Professor Mary O'Kane, NSW chief scientist, in a recent radio interview warns Australia's underfunded education sector will harm productivity.
Professor O'Kane said: "Productivity growth tends to be dependent on innovation, and technical innovation requires very good science and by and large, very good maths."
"Schools should look at never putting teachers in front of classes where they can't teach it.
That's going to be a real stretch, so they've got to be very innovative in their business models to manage it. And, everybody with kids, whether they're your own, your grandkids, your nieces, your nephews, it's very much a thing of cheering them on, coaching them and getting them to step up on hard and difficult issues."
Read the transcript at http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4295579.htm
