DST Human Capital Development Initiatives P Matutu & T Auf der Heyde PPC briefing 10 September 2014

HCD Landscape: Institutional context HCD Landscape: Policy framework HCD Systemic challenges DST HCD Interventions: –Established researchers –Emerging researchers –Post-graduate students Science promotion Conclusion 2 Presentation outline

Human Capital Development (HCD) landscape: Institutional context DBE: responsible for basic education (over R205 billion including provinces; 25,826 schools, 11,932,881m learners) DHET: responsible for Higher Education (over R30 billion for universities; 25 universities; 972,000 students) DST: responsible for research development and support, and innovation across the national system of innovation (R6.5 billion; 720,000 learners, 9,771 students) 3

HCD landscape: National policy framework National Development Plan (NDP)... by 2030 –produce more than 100 doctoral graduates per million of the population (increase the number of Africans and women); –produce an additional 100,000 PhDs; –at least 75% of academics with doctoral degrees; –acknowledges the importance of hosting science expositions as a way of stimulating interest in science among young people. Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) –will implement the first five-year of the three phases of the NDP –the DST contributes to Outcome (5): a skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive growth path 4

HCD landscape: Doctoral output 5

HCD landscape: PhDs / million population 6

National Research and Development Strategy (2002): –Human Capital Development, –investment in S&T infrastructure, –knowledge generation, –strategic management of the public S&T system, and –"centres and networks" of excellence Ten Year Innovation Plan 7 HCD landscape: DST policy framework

HCD systemic challenges Supervisory capacity to improve postgraduate completion rates (38.6% of academic staff with PhDs). Low bursary values resulting in low progression ratios (from Bachelors to Honours to Masters to PhD) and high demographic drop-off. Poor demographic representation at established researcher levels. Small science system (currently producing 34 PhDs per million population, GERD as percentage of GDP less than 1%). 8

HCD systemic challenges: Demographic drop-off 9 For 2012U/BHMD Number enrolled781,71185,50049,56013,965 Number of graduates120,39433,28410,3311,878 % of black enrolled % of female enrolled

HCD systemic challenges 10 High attrition rates (e.g PhD cohort): –46% enrolled never completed degree –29% dropped out in first two years –36% drop-out in natural sciences, 53% in humanities Low bursary values (e.g. 2013/14) HMDPD Value of NRF bursary (R) 40,00055,00090,000178,000 Approx after-tax starting salary (R) 100,000140,000180,000210,000

DST HCD Interventions 11 Established researcher level Emerging researcher level Next-generation level Science Promotion 11

HCD conceptual framework 12 HCD Conceptual Framework Next Generation Researchers Emerging Researchers Established Researchers Postgraduate Bursaries Workplace Readiness Postdoctoral Fellowship Thuthuka SARChI CoE

13 NRF Investment in HCD

Established researchers: Black male/female permanent instruction staff as a proportion of total (nationally) 14

Established researchers: (NRF supported) 15

16 Established researchers: (NRF investment excl. bursaries)

Established researchers: Flagship initiatives The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) The Centres of Excellence (CoE) Programme 17

Intended to expand and renew the SA scientific research base. Address historical racial, gender and age imbalances. Align with socio-economic development priorities. Increase number of world class researchers in SA. Awarded chairs 149. Next call for at least 20 chairs: –Black or female candidates will be prioritised, and international candidates –Two or three will be co-funded with industry. 18 Established researchers: SARChI

Established researchers: SARChI-funded students 6 In 2013, research chairs supervised a total of 1612 students –662 funded through SARChI –950 funded through external funds.

20 Established researchers: SARChI Publications

Established researchers: CoEs Physical or virtual centres of research which enable collaboration across disciplines and institutions; Student training environments; Conducting locally and internationally relevant competitive research; and CoEs –Established CoEs = 14 21

22 Established researchers: CoEs Catalysis / c*ChangeUCTACCESSCSIR Strong MaterialsWITSPalaeosciencesWITS Invasion BiologySU Food SecurityUWC Biomedical TB Research UCT Scientometrics and STI Policy SU Birds as Keys to Biodiversity UCT Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis UJ Tree Health Biotechnology UPHuman DevelopmentUKZN/UP SACEMASU Mathematics and Statistical Sciences WITS

23 Established researchers: CoEs

Established researchers: Conclusion The DST interventions (CoEs and SARChI) are yielding results in terms of the expansion of the supervisory capacity of the science system, A number of organisations are sponsoring chairs outside the DST/NRF system and universities are adding full professors trying to emulate the SARChI example, The initiatives are gradually succeeding in improving the race and gender inequity among the students supervised, and Additional investments in these initiatives would be essential to further expand the system while concomitantly improving student representation. 24

