South Africans need to be educated on benefits that new technologies bring to their lives, rather than the perception that it is stealing their livelihood.
This is according to delegates attending the Fourth Industrial Revolution [4IR] INDABA 2019 in Pretoria under the theme “Is South Africa 4IR Ready?”
Academics, business and SETAs representatives agree that everyone from government, business, academics and ordinary citizens has a role to play in ensuring that new technology advancement benefits the country.
“We have a research arm that is going to consolidate all the recommendations and all the nice things that we will be discussing in this place today so that we able to bring about a focus of how and what South Africa should be focusing on. So we are going to act as an advisory board which actually is a private sector led initiative. We believe that the fourth industrial revolution is government led in terms of policy. In terms of looking at the direction that the country needs to take. The regulation and other things,” says conference chairperson, Alex Malapane.
“There is a need to change the mindset because when we talk about the fourth industrial revolution, we are talking about transformation and to transform, a person has to transform his mind first. Transformation can start from me as a person. So it means that those who are dealing with the policy, with regard to the curriculum they have to move with the change. What they thought was working during the previous revolutions they have to find out that now they have to change and transform and move what is best for this generation:”, says researcher Daswa Thizwilodni.
