Induction workshop: engagement with ASSAF & SACNAS

Meeting report

Academy of Science of South Africa: Overview

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) made a presentation, led by Prof Evance Kalula, Council member and leader of the ASSAf delegation, Prof Himla Soodyall, Executive Officer, and Mr Morakeng Chiloane, Finance Manager, to provide orientation on the entity's operations to Members of the Portfolio Committee. The presentation included information on its background, vision, mandate, goals, membership processes, and financial information. Highlights were:

ASSAf's goals:
- Recognition and reward of excellence;
- Promotion and innovation and scholarly activity;
- Promotion of effective, evidence-based scientific advice;
- Promotion of public interest in, and awareness of, science and science education;
- Promotion of national, regional and international linkages.

ASSAf challenges:
- Supporting the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) South African platform through baseline funding;
- Lack of member engagement;
-Transformation of membership demographics;
- Uptake of recommendations from studies.

[Refer to presentation attached for more details]

SA Council for the Natural Scientific Profession: Overview

The SACNASP orientation presentation was delivered by Prof Khathutshelo Nephawe, Chairperson of SACNASP, and Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The presentation included their mandate, objectives, governing structures, registration requirements, programmes, strategic advice, and recommendations.

Strategic advice for national development:
- Reports to government to inform policy and decision-making;
- Taking science to society through science engagement and communication activities – a science-engaged citizenry;
- Responding to ministerial directives

Substantive changes to the draft Bill:
- Clarity regarding the mandatory nature of registration;
- Bolstering the regulatory mandate of SACNASP and providing powers to the Minister;
- Alignment and benchmarking with other government entities;
- Professionalisation of the public sector.

Challenges and opportunities:
- High turnover of staff due to low remuneration and inadequately staffed key departments;
- Cumbersome registration processes;
- Strengthening SACNASP’s regulatory function;
-Adequate resourcing is crucial.

[Refer to presentation attached for more details]

Discussion
Mr V Nkosi (ANC) was concerned about the lack of race and gender equality within the membership of ASSAf, and said that the Academy should put measures in place to amend this issue. He also asked for reports on the work that ASSAf was doing for government. What exactly was it doing to assist governments’ mandate? He asked for further details about their planned contributions to economic transformation and job creation. Finally, what was ASSAf doing to amend issues within the education and health sectors?

Ms L Sapo (ANC) asked whether ASSAf believed their high reputation correlated with their societal impact. She also asked why the interim president of ASSAf could not attend the meeting. She reiterated the concern around the lack of transformation within the membership of ASSAf, despite the diversity within the executive. Regarding the lack of participation and membership of relatively rural universities, could this exclusion be because of the lack of transformation within the membership of ASSAf? She struggled to understand the reason for the establishment of ASSAf and what their practical impact on the country had been. She asked about the practical impact of the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) programme in promoting science engagement among the youth.

Regarding SACNASP, Ms Sapo asked how much it costs to register as a scientist. Since membership fees were an important revenue stream for the entity, would it be possible for unemployed science graduates to register as scientists if they did not have adequate funds? She also asked about the conditions for registration, and whether it was possible for someone with a three-year degree to be registered as a ‘professional’ scientist despite the presentation saying that a four-year degree was required. Regarding experience, did SACNASP acknowledge internships as official scientific experience?

Ms A Hlongo (ANC) asked why ASSAf had not yet elected a National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) representative. The ASSAf presentation had also mentioned issues with limited member engagement, and she asked what steps the Academy had taken to deal with this issue. She also said that the SACNASP presentation did not adequately portray their financial issues to the Committee, and asked for more information about their financial situation.

Ms N Mazzone (DA) noted that, to increase their scope, both organisations could make use of Private Members Bills which Members of Parliament could implement to sponsor people with important innovations, for the sake of advancing scientific progress. Even if these bills were not passed, it would be important to get the message across. She urged both organisations to keep these private membership bills in mind, to allow them greater scope.

She questioned whether the organisations had plans in place to ensure that the skills of scientifically strong teachers and learners were reinforced and accessible to government. This was important in ensuring that their skills did not fizzle out and could be used to proliferate scientific advancement. What plans and programmes had the organisations put in place to encourage learners to take mathematics and science subjects in schools? She also questioned the use of the 30% pass mark for mathematics, and said that allowing learners to pass with such a mark would not necessarily produce scientifically capable learners.

