Bill Gates pushes for better schools

Gates, whose charitable foundation has given away more than $3 billion (98.1 billion baht) since 1999 for educational programs and scholarships, noted that about 30 percent of US ninth-graders fail to graduate on time. ``As a nation, we should start with this goal: Every child in the United States graduating from high school,'' he said.

Gates also challenged lawmakers to push for higher educational standards and to make more challenging coursework available to students.

A federal study released last month showed about a third of high schoolers fail to take a standard-level curriculum, which is defined as including at least four credits of English and three credits each of social studies, maths and science.

Gates also called on lawmakers to give more resources and attention to improving the teaching of maths and science _ knowledge essential to many of today's jobs. Another recent federal study found 40 percent of high school seniors failed to perform at the basic level on a national maths test. On a national science test, half of twelfth graders didn't show basic skills.

``We simply cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in maths, science and engineering,'' Gates said.

Legislation moving through the Senate, backed by Democratic and Republican leaders, seeks to get more people to become maths and science teachers and would improve training for them. The bill also seeks to get more highly trained teachers in poor schools and would offer grants to states to better align their teaching with what kids should know to succeed at a job or in college.

Gates said the nation's economy depends on keeping the country's borders open to highly skilled workers, especially those with a science or engineering background. Federal law provides 65,000 H1-B visas for scientists, engineers, computer programmers and other professionals every budget year. High-tech and other employers say that's not enough.

``Even though it may not be realistic, I don't think there should be any limit,'' Gates said, adding that Microsoft hasn't been able to fill approximately 3,000 technical jobs in the United States because of a shortage of skilled workers.

Senator Edward M Kennedy, chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said the issue would be addressed when Congress takes up broad immigration reform legislation this session. President Bush has expressed support for raising the visa cap.

Gates - who is No. 1 on Forbes magazine's list of richest Americans - also told the committee in response to a question that he opposes repeal of the federal estate tax. Current law will phase out the tax by 2010, but without further action by Congress it will be restored at a 55 percent rate in 2011. - AP