SA's tech future is a fantasy as education sector fails to bridge chasm

LET’S not kid ourselves. While the rest of the world is building the future, South Africa is still stuck arguing about whether the internet is a basic human right or a luxury. AI? Robotics? Blockchain? We can’t even get basic computer literacy into every class-room, let alone prep our kids for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

- HOUSE OF TRUTH RYAN FORTUNE

China is teaching AI to primary school children. Earlier this week, Donald Trump signed an executive order for the US Education Department to start doing the same. And what are we doing? Shuffling around outdated policies like pensioners playing bingo.

We're in the middle of a global tech revolution, and South Africa is still trying to find the ON switch.

Let’s talk about the public sector for a minute, supposedly the engine of development.

You’d expect, at the very least, a baseline of digital competence. Instead, we've got officials who can barely send an email, let alone harness the power of AI to improve public services. Laptops are scarce, digital systems are a joke, and the fear of tech - yes, technophobia - is very much alive and well. It’s like watching cavemen try to build a smart city. You can’t make this up.

But it’s not just the tools. It’s the people. The skills. Or rather, the complete and utter lack of them.