Ms Mazzone admired the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) and was keen to “boast” about its accomplishments, but lamented the fact that she had not received a copy for many years. She believed that increased distribution of the journal should be valuable. She also felt that expanding and proliferating knowledge, such as that of common ancestry and genetic similarities within a racially divided society, was crucial, and that South Africa ought to lead the way in this regard.

Mr T Ramongalo (DA) asked about the challenges faced by ASSAf in implementing evidence-based solutions, particularly relating to governmental policy. He also asked whether the Academy could truly say that their programmes were adequately broad-based. While he commended the issue of transformation within the Academy, he believed that more focus should have been placed on implementing strategies that made science engagement more exciting. He approved of SAYAS, and believed that it could be a valuable tool in making science more accessible at the grassroots level. However, SAYAS would be better implemented if it were to reach more areas.

Regarding SACNASP, he wanted to know how the organisation held its members accountable if they committed misdemeanours or did not comply with regulations.

Mr T Mjadu (MK) noted the insufficient funds available in the country for governmental organisations, and asked whether the financial mandate given to these organisations was sufficient for them to function effectively. How would it be possible to teach and encourage the scientific development of learners in rural areas if rural schools had inadequate resources, such as limited or no access to technology, reliable electricity, computers and the Internet? What plans did ASSAf have to promote the uptake of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects among rural students? He also questioned whether it would be possible to implement coding and robotics subjects within rural areas, particularly due to the lack of resources.

Mr V Pambo (EFF) noted the importance of acknowledging that science itself had historically been framed and informed by politics and ideological outlooks. For example, scientific and psychological studies were often historically used as a way of ‘proving’ that black people did not have the same intellectual capacity as white people. It was therefore important for science organisations to take cognisance of the effects of their work. What strategies had these organisations implemented to ensure that the inherited sciences, and future scientific endeavours, did not “harbour the undertones of racism”? He argued for the importance of making science unbiased.

Mr Pambo commented on the importance of understanding the financial standing of the two organisations, and how the lack of resources affected their work. While he admired their lack of prioritisation on profit, they should not be afraid to ask the government for funds in order to fulfil their mandates effectively. Government should provide money to organisations as long as they adequately fulfil their mandates. The continuous austerity measures of government had not been good, and more money should be put into the economy and into scientific organisations. He encouraged these organisations to bring their financial issues to the Committee so that it could lobby for their interests, which could perhaps provide them with more money. As long as mandates were fulfilled, money should be adequately provided to governmental organisations.

He also noted the negative effects that working from home had produced, since many cleaners and other maintenance staff had been retrenched because of the lack of work. He reiterated the importance of organisations like ASSAf and SACNASP bringing their financial concerns to the Committee.

Mr Mjadu questioned how SACNASP could charge unemployed scientists registration fees, and questioned whether the conditions of registration were different for working and non-working people.

ASSAf's response

Prof Soodyall explained the reason for the establishment of ASSAf, saying that it was one of the 28 African, and 200 international, academies promoting science around the globe. SAYAS was one of the many young scientific academies in the world. ASSAf was a post-apartheid creation that was used to develop a single national academic academy, and it was endorsed by Parliament.

Prof Soodyall acknowledged the issues of race and gender inequality within ASSAf, and noted that this was an issue not only for ASSAf, but for the country at large. This inequality was starkly seen in the lack of black female full professors, compared to their male counterparts. The process of professorial recognition was a long process, with many criteria, and many previously disadvantaged groups did not have the resources to tick all these boxes. Fulfilling the transformation agenda within the membership of ASSAf had been an issue, particularly because they drew from already established scientists and not from recent graduates. Since admission into ASSAf worked through nomination, the Academy has been tapping into different associations, such as the genetics, pharmaceutical and social sciences associations, to find members to nominate into ASSAf.

Regarding ASSAf’s contribution towards government, Prof Soodyall noted that while ASSAf did not have the opportunity to do their own empirical research, they made use of evidence-based research and assessment through engagement with stakeholders. They aided in identifying waterborne diseases and the impacts of droughts and floods around the country. ASSAf also hosts the Science Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE), which provides rapid science advice that has played a part in interventions.

She thanked Mr Pambo for his contributions and noted that they would do better to address their financial constraints in the future.

