Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development THE DIVERSE NATURE OF THE INCLUSIVE INFORMATION SOCIETY NOZIPHO MASHIYI 03 NOVEMBER

THE INFORMATION SOCIETY- Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development CONCEPT: The concept of the Information Society is framed by a world view that regards information and knowledge as central to the development and emergence of a new form of social organisation in society, [ISAD Plan, p11] Closely linked to the Information Society is the concept of knowledge society--- knowledge economy. SA context WSIS Declarations of Principles Geneva 2003-Tunisia 2005 Response to the WSIS National ISAD Plan

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SA VISION OF THE IS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development “To establish South Africa as an advanced Information Society in which Information and Communication Technology tools are key drivers of economic and societal development.” 4

THE STRATEGIC GOALS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development The vision supports the goal of : With a broad mandate to: Address unemployment, economic growth and reduce inequlity; Promote nation’s health profile and skills capacity Promote diversity, social inclusion and tolerance; Entrench democracy and respect for human rights. 5 “Building an Inclusive Information Society to ensure the availability of Information for harnessing cultural diversity, promoting nation building and improving the quality of life for all Citizens”.

THE DIVERSE NATURE – SOUTH AFRICA Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development PILLARS 6

SA ISAD Programme Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development Anchored on the above pillars, the ISAD Programme ensures a coordinated and integrated approach towards achieving Government priorities Implemented with various government departments and municipalities- attest to the fact that ICTs are cross-cutting over a wide spectrum Poised to address challenges associated with: rural development, access to quality education, improved health care, economic and social infrastructure, cohesive and sustainable communities 7

PRIORITY e- APPLICATIONS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development e-Education : to promote the use of ICTS as a tool to support teaching and learning, encompassing distance education and lifelong learning as well as elimination of illiteracy e-Health- through ICT usage major South African medical centres can provide medical expertise and technical support to primary rural health care communities in different parts of South Africa across provincial boundaries e-Government : refers to the way in which the public sector uses ICTs to improve accountability, transparency, effectiveness, public service delivery and citizen participation in decision making (Global Society Watch, p198). ICT & SMMEs : ICTs offer flexibility of time and access to knowledge and productive resources for economic development. Local Content Development ; To use ICTs to be conveyors of locally relevant messages and information and to ensure that content dissemination through these technologies is relevant and local. They provide opportunities for local people to interact and communicate with each other, expressing their own ideas, knowledge and culture in their own languages 8

Developmental trends Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development The MTSF identifies ICTs as a key component to achieve South Africa's development goals e-Citizenship: use of ICTs to engage with citizens, e.g online electioneering, E-Imbizo: an electronic portal established for members of communities to participate in online meetings and also send sms to the government department to report challenges Free Open Source Foundation- vigourously taking a lead to build a Free Open Source ecosytem 9

EDUCATION IN THE IS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development PLE VLE ULE PLE VLE ULE Reliable, Robust and Accessible Infrastructure Staffing & CPD FUNDING MECHANISM m-Learning e-Learning 3.0 Blended learning m-Learning e-Learning 3.0 Blended learning E-EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL GOALS : WSIS EDUCATION FOR ALL MDGS OUTCOMES OF GOVERNMENT

EDUCATION IN THE IS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development One can boldly say, Education is one of the key propeler for the Information society. SA completed a Feasibility study on e-education- now implementing the proof of concept An Educated Society becomes an active participant towards/in a Knowledge Economy. Various platforms of learning are now available that serve as catalysts for learning, whether one is aware or unaware- e.g Personal Learning Environment (PLE) Building blocks for the e-Education Staffing Institution e-Readiness Content Technology 11

EDUCATION FOR THE IS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development Programmes and interventions- Response to the Education for All goals towards 2015 (69 million children out of school): WSIS recommended countries to develop ICT based educational delivery systems to address the EFA targets including basic literacy Response to the WSIS Plan of Action targets for 2015: Critical mass of qualified and ICT skilled professionals Promote e-communities, e-societies & capable workforce Remove gender barriers and promote inclusivity and accessibility 12

EDUCATION FOR THE IS Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development The South African e-Skills Council: a partnership between government, private sector, academia, civil society and other established government institutions, which provide strategic advice on ICT-related skills issues: National e-skills Framework- e-skills definition SA context ICT Labour market intelligence study The e-Skills Institute- to develop a national programme to lead creation of appropriate e-skills solutions for the knowledge economy- National e-Skills Plan of Action (NeSPA) Working inclusively South Africa can do more and better

REFERENCES Making South Africa a Global Leader in Harnessing ICTs for Socio-economic Development Global Campaign for Education: National Information Society and Development Plan: 2007 Global Information Society Watch,

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