PRIORITIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCIENCE POLICY IN A CHANGING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONTEXT

SUMMARY

Science has an important role to play in development in the third world in general and in South Africa in particular. However, to fulfil this role properly requires a broad-based approach with community involvement at all levels. Major contributions can be made both in a broad educational sense, in particular through communicating the basic ideas of causal relationships and quantitative analysis, and specifically through involvement in development projects relating to water, energy, agriculture, ecology, etc., and by contributing to job creation projects. The effective development of these themes depends firstly on involvement in public policy development, secondly on a broad-based education programme at all levels which particularly emphasizes cause and effect relations and the implications of science for everyday life, and thirdly on a research programme developing, testing, and demonstrating these ideas through projects in the field. Fundamental research should also be pursued, at an appropriate level of resource commitment, both for its own sake and to provide the base from which applied science can develop. The kind of broad-based programme required can only occur effectively if given sufficient support by government and scientific agencies. However, the scientific community must also clarify its mind on the priorities it sees for the future and make a strong case for those themes that will develop science per se in the future.