“In Japan, 20% of all degrees are in engineering. In the United States that figure is 6%.” - a startling Tweet by Fareed Zakaria. These figures are further evidence of the decline of the United States. Our education system is failing us. Our education system is not providing the incentives for students to excel in something besides running apps on an iPhone. As Fareed Zakaria has pointed out “education is the engine of mobility”. Our engine is sputtering. If we do not fix it soon we will only be able to coast downhill. Without engineers and scientists, we cannot sustain a vigorous economy.
I do not mean to imply that excelling in math and science should be our only goals. Hell, a nation of illiterates would be more of a catastrophe than a nation of luddites. Still, as the expression goes, without innovations we will be sucking hind tit. If we suck hind tit, we as a nation will be undernourished.
How does the system get fixed? I think my granddaughter hit the nail on the head when she said, “Why is it that so few American students graduate high school without even a basic knowledge of calculus as compared to the rest of the developed world? Is it because we are less intelligent when compared to the rest of the world? Or is it because we have decided that educating our children to be competitive in an international world is too hard?”
Most people want the best for their children. Unfortunately, too many feel that making life easier for them is the key. Why not try making life challenging for them. Perhaps a few will decide to be an engineer.
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