The examination-oriented education system and its bureaucratic characteristics are two problems that must be solved before China can win its first science Nobel Prize, says an article in the website of Xinhua News Agency. The following is an excerpt:
Whenever the Nobel Prize season starts, it always triggers the imagination of Chinese people as to when the country will be awarded one for scientific research. The Chinese attach great importance to the prize which cannot be ignored.
China is a nation with 5,000 years of history and the attention its people have paid to the Nobel Prize shows they care about the future and dignity of the nation. But we are always thinking: how far is China away from the Nobel Prize?
It may not be that far. Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology submitted a report on China's scientific and technological power.
It said China has a rich pool of scientific and technological talents. Currently, the total number in this pool is 35 million, ranking it first in the world. Last year, China had 1.42 million research and development professionals, second only to the United States.
The investment in the fields of science and technology has kept growing and China has become an important force in the world's R&D. Last year, the total expenditure on science and technology in China was 450 billion yuan ($59 billion).
The above statistics reveal the strong momentum of China's science and technology. And it is in this sense that we say China is getting closer to the Nobel Prize.
Wang Shouwan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an astronomer, said: "China has provided strong support for scientific and technological talents aged below 50. The quality of researchers, the level and number of research programs are as excellent as those of advanced countries."
However, it does not mean we can win the Nobel Prize just because we have invested enormous physical and financial resources.
The problem is although the country has offered strong support, it is still backward in key scientific achievements embodied by the Nobel Prize. This problem needs our attention.
Wang believes the problem lies in the backward academic environment - too much emphasis on examinations and the system's bureaucratic characteristics. This needs to be resolved before we can think about the Nobel Prize in science.
Source: China Daily
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