Science and Technology Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says South Africa needs young minds with innovative ideas in order to compete in a fast-changing world. Kubayi-Ngubane was speaking at the 22nd Science Festival in Grahamstown. The festival intends to explore innovative breakthroughs in technological advancement and transformation.
The festival intends to educate the youth and change perceptions about science. This as the country needs more people with skills in the field of advanced technologically. At the festival learners are exposed to various fields of science and technology. High school learners, Sonwabise Mtirara and Kamva Dukada, say the festival helped them to make informed choices about the career paths they want to follow.
“The science festival opens opportunities for students who do not know what to do after Matric, it opens opportunities for you to ask questions about career path you can take the people who are here have already done those careers they are an inspiration to us so we are able to ask questions about certain careers we want to follow,” said Mtirara.
“When I came here I was a bit confused as to following career in science but now it’s clear that science is what I want it is exciting it is interesting I want to be an optomologist,” said Dukada.
Minister Kubayi-Ngubane says science and technology is part of the solution to addressing poverty and unemployment. She encourages the youth to follow careers in the field of science.
“There is a high demand in terms of science field we need as a country to contribute towards innovation so that tomorrow we are to solve the problems we have as a country but equally for our children in the field of science and technology and innovation can be able to get jobs because the jobs of tomorrow this is the filed they will be coming from,” said Kubayi-Ngubane.
The festival attracts more than 50 thousand visitors from across Southern Africa and consists of 58 exhibitions. The manager of Scifest Africa, Phumza Jebe, says the festival is not just about educating the youth about science but it also has socio-economic benefits for the people of Grahamstown.
“Not only do we provide job opportunities for the people of Grahamstown but we also try and uplift the people coz we also train them in Science communication we also try and get them to see how science is so that they can be ambassadors, we bring lot of tourism to the festival with visitors coming the accommodation people come all over Eastern Cape and South Africa,” said Jebe.
The festival concludes on the 13th of march.
