Bill Gates has urged the US government to spend more
money on developing scientific and technology skills to help the US
during the downturn.
At a speech by the
Gates & Melinda Foundation at Washington University, Gates
said, "The greatest antidote to inequity in American life is a good
system of public education. For millions of people it is what makes
the pursuit of happiness possible. Scientific research will
determine what tools we have to solve our biggest problems - in
health, information technology, education, energy, or just about
any other area. If we keep investing in science and technology, we
will discover the tools we need to build a better future."
Gates said investing in the poor would allow less well off
people contribute to the economy. "It could be hard in these times
to keep spending money to develop the potential of people who are
poor. They don't have much of a voice and, frankly, you can get the
economy growing again without tapping their talent. But I want us
to have a bigger goal than getting the economy growing again. I
want us to expand the number of people who are contributing to the
economy and benefiting from it."
He urged the US government to recruit high-quality teachers and
use instructional tools and data systems to support students. "The
federal government [in the US] could provide incentives to build
data systems that will help drive evidence-based reform in high
schools and colleges," Gates said.
Since
leaving Microsoft earlier this year, Bill gates has worked on
his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.