Meaning of "moving the dial"

[Ksguo]

But moving the dial , as it were, across a country, is just a huge challenge, and so I think progress has been really quite slow in South Africa.
What is meant by 'move the dial', please?

[Kitosdad]

I think it refers to the slow progress of progress across the country. It's an actual reference to the movement of a sun-dial. The shadow slowly moving across the face.
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[Mister Micawber]

I need a bit more context, myself. What are the preceding sentences?
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Ksguo]

Thank you, Mica. The full passage is as follows:
Linux Magazine: Open access can be an equalizing force, then? Do you see that starting to play out now, as kids get involved? Are the kids more able to contribute to their world as a whole?
Mark Shuttleworth: There are of course amazing success stories, just amazing success stories. But moving the dial , as it were, across a country, is just a huge challenge, and so I think progress has been really quite slow in South Africa. That’s very frustrating when you know that that potential… every six or seven years you have another crop of kids leaving junior school, and I’m very conscious of the delta between what they’re capable of and what they’ve been able to realize they’re capable of. And we have a very long way to go.

[Mister Micawber]

I presume 'moving the dial' simply means 'making progress', but frankly I am still not sure from the context-- it is too vague a reference.
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[Ksguo]

Thank you very much, anyway. I think your presumption may be right.