Keynote address by the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, MP, as chancellor of the University of Limpopo, University of Limpopo Digital Innovation Lab Launch, 06 March 2024
Programme Director - Prof Thabe Matsebatlea,
Vice-Chancellor and Principal - Prof Mahlo Mokgalong,
Council Chairperson, Mr Pandelani Nefolovhodwe,
Members of the Council,
Staff from the University of Limpopo,
President and CEO of Samsung Africa - Mr Simon Lee,
Deputy Director General from the Limpopo Office of the Premier - Dr Martin Sehlapelo;
Distinguished guests,
Members of the SRC,
Our students,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Today marks an incredible moment in the University of Limpopo’s ongoing commitment to bridging the digital divide, a divide that continues to disadvantage many rural communities and rural economies. The launch of this Digital Innovation Lab, made possible by the visionary collaboration between the University of Limpopo, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Samsung Electronics South Africa, and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (the DTIC), is a testament to the power of partnership in addressing critical societal challenges.
The Digital Innovation Lab represents a milestone in our institution’s efforts to bridge the digital divide, of which rural communities remain on the receiving end.
The digital revolution, fuelled by the rise of Artificial Intelligence and other innovations, presents both profound opportunities and complex challenges. While technology empowers human progress, it can also exacerbate existing inequalities across lines of class, race, gender and location. This is the reason this Digital Innovation Lab has the potential to be an equalizer, ensuring that the University of Limpopo is at the forefront of nurturing talent and providing accessible training opportunities that equip learners and educators alike with the skills crucial for navigating the complexities of the 21st century.
Notably, the digital revolution is reconfiguring the world of work in both challenging and promising ways. On one hand, the digital divide is exacerbating existing inequalities. Those without access to technology, digital skills, or reliable internet connections are increasingly left behind, unable to compete in a job market that demands digital proficiency. This gap is disproportionately affecting the marginalized communities, those on the periphery of mainstream economic activities.
However, the digital revolution also presents significant opportunities for transforming the workplace. Automation is changing the nature of many jobs, necessitating upskilling and a shift towards higher-order tasks that require creativity, problem-solving, and adaptability. Remote work has become prevalent, offering greater flexibility and potentially opening up a global talent pool. However, it is essential to ensure this new work landscape does not create more harm than good.
We need to constantly imagine ways in which our institutions can provide accessible training opportunities and address potential biases in digital work platforms to avoid creating new forms of inequality
For example, in Healthcare, clinics in wealthy suburbs are well-resourced to afford the use of Artificial Intelligence to analyse medical scans for early cancer detection. However, a rural clinic with limited internet and outdated equipment cannot access this technology, thus reproducing disparities in access to potentially life-saving diagnoses on the basis of where one was born. The University of Limpopo should leverage this facility to nurture talent that is able to tilt the technological scale in favour of those who have been in the margins for decades.
Along class lines, wealthier families are able to afford better devices, internet plans, and access to AI-powered educational tools, giving their children a significant advantage over the poor. Along gender lines, the gender pay gap is limiting women’s access to technology and AI training, hindering their participation in the development and use of these tools. Along spatial lines, rural communities remain on the receiving end of the digital divide.
With this infrastructure, we now have an opportunity to leverage the digital revolution to address persisting socio-economic inequalities currently reproduced in and through education:
There is growing acknowledgment that education systems around the world need to evolve to better equip both Teachers and Learners with relevant skills and competencies for a fast-changing world to enable them to compete and succeed in an uncertain and complex future.
There is a widespread realization that rapid advancements in technology have drastically changed the landscape of industries, careers and job markets in ways that can no longer be ignored. As a result, there is a growing demand for youth with competencies in digital analytics, coding and robotics across various global economic value chains.
Globally, the introduction of Digital Technologies, Coding, and Robotics for Teacher Development has emerged as crucial in carving pathways toward the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Education, particularly Goal 4, which emphasizes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
For example, UNICEF’s work on AI and Children indicates that AI systems are fundamentally changing the world and affecting the present and future prospects of learners globally. Learners are already interacting with AI technologies in many different ways: they are embedded in toys, virtual assistants, video games, and adaptive learning software. Algorithms provide recommendations to children on what videos to watch next, what news to read, what music to listen to and who to be friends with.
On the continent, the African Union Agenda 2063 identifies Africa’s digital acceleration pathways in human development as the “new normal”.
In South Africa, the Presidential Commission on 4IR Report declared that “The 4IR is a new epoch in social and economic life. Success in the 4IR will depend on our ability to unleash the full scientific, industrial and creative capabilities of South African society. In other words, the fundamentals of this revolution are consistent with the aims of our developmental state: economic competitiveness and societal well-being”
Here at home, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has identified coding and robotics as a subject that is central to function in a digital and information-driven world, as it is concerned with the various interrelated areas of Information Communications Technology (ICT), Engineering, and Coding in the context of 21st Century technologies.
By equipping our youth with these skills, we facilitate a learning environment where learners can receive a more engaging, interactive, and effective educational experience. Teachers empowered with technological competencies are better positioned to deliver lessons that are relevant to the needs of the 21st century, nurturing students who are digitally literate and adept at navigating the complexities of the modern world. Emerging scholarship also shows that Digital Technologies can be applied in a manner that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, while Coding enhances logical reasoning, computational thinking, and algorithmic skills. Robotics, on the other hand, promotes hands-on learning, collaboration, and innovation.
