Straddling the Divide: A Framework for Digital Skills Education in Support of Both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa

Abstract

AbstractSouth Africa has endorsed both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) which is to be aligned to its National Development Plan and the agenda of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which will inform economic direction and is supported in the country’s forthcoming Science and Technology White Paper. These two agendas are potentially divergent, and care is required to align the actions taken in support of these agendas. Both ICT and education are core drivers of both agendas and thus the development of human capital through digital skills education has the potential to play a significant role in enhancing both agendas, but if approached inappropriately may contribute to deepening the digital divide in the country. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for digital skills education that would allow human capital development and the development of digital skills that would enable digital support for both the SDG and 4IR agendas. The paper provides an example of a South African digital skills training programme undertaken on behalf of the South African government by the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) as an example of the rollout of digital skills to an African nation. The paper finally indicates the implications of the proposed conceptual educational framework for the provision of digital skills in South Africa.