Emerging researchers: Initiatives DST/NRF interventions (2014/15) –Postdoc programme (+/- R100m) –Thuthuka programme (+/- R50m) –Competitive funding for unrated researchers (+/- R22m) –Research career advancement fellowship programme 25

Emerging researchers: Average grant values 26 Funding YearNumber of Grants Average grant value excluding bursaries (Rand) , , , , , ,407

Emerging researchers: Demographic profile 27

28 Emerging researchers: NRF Investment Excl. Bursaries

Emerging researchers: conclusions While significant investments were made in this category by the DST, it has not led to significant growth in numbers of supported researchers, but in the growth of average grant. In terms of equity, consistent growths have been in the proportion of white women, while proportional representation for blacks and black women fluctuates. Careful implementation of these programmes is necessary to improve black (particularly black women) participation. 29

Post-graduate students: Students supported through NRF 30

Post-graduate students: NRF support as percentage of total Honours35355 Masters Doctoral Average Total5,1318,2217,3839,771 Cost (Rm)

Postgraduate students: Demographics of NRF funded students 32 Actual 2008/9 Actual 2009/10 Actual 2010/11 Actual 2011/12 Actual 2012/13 Actual 2013/14 Ministerial Guideline Undergraduate Total Number Black37%76%54%62%63%69%80% Women49%56%45%41% 46%55% Honours Total Number Black66%73%75%79%78%77%80% Women55%59%54% 56%58%55% Master’s Total Number Black36%53%54% 57%58%80% Women51%52%50%49%50%52%55% Doctoral Total Number Black36%52%55%56%54%55%80% Women50%51%48% 50%55% Post-doctoral Total Number Black26%40% 42%46%49%80% Women41%48%42%40%45%44%55%

Postgraduate students: NRF Investment 33

Post-graduate students: Conclusions Over the past five years government has supported at least 34,030 postgraduate students (5,131 in 2009/10 to 9,771 in 2013/14), with more than doubling of the financial investments from R million to R million, during this period. In terms of black representation significant improvements have been made over the past 6 years. In terms of women the targeted proportional representation is close to being reached at masters and doctoral levels. 34

35 Science promotion: school level interventions (2014 to 2019) In February 2014, the DST adopted the “Framework for the DST’s activities in support of basic education” ( ). The Framework supports basic education through: –Promotion of public engagement with science –Enhancing effective teaching and learning environment through technology and educational research The science engagement programme comprises an established portfolio of activities, which in many ways: –complement the objective of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education; and –generally contribute to teaching and learning of mathematics and science.

36 Science promotion: National Science Week Contributing to increased learners’ participation in mathematics and science –Activities like the annual National Science Week (NSW), science festivals and science centre-based science awareness exhibits stimulate learners’ interest in mathematics and science, which enhances the DBE’s intentions to increase learners’ participation in these learning areas. –Up to 70% of about 700,000 participants in the NSW and festivals were learners, mainly in the FET band. –Up to 65% of the 1.6 million visitors to science centres in 2013 were learners (GET and FET combined).

37 Science promotion: Science Centres Science centre-based support –In addition to pure science awareness exhibits, science centres have hands-on exhibits that are linked to curriculum concepts across grades. –Of the 33 science centres supported by the DST: 27% have fully equipped science laboratories, assisting learners from under-resourced schools with experiments. 42% have mobile laboratories, conducting scheduled school visits to assist with experiments. 12% collaborated with their provincial departments of Education in the delivery of teacher in-service training in the 2013 academic year. Up to 90% annually conduct supplementary tuition and/or exam preparatory sessions in Mathematics and Physical Science.

38 Olympiads and competitions STEMI Olympiads and competitions –STEMI Olympiads and related competitions create an opportunity for learners to apply and refine knowledge gained from formal classroom learning and teaching. –The DST supports 8 STEMI Olympiads and related competitions, which collectively contributed to 28% of the just above 1 million people who participated in the DST-supported science engagement programme in the 2013/14 financial year. SET career awareness –DST campaign on SET careers include profiling mathematics and science teaching. 10,000 copies of SET career booklet to be distributed in the 2014/15 financial year. First SET career workshop on the SET career booklet involving about 60 subject advisers of Limpopo happening during the NSW 2014 in Limpopo.

Science Promotion: Learners and public reached in

Science Promotion: SAASTA Investment 40

Conclusions More resources are required to grow the established researcher initiatives and increase the values of average grants. More funds will be invested in the post-graduate category, but tighter monitoring of demographics and completion rates will be essential. Graduated PhDs need to be tracked to establish level of retention in system. Strategy documents, legislation, and more funds will be required to improve science promotion initiatives. 41

Enkosi Siyabonga Siyathokoza Thank you 42 Presentation