In speeches throughout Great Britain this week, Prime Minister Tony Blair continued his call for increased funding and support for science education throughout the United Kingdom. Blair has couched his support for science on the need for Great Britain to increase its scientific education for the burgeoning knowledge-based economy. The Prime Minister and many within Parliament agree that scientific explorers and pioneers are needed to solve the great problems facing humanity in the 21st century. However, the political aspects of the issue of recruiting science graduates have clouded the economic and day-to-day issues of science in the United Kingdom.



While Tony Blair championed his own realization of the importance of science in his final months as Prime Minister, others feel that Blair and the Labour Party have stood in the way of scientific progress. The Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, gave speeches recently that have attacked Blair and future Prime Minister Gordon Brown for stifling scientific endeavors and creativity in the field. As an example, Osborne points to the growing centralization of science funds in the hands of the British government. In 1997, only two percent of the nation's science funding was controlled in the hands of the Chancellor's office. By 2005, 20 percent of such funding was kept out of the hands of scientists and in the hands of politicians. According to Osborne, the squeeze has been put on university and lower level science departments by the British government.

However, the most important problem in recruiting qualified scientists and teachers with science backgrounds begins early on in the educational system. Many children are bored with government-sponsored science programs that lack creativity or unique presentations to keep pupils interested. As a result, when an opportunity to advance in scientific studies is presented, few students choose to take harder A-Level science courses. Biology A-Levels have remained steady, with 31,065 students taking them in 2003 and 33,164 students taking them in 2005.

Physics A-Levels have decreased since 1998, dropping from 29,672 students that year to 24,094 students in 2005. Because of this shortage of advanced science students, only one third of physics teachers speaking to 15 to 16 year olds about the basics of science have a degree in their field or an A-Level in physics. The most compelling argument that can be made for science students who are considering their career options is that science degrees open more doors than liberal arts or business degrees. While science graduates can work in other fields, people from other fields cannot work in scientific positions.