Govt tech hits and misses

As someone who tries to keep a keen eye on news related to IT in government, I tend to respond in a range of attitudes to technology projects in the pipeline, from optimism to long, deep sighs, as progress stalls or when things fail to get off the ground.

The past week evoked the former response, following the launch of the Global Health Innovation Accelerator (GHIA) - an initiative embracing medical technology for SA's public health sector and involving the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

But that's just one example. Overall, our steps and stumbles as a developing country mean government still has plenty to prove, as it works to fulfil the country's technology objectives or use it to effectively overcome challenges.

ICT leadership, policy and integration desperately need to be addressed at numerous departments, but - for the sake of this mini-list - I'll briefly look at what's happening at five of them, and where this places them on what I call the "smile-sigh index".

I'm optimistic (smiling) for now. The health department features, thanks to recent developments, having played a part in establishing the GHIA. Roping in an international health innovation non-profit organisation like Path will give SA access to some of the world's brightest ideas and - crucially - have them adapted to suit our local context.

This surely goes some way to silence critics, who point out that some solutions just aren't suited to South African conditions. If they pull off this initiative, and its impact is felt across the country, it could just be one of the beacons of hope for the department's tech ambitions. Now we need to see momentum in modernising health information systems.

The Department of Basic Education occupies the awkward middle ground of the index. For starters, SA has some way to go in integrating tech in classrooms by ensuring more than 25 000 public schools across the country are connected.

There are also lingering concerns with teacher skills shortages and addressing the quality of maths and science performance at schools. Although progress sometimes feels like it's moving at a snail's pace, the department has acknowledged the need to modernise. It is currently building a cloud offering for teachers and learners to access material, and it's digitising workbooks.

But this is only part of the solution. Engaging, meaningful teaching and learning goes beyond access to tablets or computers. We could, however, see reforms in how matrics are taught and examined, if recommendations made by a ministerial task team are taken to heart. We're holding thumbs.

This one just makes me take a long, deep sigh. The smoke is still clearing in the 'who-will-do-what' debate, after government swung an axe through the middle of the old communications department. Establishing the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services raised eyebrows in the ICT industry, with pundits questioning the move in light of a globally converged technological landscape.

While the 'new' communications department now deals with the 'info revolution' telling us what government is doing, the two new ministers have indicated in separate speeches that they will play a role in SA's much-delayed switch to digital terrestrial television. Cue more head-scratching.

Ongoing modernisation efforts include smart ID card roll-outs and new information systems, and the department has earmarked R600 million in 2014 for this. It also aims to introduce biometric technology at SA's points of entry. Migrating from manual to digital data capturing for SA's national population register is one of the mammoth tasks in the hands of the Department of Home Affairs.

Government swung an axe through the middle of the old communications department.

There's plenty to look forward to here from a tech point of view, as well as some daunting challenges. I'll place this one in the awkward middle ground, but I'm cautiously optimistic (I would have said I'm borderline optimistic, but the pun was weak).

There's cause to be optimistic here. The folks at the DST have no choice but to make moves in advancing technology, as it would be quite awkward if they consistently failed to live up to their department's name.

Apart from GHIA, long-term projects include a greater emphasis on education, as minister Naledi Pandor recently pointed out. She's also gone some way to woo her international counterparts to build partnerships with SA, but let's hope it's not all just talk. The Technology Innovation Agency (which drives the DST's innovation mandate) has faced leadership woes and will also need to chip in to fulfil its end of the bargain.

So, two of the departments get a big smile for some of their initiatives, two are in the awkward in-between territory, and the communications situation, ironically, leaves me with no words... sigh. It's not all doom and gloom, but there is much work to be done. In the early days of the new administration, here's hoping for the best.