Global Post: Europeans play catch up on math and science

[pampango]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/education/101020/europe-math-science-education

Global rankings of students’ academic performance are fairly predictable. Asians and Europeans share the top spots while the United States is down the list, further than everyone — most of all Americans — believes it should be, and laments it loudly. The European Union usually shines in such international assessments, especially with the crowning jewel of Finland, lauded around the world as the country providing its children the best possible education. Western Europe always puts in a respectable showing, and eastern members such as Hungary often pop up near the top as well. So compared with the U.S., Europe faces far less serious problems in its education system, right?

“Wrong,” says David Jasmin, one of the premier innovators in European education, who has just launched a new EU-funded project, Fibonacci, aimed at improving the quality of and appetite for science education. “We are facing the same challenges as the U.S.,” he said, particularly in the fields of math and science.

If Charpak and Jasmin’s faith that early science and math exposure can help develop productive and benevolent citizens needs tangible proof, a good place to find it would be among the teams of university students competing in the “Imagine Cup” a technology contest for high school and university students sponsored annually by Microsoft.

This year’s task was to create a project that could help achieve the Millennium Development Goals, United Nations aims including the eradication of hunger and poverty, combating disease and achieving universal primary education. More than 325,000 students from around the world competed to “Imagine a World Where Technology Helps Solve the Toughest Problems,” with the world finals in Warsaw in July. Teams from Asian countries won most categories, but there were Europeans close behind, with Belgium taking second and France taking third in “Game Design,” and France taking third again in “Embedded Development.”