Week 3
  This week I talk about education. This topic is not only about chemistry but also all of science. Now a phenomenon is causing in the education of science. The phenomenon is called "rikabanare" in Japanese. It means that children who is interested in science are decreasing per year. This phenomenon is especially causing in Japan. It is said that academic ability of Japanese children ranks higher in the world. Japan ranked number 1 in math and number 2 in science literacy in the test of OECD which targeted 32 countries in 2000. But according to the research of national laboratory of education policy, the upper grade, children who think that science is interesting are decreasing. And children who think that science is important in everyday of life and that they want to be the job which is related to science in the future are also decreasing. A book, Education and destructive innovation, which was written by Clayton M. Christensen, says about the phenomenon that student can get a great return which guarantee escape from poverty to study science, engineering, and mathematics when developing country develop their economy whose base is industry. But if the country have prosperity and stability, students can study subjects that they feel interesting and want to learn. In other words, in developing country, it is simple way to get return that study science, mathematics and engineering. However in developed country, there are many ways to get return expect science, mathematics and engineering. This problem is very serious for Japan. Because Japan have gotten money of foreign country by selling product that is made in Japan. If skill of science of Japan is inferior, products that made in Japan come not to sell and Japanese economy will collapse. So this problem is related to our life indirectly.
  The present situation of "rikabanare" is like this. Many person are thinking about this problem to solve the problem. Japanese government announced to hold the Olympic of science. You may know the Olympic of science (I will talk about Olympic of science in week 8). But this is for junior high school students. Japanese government do another way. Government choose some high school as super science high school. There are 52 schools in Japan. These school can do different thing which is decided by standard of education and get support and money. And there are many people that do another ways. For example, science professor hold a activity to come in contact with the nature, college students visit junior or junior high school to teach science, to create a new job that the person who get the job teach students science only. I think that it is important to have children known advantage of studying science. Now income of graduates of course of science is more \1000000 than that of course of literature. children want high income and stability. So I think that it is important to teach children high income and stability of job of science.
  Thank you for your reading.