On the lack of representation of members from historically disadvantaged universities, Prof Soodyall noted that academics tended to attend universities that allowed for more funding opportunities and greater visibility to advance their own careers. Despite this, ASSAf has been collaborating with historically disadvantaged universities on certain projects, such as sanitation and climate change.

She thanked Ms Mazzone for her recommendation regarding Private Members Bills, and noted its future value for the Academy. She commented that the socioeconomic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic had set the academy back, and that since last year it had adopted the ‘polycrisis’ model of viewing issues in one sphere as directly and/or indirectly affecting other issues.

She noted the importance of developing grassroots organisations to address the impacts of science and acknowledging race and socioeconomic history as resulting in access to science, and that programmes needed to be cognisant of that.

She said the reason the interim president of ASSAf was not in attendance was because she had prior commitments at Rhodes University, and had sent her apologies.

Prof Kalula said that ASSAf, as a South African academy, had to be one that worked for South Africa, despite the universality of science. He noted the importance of closer interaction between ASSAf and government, and said that the science academies in other countries were given higher priority. For example, in Senegal, the science academy was taken very seriously and received projects every year, and had schooling programmes that diversified those who had access to science. He noted the importance of prioritising and privileging science as part of the national agenda. International outreach and benchmarking were important, and a focus needed to be made on all science, not only the natural sciences.

Prof Soodyall said that the process of filling the NACI representative spot was still in progress. While the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) was now online, she would attempt to send Quest magazines to whoever was interested.

She also commented that the race and gender inequality within the membership of ASSAf did not represent the staffing component of the Academy.

SACNASP's responses

Dr Obokoh first addressed the cost of registering with SACNASP as a scientist, saying that it cost R570 to register as a candidate natural scientist, and approximately R1 760 to register as a professional natural scientist. This registration cost was one of the cheapest among the different sectors, and had not increased during the Covid-19 period. Proposals had been put forward for zero-rates for candidates, but this depended on the financial condition of the SACNASP.

Regarding qualifications, while SACNASP requires formal qualifications for registration, it also values work experience, and more work experience could lead to the ability to register at a more professional level. Internships were also seen as valid forms of experience.

Dr Obokoh also thanked the Committee for the recommendation on the private members' bills and said that this would be used in the future.

She said SACNASP had been implementing science programmes to ensure a pipeline was built from schools to universities so learners could adequately access science education. They have also been implementing award programmes to provide awards to top learners and high-achieving university graduates participating in national scientific development. They were also working on getting more science graduates employed, and had pilot programmes, including mathematics and science, to encourage students in rural areas to take more of an interest in science. She also appreciated the advice of bringing financial issues to the Committee for specific projects. She also said that many senior people left the Department because of low remuneration, and that financial assistance would remedy this issue and further allow them to fulfil their mandate.    

Prof Nephawe addressed the issue of regulation of members, and noted that the council had legal policies addressing this. The SACNASP received multiple complaints, mostly coming from the environmental space, and financial issues had made it difficult for them to legally defend themselves.

On the issue of registration, he said qualifications were not a determiner of status, as the recognition of prior learning (RPL) process had allowed access professional status for those possessing only matric.

He said the SACNASP received no funding from government, apart from project-based funding, and that their primary revenue came from membership fees. Larger financial resources would allow the council to perhaps provide zero-rate memberships for graduates, facilitating their advancement and allowing the council to better defend themselves legally. He believed that getting money from the government would be preferable.

DSTI's comment

A representative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) said that the NACI issue of ASSAf was in the process of being resolved. The Academy has received a name for appointment, and this issue should be resolved very soon. He also reiterated the challenges that budget cuts had made regarding implementing their mandate.

Chairperson's closing remarks

The Chairperson emphasised the importance of prioritising science for the development of the country. She questioned why the Department was not receiving enough money, and was surprised to hear of many science centres closing. She also highlighted technological and infrastructural difficulties preventing the adequate proliferation of science. She placed emphasis on transformation within the scientific community, and pushed for South African scientists to be the “best in the world”. Dignity needed to be brought back to South Africa, and Africans should partake in the international community to challenge “global bullies”. The elitist perception of science should be reduced so that more people could become interested and employed in the sciences. Prioritising the development of rural areas was crucial, and the status quo needed to be changed, as society was agitating for social change.

She reiterated the support of the Committee, saying that fulfilling the mandates of these organisations was crucial for the benefit of society.

The meeting was adjourned.