Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe urged developing countries to continue to work towards increasing their spending in the higher education sector.
Motlanthe was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Association of Commonwealth Universities of executive heads conference in Cape Town on 25 April 2010.
He said that South Africa has prioritised expenditure on education, research and development and continues to strive for better support of the research and development efforts.
"Our short-term target is to have one percent of gross domestic product (GDP) going towards research and development".
He said that the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande has assured government that: "investment in our higher education institutions to develop infrastructure, support research and develop the new cadre of researches is a priority".
He further said that "Africa cannot achieve the development envisaged in the millennium development goals (MDGs) without increasing participation rates, deepening quality and growing a vibrant new generation of researchers actively engaged with the social, scientific and economic challenges of the region".
Issued: The Presidency
25 April 2010
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/)
