ABSTRACT
Training in the basic sciences, together with training in relevant applied fields, is the key to a country’s success in areas such as agriculture, industry, health, and environmental management. The choices that students make about education pathways and careers are of great importance to a country’s development. The entry of a large number of bright students into science-oriented fields can have substantial, positive economic impacts. The impact that basic sciences education has on a nation’s technological manpower base begins in the first years of school. Science education at the primary and lower secondary levels not only influences the students’ view of the physical and biological world, but also shapes initial, and sometimes lasting, ideas regarding possible future careers in science and technology. The connections between science education, career choice, and development are well illustrated by what happened after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, in the late 1950s.
