Recent years have witnessed a decrease in the number of students opting for science as an obligatory subject in tertiary education. This essay attempts to outline the underlying reasons behind this phenomenon before shedding light on several negative consequences of this trend.
The idea of neglecting science as a subject can be attributed to two main reasons. Chief among these is their complexity and prohibitively expensive. This is because students are required to grasp a plethora of theoretical knowledge of different areas, resulting in overwhelming reservoirs of knowledge that can be challenging for students to comprehend fully the lessons. Furthermore, science subjects involve substantial investments in learning materials and equipment, this is also a barrier, especially for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, the practical applicability of this subject is not common and could potentially lead to competition in the job market, where other majors such as economic or information technology could offer more job opportunities for their future career. For instance, Vietnamese majors including business and IT can gain more lucrative incomes, compared to the meager earnings of scientists.
The waning interest in studying science among students can give rise to far-reaching repercussions. Firstly, that can lead to the loss of innovations. This is because the lack of researchers and scientists impedes scientific institutions to come up with new inventions such as cutting-edge technological devices or healthcare improvements which adapt to the rapidly evolving digital age, this can pose a threat to work productivity, adversely affecting the national economies and individuals’ living standards. On a grander scale, the consequences of this tendency could hinder social development. Without advancement in science, society would become increasingly outdated and marginalized, halting its development and causing a profound impact on human life.
In conclusion, the upward trajectory of not choosing science as a major can be ascribed to factors as its challenging and high costs . The consequences of this phenomenon range from a shortage of professionals in scientific fields and accelerate negative social consequences.