By Frederick Philander WINDHOEK “The launch of on-line registration is indeed a significant step in innovating our systems of doing business through the dominion of technology at our institution of higher learning.” This was said last week by the Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, when he officially launched the new system. “Technological tools and solutions are getting better each year and academic institutions have been leaders in teaching the tools and in using the tools. The Polytechnic is once again the first academic institution in Namibia to platform technology as a tool of business innovation, to improve the lives of many of its constituents and the general public,” Tjivikua said. He considers on-line registration a wonderful solution to old-age problems of long lines and wasteful processes. “Think of the long hours spent in waiting for your turn to register, the amount of overtime paid for four to eight weeks’ of hard work, and the stress and tensions relieved. As we all know, long lines and long application forms test anyone’s patience and they are definitely undesirable especially when we are in a hurry,” he said. “As the world population is growing and systems are getting more complex, we have to find innovative ways of beating the historic problems. “Technology, when properly platformed and managed, is a perfect tool in making institutions more liveable and life more pleasurable. So be prepared, for our lives will become more of an on-line business – in doing your academic work, communicating, banking, ticket reservation, and so on.” According to him the world is moving fast into the future and away from those that are not able to help themselves. “We all understand why some countries develop so slowly and others so fast, because they create or re-invent or benefit differently from the global forces. We also understand that the world is flat according to some nations, while very round for others where the citizen is not connected by technology. Hence, we also understand why poor nations do not benefit fully from the popular forces of globalization,” the rector said. “In Namibia, while we recognize the importance of science and technology, we still have several fundamental problems to overcome. Foremost, I do not think that we have created the comprehensive policies and systems that will make our beautiful Namibia a leader or exemplary platform of technology – that is being a technology-conscious, technology-friendly and technology-benefiting country,” said Tjivikua. There is nothing nonchalant about development; it is a serious business of commitment, intellectual thinking and speedy delivery. “We have to be innovative in order to derive greater benefits from the resources we have. The online registration we launch today is an example of new choices technology has to offer, and universities must lead from the forefront. To the Polytechnic, this is just another step giving meaning to our mission to serve Namibia as the technological university,” he said. Tjivikua further said that in the modern age it is well understood that technology is the great equalizer of nations and Namibians must make the right choices, and focus and invest wisely in the systems that build human capital. “How do we lead our institutions and governments from being effective to being great? It is clear that we must develop and use our human resources and institutions in treasured ways – meaning better, more effective and more efficient ways, thereby showing that we do care about our true wealth, not the flashy material things we are flattered with by those who flaunt what isn’t the future of development, but only examples of innovations by others,” he concluded.