Investing in better-quality education outcomes - especially in maths and science - more than pays for itself.
Interpretation
Investing in high-quality education, particularly in math and science, yields benefits that exceed the initial costs.
The quote by Julia Gillard emphasizes the importance of investing in quality education, particularly in the subjects of math and science. It suggests that such investments are not merely expenses, but rather strategic decisions that lead to greater economic and social returns, benefiting individuals and society as a whole in the long run.
In practice
During a school board meeting discussing budget allocations.
As our economy faces up to potential labour shortages due to our ageing population and as it moves to a new level of sophistication to compete with the rest of the world, we're going to need every Australian on board pulling their weight, rejoining the workforce, gaining new skills. Writing off individuals and communities suffering from poverty just creates a dead weight for our economy to drag along.
If G20 leaders are serious about sustainable growth and job creation and want to stem migration flows and promote long-term stability, education is an essential investment.
We see community organizations as major service providers and economic drivers rather than as recipients or distributors of charity, and coordinators of volunteers. Today they constitute what's referred to as 'the social economy'.
As more girls get basic schooling, larger numbers will move up the educational ladder - some to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. That's important because workplaces around the world, especially in many developing and emerging-market countries, are becoming more automated, favouring workers with technical skills.
In fragile and conflict-affected states, education can insulate children from chaos and insecurity and better prepare them to bring about future stability.
If you believe, as I do, that merit is equally distributed between the sexes, then any result that isn't around half and half should be troubling.
Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.
By education I mean that training in excellence from youth upward which makes a man passionately desire to be a perfect citizen, and teaches him to rule, and to obey, with justice. This is the only education which deserves the name.
At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence.
In a way, math isn't the art of answering mathematical questions, it is the art of asking the right questions, the questions that give you insight, the ones that lead you in interesting directions, the ones that connect with lots of other interesting questions -the ones with beautiful answers.
I never get any protests from children. All you get are giggles of mirth and squirms of delight. I know what children like.
You need to turn over every rock and open every door to learn your industry. This process never ends.
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