There are challenges we must still address:
Despite the promise of the digital revolution for educational settings, several hindrances face a successful introduction of Digital Technologies, Coding and Robotics in our educational institutions.
These hindrances include:
- Lack of standardized, quality, digital educational content;
- The high cost of data,
- Limited connectivity in rural areas;
- Lack of support structures for educators to develop their skills further;
- Limited teacher training and development;
- Lack of investment into emerging technologies;
- Insufficient access to reliable digital connectivity, computers, and technology devices.
Section 4: The Digital Revolution in Higher Education
The surge in computing power and AI has significantly impacted Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by revolutionizing their decision-making processes. This influence has yielded both positive and negative outcomes.
On the positive side, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) can now leverage vast amounts of student data to make more informed choices. For instance, AI-powered recruitment tools can analyse student profiles to identify high-potential candidates, improving admissions selection. Big data can also track student progress, allowing for early intervention and support for struggling students, thereby boosting retention rates. Additionally, AI-powered assessment tools can personalize learning experiences and provide more nuanced feedback. Furthermore, research allocation can be optimized by analysing publication trends and faculty expertise using big data. Overall, data-driven decision-making can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Higher Education Institutions’ operations.
However, there are also concerns surrounding the use of big data in HEIs. One major concern is algorithmic bias. Admissions algorithms trained on historical data might perpetuate existing inequalities, disadvantaging certain demographics. Additionally, over-reliance on data-driven metrics might overlook valuable qualities not easily quantified. Furthermore, student privacy is a paramount concern. HEIs must ensure data is collected and used ethically and transparently.
Thus, the rise of AI in higher education presents both opportunities and challenges. While data-driven decision-making offers significant potential for improvement, we must remain aware of ethical implications and potential biases. By wielding big data responsibly, universities can harness its power to create a more effective and equitable learning environment for all.
Consequently, there is an urgent need for higher education managers, policymakers, students, and academic and support staff to interrogate the risks associated with the proliferation of big tech companies and big data products in HEIs, particularly the extent to which they are presented as neutral and objective machine-driven interventions that could do no harm (Gran et al., 2021). After all:
In the words of Kranzberg, “Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral … but it frequently leads to environmental, social and human consequences that go far beyond the immediate purposes of the technical devices and [practices] themselves”.
Kranzberg’s assertion underscores a crucial point: technology does not exist in a vacuum. It is deeply intertwined with the social, economic, and environmental fabric of our world. When we introduce a new technology, we inevitably trigger a chain of events that extend well beyond the intended use of the technology itself. For example, the invention of the automobile revolutionized transportation, but it also led to unforeseen consequences like urban sprawl, air pollution, and a global reliance on fossil fuels.
Similarly, the advent of social media has connected billions of people, but it has also brought challenges such as cyberbullying, misinformation, and threats to privacy. The very act of creating and deploying a technology shapes the world around it, altering behaviours, power dynamics, and even the way we perceive ourselves. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the full spectrum of potential impacts when evaluating any new technology, recognizing that the consequences will not always be predictable or fully within our control.
In closing, it is imperative that the University of Limpopo continues in this trajectory and to act as a conduit so that rural communities are not left behind as always. The impact of this initiative will be felt for decades to come, and, as Chancellor, I am particularly proud to be part of this family.
Our university must also put digital transformation at the centre of its academic and social programme such that it becomes an integral part of our unique institutional identity. We must foster digital transformation for socio-economic transformation purposes
The Public Private Partnership we are witnessing today is exemplary and must be expanded and sustained. We must thank our private sector partners once again for being deliberate about educational empowerment. Well done to Samsung, may your market share continue to grow so that you can, in turn, continue to re-invest in South Africa’s educational journey.
Lastly, women make up less than a third of the workforce across STEM careers. This statistic should alarm all of us. The situation is even much worse in cutting-edge fields, such as Artificial Intelligence, where only one in five professionals is a woman.
The historical and ongoing exclusion of women from STEM is a tragedy we must confront. UNESCO indicates that even though more girls are in school today than ever before, women and girls remain severely underrepresented in STEM. Globally, Women and Girls are systematically tracked away from STEM throughout their educational journeys, thus perpetuating scientific inequality.
Even in instances where women do manage to advance in scientific careers, they are often met with persistent discrimination and a betrayal of their full potential. Their contributions to scientific and technological progress are often overlooked and sometimes rendered invisible.
May this facility place young women and persons with disabilities at the centre of STEM and the digital revolution.
In agriculture, Women are the backbone of food production and security in many parts of the world. In this context, we must leverage science as a powerful tool in the hands of women to improve irrigation systems and sustainable farming practices and boost incomes.
In the context of urban development, women should be leading the way in designing new resilient cities, transforming how we live and work.
In the ocean economy, we urgently need to nurture women marine biologists who will lead the sustainable use of our ocean resources.
We need more young women in the field of Cybersecurity, a critical aspect of the digital age. From policymaking to technical roles, women should be at the centre of ensuring that the Internet remains a safe and inclusive space for all.
As General Secretary Guterres correctly declared, “more women and girls in science equals better science.”
I thank you
