Nowadays, more students are choosing not to enroll in science majors in universities. This problem stems from various reasons, and it is more serious than most people think because it is detrimental to society.
It is understandable why many stay away from studying science. The first reason is that students do not have bright career prospects in science. Scientists, lab technicians, or engineers are underpaid compared to their efforts to get to those positions. Moreover, some companies are heavily bureaucratic, especially when it comes to research positions, which further discourage students from studying science. Another reason is the way universities teach science subjects. Most classes focus solely on too much math and complex problems that do not have many applications. This, combined with little interactivity in classrooms, outdated information and lab equipment is why enrollment in science majors is dropping.
The government and society should take this problem more seriously because it has adverse effects. Fewer science majors mean fewer R&D activities. For example, most factories in Vietnam such as Samsung and Unilever, only focus on assembly and production according to foreign procedures and recipes. In the long run, foreign technological companies will treat Vietnam as a source of cheap employment for their production lines. Another reason why this would be a problem is that the general public will have distorted views about science. The US society is currently suffering from this problem directly. Too few people pursuing studies in science leads to an ignorant and distrustful society. This kind of society readily falls victim to conspiracy theories, like the flat-earth or the anti-vaccine movements.
In conclusion, it is reasonable why many students choose not to study science at a higher-education level. However, the government should take this development more seriously because it causes insurmountable issues for society.