The unviable Ministry of Science and Technology Diario Expreso

It is not feasible to create a Ministry of Science and Technology. The ministers occupy political positions and, in themselves, in our country, unstable; the expertise of the candidate is not measured, and the position usually lasts a short time, in an activity where the challenges are medium and long term; requiring technical autonomy and political stability.

Let’s make some comparisons: currently the US is the world’s leading scientific-technological power, and it does not have a Ministry of Science and Technology (Office of Science and Technology Policy – OSTP). The same happens in the European Community and the United Kingdom (Scientific Councils), where unrestricted access to technology is the least unequal on the planet.

In Peru, there are 13 specialized research institutes in the public sector, in various ministries, for example the National Institute for Agrarian Research – INIA (food and rural work), the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute – IIAP (biodiversity reserve del mundo), Geophysical Institute of Peru – IGP (seismic country), among others; but, unfortunately, they have a high administrative burden and little research and innovation development.

Eighteen years ago, the Electronic Government, today Digital, was created. However, the pandemic showed that there is no digital public administration capacity, since the distribution of bonds for the most vulnerable families has been a failure.

Undoubtedly, there is a need to make changes that the next government will have to carry out, all the more so when there is an agreement that will allow, for the next five years, external resources of 300 million dollars from the World Bank for innovation and technology.

With regard to the National Council of Science, Technology and Innovation (Concytec), attached to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, it is in the process of restructuring; the next government must finish this process, because the Concytec must coordinate with the national specialized research institutes and with the regions, to incorporate the digital media required for the development of the country.

In the review of experiences in the administration of Science and Technology, the example of South Korea stands out, which, although it has a ministry, like North Korea, is far superior to the latter and its technology stands out worldwide. It took 40 years of effort between universities, the private sector and the State, based on a quality education, where the Smartphone with internet became the main school tool, under the “Intelligent Education” system; first condition to achieve its current development.

While South Korea has a budget of 5.3 billion dollars for technology in 2021, Peru is the country that invests the least in this in all of America (its annual average is 0.12% of GDP). According to economist Michael Porter, in CADE of 2011, Peru suffers a dramatic backwardness in relation to invention and technology; He pointed out that Peru not only has not made progress in this area, but it seems to have regressed.

In our case, education in 2018 was already considered by the PISA test as one of the worst in the world (64 out of 77). In addition, a report from the Ministry of Education itself in 2017 indicated that only 10% of teachers had some digital skills. With these limitations, teachers, using the zoom and WhatsApp, have been fulfilling distance education according to their possibilities.

In this context, the Ministry of Education must serve students of regular basic education and private and public technology centers, as well as appoint the director of Sunedu, which is why it is essential to create a vice ministry of Science and Technology in education, which will have a significant impact not only on national basic education but also on tertiary education. The fundamental requirement to generate science and technology in the country is the quality of education, as South Korea has shown with its “Intelligent Education”.