Word: dewitte
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...N.S.F. report was written by Nicholas DeWitt, 38, a bearlike (250 lbs.) native of the Ukraine who owes his unSlavic name to Dutch-German ancestors...
...Army of Technicians. DeWitt is not a doomsayer blind to the weaknesses in Soviet education. But he warns bluntly: "There must be no misunderstanding or underestimation of the Soviet scientific and technical manpower buildup. It has become the principal source of Communist strength." The Russian goal is clear: to create an army of scientists and engineers who will build a physical power superior to the West's. To do so, Russia now spends as much on education as the U.S., though it is only half as rich, and it gets more of what it wants for its money...
...DeWitt finds that the quality of Soviet training in technological fields is at least as good, sometimes better than in the U.S. and Western Europe. One reason is early exposure: physics is introduced in the fourth grade, and one-third of the Soviet secondary curriculum is devoted to science and mathematics. Moreover, says DeWitt. the very specialties that the state gives top priority are those freest from Marxist hobbles. The result is first-rate training...
...DeWitt is fully aware that turning out technicians is a narrow? educational goal. If the aim is "to develop applied professional skills, enabling the individual to perform specialized, functional tasks, then Soviet higher education is unquestionably a success," he says. But if, as the West believes, the aim is ''to develop a creative intellect critical of society and its values, then Soviet higher education is an obvious failure...
...DeWitt relates his findings to the varying emphasis on science in the two countries. While the annual number of Americans receiving the Ph.D. is almost the same as the number of Russians receiving the equivalent Candidate Degree, the Soviet Union awards 20 percent more of its degrees in the scientific fields than the United States does...