, and problem-solving across various domains and contributing to the betterment of society as a whole. As we advance mathematical sciences it is important that we also seek to foster multidisciplinarity between mathematical sciences, natural sciences, and humanities!
This includes acknowledging importance of acquiring mathematical thinking skills at school and university, acknowledging importance of both fundamental and application-driven research in mathematics.
Additionally, acknowledging the importance of postgraduate student training in mathematics as well as training of mathematics teachers; and acknowledging the cyclic interconnectedness of these facets.
Researchers train postgraduate students and teachers, these constitute the main disseminators for the transfer mathematical thinking skills at school and university, students who excel in gaining mathematical thinkings skills are future researchers in mathematics and its applications.
It is therefore important to uniformly distribute substantial funding and resources across these four sectors. Freedom of science allows researchers to work on hard challenging problems which in the long term will give large benefit to society, as opposed to focusing on easier problems which yield small but immediate benefit.
Unrestricted scientific inquiry fuels innovation by driving the development of new technologies, products, and processes. Free exchange of ideas and information enables researchers to build upon each other's work, leading to the creation of novel solutions to societal challenges.
It is also important that pursuit of science must also seek to advance broader societal goals including economic growth and development as well as pursuit for social justice. Science for social justice is even more crucial in our own country, especially on the day when we celebrate the martyrs who fell for and human rights.
It is against the above context and background that we celebrate this important milestone for AIMS to continue to build capacity in South Africa and the rest of the continent through mathematical sciences.
Thank you.
