The greatest scientific breakthrough our country never celebrates may not be the one that failed in the laboratory – it may be the scientist we failed to protect.
Every year, South Africa celebrates its top matric achievers. We applaud young innovators at science fairs, honour coding champions and marvel at teenagers who build robots from scrap metal or invent life-saving technologies from their bedrooms.
We tell ourselves that talent is our greatest natural resource. But what if our greatest scientific discovery never happens? What if the engineer who could solve our energy crisis spends his evenings selling fruit at a taxi stand instead of studying mathematics because his family depends on his income?
What if the climate scientist who could protect our water security never reaches university because years of load-shedding robbed them of the opportunity to learn?
Perhaps South Africa’s greatest loss is not our skills shortage – perhaps it’s the scientists, engineers, doctors and innovators we never get to meet. We are remarkably good at identifying exceptional talent.
