Read the Text VI to answer question.

Text VI

Science and Technology: key to our national development

At a time when Nigeria is engaging in Vision 2020 development projects aimed at accelerating economic development to propel the country to the league of advanced nations by the year 2020, it is pertinent to highlight the role of science and technology in achieving this goal.

Science may be defined as “cumulative verifiable and communicative knowledge”. Pure science is the investigation of nature to satisfy the need to know while applied science is the application of pure science to some practical human need.

Technology on the other hand is a body of knowledge and devices by which man masters his environment. It is not synonymous with applied science, being more empirical in its approach to solving problems. The three major technologies – agriculture, medicine and engineering – all made substantial progress before they were wedded to science. Fundamentally, technology is an extension of man’s capacity to see further and clearer, hear more, travel faster and for greater distances etc. Science and technology have therefore been key drivers for growth and sustainable social development and transformation of nations, leading to industrialisation. (…)

Nigeria has a proliferation of Universities, and other tertiary institutions that can form the basis for development of science and technologies at different levels to provide support for the take off and sustainance of an industrial revolution. However, the country must be prepared to address specific obvious loopholes in the educational and industrial systems. For example, there is no foundation established for the development of science and technology.

Developed nations in the West have set the pace with about 10 per cent of their countries’ GDP set aside by law for development of science and technology. Asian countries such as South Korea have followed suit and set aside over 10 per cent of their GDP for science and technology. In Nigeria, inspite of a proliferation of Universities, Polytechnics and Research Institutes less than one per cent of GDP is allocated for funding of science and technology.

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO 2007), there were 882,715 patent applications from China, 5,220,327 from the USA and only 699 from Nigeria between 1985- 2006. It has been shown that there is a definite correlation between funding of research and development and progress in science and technology. (…)

Disponível em: Source: http://www.commonwealthministers.com/special_reports/scienc

e_and_technology_key_to_our_national_development/. Accessed on September 13, 2013.

Based on the definition of technology presented on the text, which alternative summarizes the conception of technology?

Technology…