Don’t cut funds for education
To the editor:
The governor’s proposal to reduce spending on education is a big mistake. The federal government’s movement in the same direction compounds the problem. Money for education is not a conservative vs. liberal issue. It is one between wisdom and stupidity. To diminish education will do as much harm to our nation as inflation and deficits. While many are aware our nation is falling behind in education most are not aware how far that fall has been. The organization for Economic Co-operation and Development program for international student assessment in evaluating 15 year olds in industrialized countries ranks us behind most of Asia and Australia and even Canada in our hemisphere.
The U.S.’s score in reading is 500 and 487 in math. China was 556 in reading and 600 in math. Some additional comparative data relating to education to United States and just China can be seen from the study provided by UNESCO. Since 1999 the proportion of persons doing research out of all employed people in the U.S. grew by 8 percent, in China it grew by 111 percent. In 1995 China was 14th in the world in the publication of science and engineering papers and today it is second. China now is projected to overtake the U.S. in the number of patent applications by the end of this year. I remember the late Sam Card, a M.I.T. graduate, telling me about 10 years ago that while we had led the world in patents filled, we had lost that position then. Now China will also surpass us.
We cannot continue on the path we are now on. More over we should not allow education to be available to just those who can afford higher education. At the end of World War II an additional four million G.l.’s entered college under the G.I. bill. It produced growth and an increase of our “middle class.” We cannot continue to fall back and not keep pace in the world on education. There is nothing more important for the United States than the education of our youth.
Arnold E. Kempe
Cape Coral