For some years now, the US and other western countries have been marching down the path of encouraging the development of technical resources (the "STEM" - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - curriculum) as a way to retain the dominance of their societies in the face of increasing numbers of trained people from China and India entering the global marketplace. With the loss of manufacturing jobs, and influence of Wall Street in the American psyche, many youngsters today prefer to take up careers in business or law, rather than hardcore technical sectors. As a result, Silicon Valley, Detroit and the energy companies tend to do a lot of recruiting from international arenas - either from the pool of immigrants studying at US universities, or directly from colleges and schools abroad. The prospect of a six figure starting salary, in dollars, is now very realistic for a youngster in Shanghai or Chennai.
The rigorous curriculum in these countries is also something that the US is trying hard to emulate. Studies point to the long hours spent by students in the Asian tiger economies, and their eventual success, as an indicator of what an American kid should be aiming for. The documentary "2 million minutes" tracks the lives of 4 students in different countries, showing how different (and perhaps easy) the US high school life is compared to someone who is slogging 8 hrs a day for two years to compete with a hundred other candidates for a seat at a good university.
So it might come as a bit of a surprise to read that Chinese parents are paying upwards of $ 50,000 a year to get their children into elite preparatory schools in the US as a stepping stone to a US university education! Some of the students commented that they wanted to experience the US education over the rote learning and hardship of the classrooms back home. As their societies develop and more service sectors open up, young Indians and Chinese are likely to realize that one can have a good life without being restricted to the few career choices. After all, there are enough and more engineers to go around even if half the students opt for another choice! Perhaps the US needs to do this in reverse - send its technically inclined students to go through the meat grinder of an Indian education and have them come out committed to being an engineer for life.
The rigorous curriculum in these countries is also something that the US is trying hard to emulate. Studies point to the long hours spent by students in the Asian tiger economies, and their eventual success, as an indicator of what an American kid should be aiming for. The documentary "2 million minutes" tracks the lives of 4 students in different countries, showing how different (and perhaps easy) the US high school life is compared to someone who is slogging 8 hrs a day for two years to compete with a hundred other candidates for a seat at a good university.
So it might come as a bit of a surprise to read that Chinese parents are paying upwards of $ 50,000 a year to get their children into elite preparatory schools in the US as a stepping stone to a US university education! Some of the students commented that they wanted to experience the US education over the rote learning and hardship of the classrooms back home. As their societies develop and more service sectors open up, young Indians and Chinese are likely to realize that one can have a good life without being restricted to the few career choices. After all, there are enough and more engineers to go around even if half the students opt for another choice! Perhaps the US needs to do this in reverse - send its technically inclined students to go through the meat grinder of an Indian education and have them come out committed to being an engineer for life.
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