IN the last episode we made reference to the role of the human factor in developing our economy.
We intimated that when things do not work in a society the problem can always be traced to human failure to act purposefully.
But let us revisit the key elements for economic development: science and technology.
In Zimbabwe today there is much talk about a science-led economic development agenda.
Is there any development that can take place without science? Some will ask:
But what is science?
Science is knowledge about the world around us; about plants, animals, disease-causing organisms, the soil, the air and everything else in-between.
It is knowledge about how things work, both natural and man-made.
Technology is about using the scientific knowledge to create working systems, machines, gadgets, tools and so on.
That Zimbabwe now speaks of a science-led development agenda reflects that our development has up to now not been in our hands.
If it had, then it was not led by scientific knowledge.
But is it possible to have development without using scientific knowledge?
Hardly!
So the science and technology that has been working in Zimbabwe has been externally sourced.
Whatever science has been taught locally has been part of the colonial curriculum to service the colonial economy.
This explains why even teachers consider science as a school subject, not part of knowledge about everyday life!
That is why Zimbabwe has embarked on indigenisation and economic empowerment initiatives.
It is acceptable to import technologies at critical times when local substitutes do not exist.
But it is not sustainable to rely on outside science and technology perpetually.
We need to indigenise the science and technology curriculums to make them part of our culture, as it were.
Let us interrogate the science-development link a little more.
To develop is to create or improve and deploy systems, gadgets, infrastructure, crop and animal varieties and so on to improve the quality of people’s lives.
There are two ways of achieving development in a country: either you import the science and technologies required or your own people carry out scientific research to discover new knowledge which is then used to create new or improved technologies.
Importing technologies can be expensive; most nations will not export technologies that give them a competitive advantage in international trade.
True independence and sovereignty are based on reliance largely on domestic production and technologies.
Our own local scientists need to conduct applied research to discover the best knowledge for managing different problems and situations in our economy.
These scientists must be developed through the school system all the way up to university.
That is why we must strengthen science teaching in our school systems.
Scientists, through their training, develop a special culture of critical inquiry to discover the secrets of the natural world around us.
In their investigation of nature, they use the scientific method.
This is an approach where one avoids bias or favour, concentrating on the things as they are.
Scientists do not work on rumours; they check carefully and act on the best information available.
When Government demands evidence-based policy recommendations, they are asking for scientific evidence to support the recommendations.
Otherwise development can be derailed if it is not based on scientific evidence.
Bridges and buildings where contractors have cheated on the science and technology (e.g. by using sub-standard materials) usually collapse leading to loss of life and financial resources.
Often scientists will invent special machines to enable them to make more thorough observations.
The microscope is one such instrument used to see details not visible to the naked eye.
The engine of a car is a typical example of scientific invention.
It is called the internal combustion engine which means fuel is burned inside the engine with the smoke coming out through the exhaust pipe.
Automotive engineers are scientists who make cars and their engines.
Through continuous research, they find ways of making better and safer cars which produce more power and less polluting smoke.
In all their research to bring about these improvements, they use the scientific method.
Scientists have a culture of careful observation without bias or favour.
They study different things and discover ways of making machines work better, crops give higher yields or medicines to cure diseases and pesticides to control pests without polluting the environment.
In short, scientists are responsible for developing all our systems, improving them and seeing that they work to make our lives better.
All that is part of what we call development.
Another side of the science coin is that the products that scientists develop are then manufactured and sold locally and on the international market to bring in much needed foreign exchange that we use to import other goods that we do not produce.
The wider the range of goods and the more sophisticated, the larger the export earnings.
All this is only possible if our science and technology are well developed.
The above is a description of how science works.
It is meant to illustrate how science is part of everything that we do.
If we are scientifically illiterate, that is if we do not use science to guide and inform our daily actions, we do not develop as a nation, as an economy.
It means we will always rely on other people’s science which they will sell to us at high prices.
So we will remain poor.
If Zimbabwean scientists engage in scientific research (kutsvakiridza ruzivo, njere nemaitiro) then we will use the science (knowledge) to produce goods and services that help our own people to live better lives.
At the same time we can export the goods and services that we produce using our technologies, to other countries and make money for ourselves and our economy.
Currently we seem to be exporting our few scientists who are working to enhance the economies of other competing countries.
Let us give a few examples of what science can do for us.
Our shops are full of imported goods.
Packaged food items ranging from milk, meat, vegetables, cereals, sweets and drinks require simple technologies such as drying and excluding germs by vacuum packing, pasteurisation and use of preservatives.
The science involved is straightforward and not above us as Zimbabweans.
By teaching science to our children, we help them to grow up with the capacity to understand the processes involved such that they can also research and develop new food products for local and export markets.
If one visits Mbare Siyaso Market in Harare, the inventive genius of our Zimbabwean people can be seen.
A wide range of equipment for farming, mining and waste handling is being hand-crafted by people with very little education, least of all science.
If the school curriculum is strengthened to become science-based, the inventive genius of our people will be enhanced.
The volume, quality and sophistication of manufactured goods will increase tremendously to meet export standards.
Science teaches us basic principles about matter and energy and how they interact.
That is the basis for all technology development.
Many technologies are developed by scientifically literate people.
By gaining an understanding of how matter/materials behave under different conditions (heat, cold, stress, pressure) people (scientists) can make different gadgets/pieces of equipment for use in different life situations.
That is technology development.
So people who understand how nature (science) works can develop different goods and services to enhance the economy.
Only then can we talk of a science-led development trajectory.
How do we get these people?
We teach science to the children throughout the school curriculum and we will have science-led development.
By deliberately investing in science education, Zimbabwe will increase the competitiveness of its human capital base, ensuring a science-led development paradigm.
The struggle for economic liberation continues with science as the principal tool for sharpening our human capital!