Rice voices concern over failing education in US
23/10/2008 16:15
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned yesterday that failing
public education was her greatest national security concern.
Failing pubic
schools could undermine the United States' ability to lead and compete in a
global age, Rice told a national women's conference in Long Beach, about 64 km
south of Los Angeles.
Rice called for equal access to educational
opportunities which she said lies at the heart of one of the nation's most
important core values -- the belief in the United States as a true
meritocracy.
The lack of quality education for all children jeopardizes the
fundamental American belief that every citizen has the opportunity for success,
no matter their background or place of origin, Rice said.
"If we can't keep
that true for every American, we're going to lose who we are, and then we won't
lead, and so it is for me the most pressing national security issue," she
said.
As an educator, Rice said it broke her heart to see "kids who might be
the next Nobel Prize winner ... trapped in some public school that's just
basically warehousing them."
Rice was a Stanford University professor before
joining the Bush administration.
"But as a secretary of state, it makes me
terrified because ... if we cannot do better in educating all of our people,
then we are not going to be competitive in a global economy," she said. "We're
going to become protectionist, we're going to turn inward, the United States is
not going to lead."
To address the issue, part of the answer lies in "the
best practices" adopted by schools that succeed and "having high standards,"
Rice said.
She acknowledged that education has not been one of the more
pressing issues addressed in the presidential campaign.
Speaking about her
plans for the near future, Rice said after leaving public office she would
return to Stanford University to teach, write books and to "work on these issues
of educational opportunity."
The annual Women's Conference in Long Beach
opened yesterday with the participation of 10,000 women from across the
nation.
The event, which began more than two decades ago as a California
government initiative for women small business owners and working professionals,
has mushroomed into the largest forum of its kind in the United States.
Xinhua
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