TO SELL SCIENCE, JARGON MUST BE SIMPLIFIED

TO SELL SCIENCE, JARGON MUST BE SIMPLIFIED

Information is the indispensable fuel for the development engine; the raw material that can be transformed into knowledge to empower African communities in their efforts to take charge their socio-economic needs. Information, education and communication are vital elements of creating a knowledge-based economy as envisaged in the Kenya Vision 2030. Adequate information infrastructure is vital to facilitates the effective communication, dissemination, and processing of information as well as for assembling, managing and sharing of knowledge and for applying knowledge in production processes, policymaking and the development process.

In the sector of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Media and communication are important tools to communicate and disseminate information on research, promotion and awareness creation.

Communication is essential for stimulating public awareness and participation and for improving their knowledge and capabilities equally for policy making towards Social and economic development.

There are a number of challenges facing effective knowledge dissemination such as less priority given to science communication as compared to political news and crime; science reporters lack basic training on how to communicate science and technology; pseudo scientists, misinforming public; Africa lags behind in harnessing information infrastructure for knowledge dissemination. 

To promote effective dissemination of Science knowledge we need to work closely with journalists and interpret scientific data, decipher technical language, and distinguish scientifically credible claims from unsubstantiated ones.

We must pay enough attention to knowledge and allocate enough resources to the development, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge if we are to achieve our vision of being a knowledge based economy.

Exchange ideas

Strengthen capacity to harness and apply as well as protect indigenous knowledge and technologies in view to solve specific problems and improve our economy.

For any country to move forward to a sustainable economic development, it should be ready to “Sell Science” by removing the “jargon”.

Communication activities can help people, even those from different social groups within a community, to share information and exchange ideas in a positive and productive fashion. This dialogue can be enriched by understanding how development issues affect them, discovering what others think in other communities, and seeing what other communities have achieved. 

The government, in cooperation with the scientific community, should establish ways of employing modern communication technologies for effective public outreach. National and local educational authorities and relevant agencies should expand, as appropriate, the use of audio-visual methods, especially in rural areas in mobile units, by producing television and radio programmes for rural areas, involving local participation, employing interactive multimedia methods and integrating advanced methods with folk media.

Changes in the media landscape, in particular the rise of information and communication technologies, also require changes to the way in which media development is conceptualized.

Effective Science communication will establish a transparent and open form of communication in both directions that contributes to defining the role of science in society and to enabling society to make the best use of scientific knowledge.