Windhoek, Namibia: The President of the Republic, President Danny Faure attended the official opening of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of States and Governments.
The Head of State is leading the Seychelles delegation at the 38th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government currently being held in Windhoek, Namibia, under the theme “Promoting Infrastructure and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development”. The Chairmanship of SADC is now assumed by Namibia, following handover from South Africa.
Speaking on the theme of the Summit, President Danny Faure expounded on the importance of education for youth empowerment and to prepare society in face of the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. He further called upon the regional body to examine the readiness of Member States educational systems in the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“Excellencies, without education of our children and youths as a constant in our works, we will lose once more, to industrialization. We therefore wish that the concept of infrastructural development also incorporates in a strong tone, the education element. It was in line with this Summit’s theme and our growing ontological view of the importance of education in youth empowerment and infrastructural development, that we have brought in the agenda item, a call for action; the wish for a discussion on the readiness of our educational systems for the advent of the fourth industrial revolution,” said President Faure.
He added, “My government is of the view that we as SADC should in earnest, discuss how we can engage throughout our educational spectrum, from as early - as early childhood throughout to tertiary education, in order for us to champion the fourth industrial revolution. This can only be done through education. We wish that we can materialize such projects as the University of Transformation which will add to this endeavor”.
“In order for us to better support each other in this regard, we need to uncover where we presently stand; to analyze our current educational systems in this field and together, through relevant Ministerial committees, find means to enhance the education environments that will strengthen capacity, and build the much espoused resilient culture for the fourth industrialization”.
As a result, the Summit endorsed the Seychelles President’s proposals on embracing the fourth industrial revolution. In order to operationalize the Summit’s theme, it agreed to “create a digital platform for youth engagement on the relevance of our current educational systems to face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution”; and in relation to the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap, the Summit agreed to adapt it “to address the readiness of our educational systems for the advent of the fourth industrial revolution”.
It must be further noted that the SADC Council of Ministers had earlier in the week agreed with a proposal by Seychelles for the Ministers of Education and Training, Science, Innovation & Technology to consider the readiness of Member States’ educational systems to face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution, and to report to SADC Council in August 2019.