Science in Newly Industrialized Countries - The Limited Success of Newly Industrialized Countries

The Limited Success of Newly Industrialized Countries

The reason that there have been so few scientists, who have made their mark globally, from most NIC's (Newly Industrialized Countries) is partly historical and partly social A true scientist is nurtured from the school up wards to scientific establishments. Only, if there are inspired and dedicated school science teachers in abundance, there will be sufficient number of inspired students who would like to take science as a career option and who may one day become a successful scientist.

At present in newly industrialized nations, a school teacher most often belongs to one of the lower economic strata, that is, s/he does not get sufficient respect in the society which is essential to produce motivated and inspired teachers. Therefore there is little chance that a child would learn the art of asking questions and seeking their answers. Even if 0.001% of the large populations of any of these countries learns that art, there is seldom any scope for encouragement in the colleges or universities. Universities in most newly-industrialized countries do not fare as well as some universities in East Asia (e.g. Japan and Singapore), Canada, Oceania, USA or Western Europe, mainly because there are fewer opportunities for the meritorious; largely due to many prevalent social practices e.g. nepotism being one of them.

A career in science is not as lucrative as one in management and administration. In addition, the investment in science education is sparse because the local industry does not find it profitable. This invariably leads to fewer academic positions and these few positions are invariably grabbed by people who have influence.