The UK's Royal Society of Chemistry is offering a £500 prize to one lucky but bright person who answers the question below correctly. A test used in English universities to assess how strong incoming science undergraduates' maths skills also appears below. A glance at the two questions reveals how much more advanced is the maths teaching in China, where children learn the subject up to the age of 18, the society says.Science undergraduates in England are likely not to have studied maths beyond GCSE level at the age of 16, it says. It has sounded a warning about Britain's future economic prospects which it claims are threatened by competition from scientists in China. RSC chief executive Richard Pike says mathematics is seen as integral to the sciences in China and its economy."There, the concept of remedial courses at university would be inconceivable."UK chemistry departments are often world-renowned for their creativity; however, mathematics tests set in England by many universities for undergraduate chemistry students in their first term to diagnose remedial requirements are disconcertingly simple. "They encapsulate the challenge facing this country," says Dr Pike.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6589301.stm
JPTF 2004/04/25
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário