11 Jun 2013

Science must be applied to vital areas of humanity such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry especially where hunger and poverty persist, says National Food Technology Research Centre (NFTRC) research scientist and food technologist, Mr Abia Sebaka.

Speaking at a two-day Southern Region Maths and Science Fair on June 8 at Good Hope Senior Secondary School, Mr Sebaka said science was an essential contributor in solving the vicious circle of the global problems of hunger, poverty and environmental degradation.  

He said most people thought that Maths and Science fairs were events where students explained simple and most likely overused or recycled fair projects, but presenting a science project allowed students to improve communications and social skills.

“Students could win a lot of recognition and standing out from others is very important,” he said adding that fairs gave students recognition and that many students had managed to attract scholarships and future employment after being discovered through fairs.

“Technology is an increasingly important element of globalisation and competiveness,” he said. Mr Sebaka also noted that Botswana must turn challenges into opportunities through the use of Maths and Science fairs saying that one of the biggest problems facing this country was scarcity of water.

He said existing water supplies were insufficient to meet the urban, industrial, agricultural and environmental demands resulting in the recent introduction of water rationing by Water Utilities Corporation.

In this regard, he said there was little doubt that science and technology could play a vital role in devising the solution that would be necessary to overcome the daunting problem of water scarcity.

Furthermore, he said some technologies that were developed through Mathematics and Science included biometric identification technology, weather science, crime investigation and air traffic control.

He commended the government for declaring Mathematics and Science compulsory subjects at secondary school level.
For her part, head of department - pastoral, Ms Sekgabiso Aabobe said their intentions were to turn challenges into opportunities.

Ms Aabobe said although they were faced with challenges of shortage of water, they were working around the clock to turn that into an opportunity to realise the theme of the fair which was: ‘Maths and Science: A gateway for developing efficient technologies-Turning challenges into opportunities.”
ENDS