Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is in for some backlash. While giving a speech in Edinburgh, Scotland, he talked about the unsatisfactory job the United Kingdom is doing in teaching its youth about computer science. He talked about how innovative the island nation has been in the past, like inventing television and computers. Schmidt seems to think that Silicon Valley should have more competition from across the pond.
Rather than a swarm of controversy, Schmidt was probably hoping to cause a wake-up call for Britons. Being at the heart of Google, and seeing the power of computer science firsthand, it is understandable that he is disappointed with his view of Britain's progress in the field of information technology. A person in his position gets to see just how wonderful the internet can be. He understands the benefits of fluency in computer programming. School administrators, however, might not have the same perspective. They deal with laws, regulations, disciplinary matters, and budgets. Admittedly “impolite,” Schmidt is concerned that UK schools focus too much on humanities and not enough on technical subjects. Ewan McIntosh asserts that the education system of Scotland and that of England are two very different matters. Perhaps Schmidt is only dissatisfied with England, and he is applying his observations to the whole island.
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