WE NEED PASSION, WORK ETHIC AND PATRIOTISM

THE FOURTH Industrial Revolution and its impact on the future has been heavily debated and many commentators have argued that we are already in the revolution and we should start preparations for the fifth. If we are honest with ourselves as South Africans, at times we are reflecting on challenges related to the second and the third revolutions.

Eventually, we need to stop measuring targets related to access to electricity and water and accept these as universal rights and start measuring targets such as universal access to the internet.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced important developments in the State of the Nation Address which focused on moving from traditional textbooks towards tablet learning, the introduction of robotics and coding to the curriculum and the working group within the Presidency, which shall provide ongoing advice to respond to the challenges and the opportunities that emerge.

Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi is also aiming for smart schools to be across the board and to promote technical learning through special technological schools.

So, what else can be done?

I think that we need a deep interrogation of all jobs and professions that currently exist and we need to analyse the potential existence and needs of these jobs and what skills they will require in the next 20 years.

Then we need to ensure that we design our curricula accordingly so that we develop the right skills so when the time comes we are ready.

We need to be honest with ourselves to reduce the programmes that have major chances of being automated.

And what then of the teachers and lecturers who deliver the curriculum as we transition towards electronic learning what becomes their role?

I think we need to skill our teachers to become more mentorship focused for their role to be to guide and shape learners as they prepare them for the outside world.

And what then of our economy? If we build the skills that are necessary, we also need to build new industries that respond to our economic needs.

We should start now to profile our special economic zones to be manufacturing ready for autonomous cars and machines.

I also often argue that many of our skills in South Africa are exportable, and that we should utilise our dynamic as the gateway to Africa more effectively.

For example, South Africa’s higher education is well regarded on the continent, hence we could export much of the content that exists through e-learning to other African countries.

The social impact of the industrial revolution is also an important critical analysis.

Our social compact has started to erode because of widespread corruption and the effects of inequality.

But have we ever defined the social compact that we share as South Africans?

Have we ever taken the time to map out the values systems that make us who we are?

We speak ubuntu, but how have we made this translate into actual impact on the ground? I am of the view that values based teaching from a young age can help us mould a new generation of South African cadres. Values transcend no matter how many industrial revolutions there may be.

And if we are going to respond to a rapidly changing world we need at the heart of it, passion, work ethic and patriotism. These factors translate to a culture of making things better through innovation.

Tackling a global problem in the present is essential to start building a viable and sustainable future for the coming generations.