Date:13/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021354851200.htm

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Obama seeks revamp of U.S. education system

K.V. Prasad

To enable American students compete with Indians, Chinese

College Park (Maryland): Senator Barack Obama made the point on Monday that the United States needs an education system that enables children to compete with those from India and China. Campaigning ahead of the primaries and caucuses in the States of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, the Illinois Senator said the public education system must prepare the next generation so that they could compete against young people from the two Asian countries.

He said the U.S. needed teachers who could instruct American children not only to excel in mathematics and science but also in other subjects.

Fresh from his weekend victories across four States, Mr. Obama, took the stage before a packed house in the 17,500 capacity Comcast Centre auditorium. It began filling up as soon as the gates opened, some four hours before the Illinois Senator was scheduled to appear.

A day before the event, the Clinton camp sent Chelsea Clinton to take questions from students of the university. Mr. Obama is credited with galvanising young Americans, a point he emphasised in his 45-minute address focussing on “change.”

The Obama camp is clearly banking on the passion among new voters, a point stressed by his managers and by the candidate who repeatedly sought to know from the assembly whether they were “fired.”

The primaries have led to an increase in young voter enrolment.

The Maryland State Board of Elections said it processed more than 28,000 new registered voters in January before the deadline. Nearly 60 per cent of them were in the 17-24 age group.

In Virginia, over 22,000 people enrolled themselves ahead of the January deadline.