Science Agora 2016　サイエンスアゴラ

Register to the SAASTA's talk session "Public Science Engagement in South Africa"

Date: Saturday, 05 Novemeber 2016 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Venue: Plaza Heisei, Meeting Room 2 JASSO Tokyo International Exchange Centre 2-2-1 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8630 日本学生支援機構（JASSO） 東京国際交流館プラザ平成 第２会議室 住所：江東区青海2-2-1 English-Japanese simultaneous interpretation will be provided. 日英同時通訳あり

• Discussion / 内容

  We will discuss the board implication and implementation of the science engagement strategy in South Africa. We will look at various national programmes that have been established in order to further develop the connection between science and society. We will also explore the quality of science communication in the media in South Africa, as well as a community media project that communicates science in indigenous African languages.

  The South African National Development Plan identifies science and technology as one of seven key drivers of development and it highlights this through the following statement: “Developments in science and technology are fundamentally altering the way people live, connect, communicate and transact, with profound effects on economic development. Science and technology are key to development, because technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances, improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure”

  To ensure that the development brought about by science and technology is realised, it is vital to establish an effective interface between science and society. The Department of Science and Technology therefore recently adopted the Science Engagement Strategy which “seeks to pursue a society that understands and values science and technology and the important role it plays in national prosperity and sustainable development, while engaging critically in science and technology development.” The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) is a business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and has been identified as the coordinator of the National Science Engagement Strategy.

  SAASTA has a mandate to advance public awareness, appreciation, and engagement of science, engineering, and technology (SET) in South Africa. The NRF is the government’s national agency responsible for promoting and supporting research and development of high-level skills in all fields of humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering and technology.

  本パネルディスカッションでは、南アフリカの科学振興実施戦略の広義や施策について次のような内容で協議します。

  • 社会と科学をより密につなぐために実施してきた様々な国家プログラムの紹介
  • 国内における科学コミュニケーションの質と国民理解度
  • 南アフリカ特有の民族言語による地域メディアプロジェクトの報告
    （南アフリカは民族数により１１の公用語が認められています）
  南アフリカは、国家開発計画において、人々の暮らしや経済発展の変革をもたらす科学技術を重要政策の一つとして位置づけています。そこで重要になってくるのが 科学技術についての国民理解です。科学技術省（DST）と国立研究財団（NRF）は財団内に南アフリカ科学技術振興庁（SAASTA＝サースタ）を設立し、国家科学振興戦略として、南アフリカ国内で 社会人文学、自然科学、理工学のすべての学問分野に対しての国民理解、評価、実施を推進しています。