SPEECH EXAM

Peruvian Research Landscape

SLIDE 01: Introduction (40 s)

Good afternoon class.
Our country faces serious economic and social conflicts, derived from underdevelopment.
Lack of capital, the population explosion, the difficult geography, are all a challenge to this
generation which must try to solve many problems, or at least initiate processes which
offer solutions for future generations. In this effort it is obvious that the cultural factor is of
prime importance; all steps taken to promote science and education to a decisive role in
our process of development are justified. Unfortunately, it is but on a rare occasion that the
importance of science and technology are appreciated by the people with political and
decision-making power
SLIDE 02: The aim of Universities (35 s)
In science, the primary aim of universities is the preparation of human resources for
research. Unquestionably the scientific and technological talent must be a product of an
educational process. Although it is necessary that this process begin in the very early
stages in grade and secondary school, it is the university that must produce the capable
researcher as a citizen conscious of his responsibility to the society in which he lives.
Nevertheless, in a country like ours, universities are dedicated principally to teaching,
amidst poor quality and investigation low rates.
SLIDE 03: QS World University Ranking (55 s)
If we now review the latest Qs World University Ranking, then actually we havent done
very much to strengthen Peruvian education. In the light of the recent results, theres a
huge contrast between the several evaluated institutions. Where does the difference lies?
Lets take a look at the first place in the ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Here is the most eye-catching part: research level.
The MIT is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, As of
1950, 76 MIT alumni have won the Nobel Prize. Its budget has been estimated in 2.50
billion, more than three hundred times the highest Peruvian university budget.
Furthermore, the outlook is not very encouraging for us. Current statistics are simply
disturbing. By using the search filter, only a few representatives can be found. In terms of
scientific production, these are the best universities nowadays.

SLIDE 04: Institutions Comparison (45 s)

We will be able to find out why by looking carefully the next diagrams. Its not a surprising
result, indeed. These three have published far more research papers than the rest of the
others combined. Though, it is a reduced amount, compared to the Latin-American
average production.
The curious thing is that universities which have a larger student population show an
extremely low researching level. Negligible. Lots of people study not because they want to
learn, but because they believe getting a piece of paper will directly increase their
earnings, ignoring the fact that going to university is not valuable for the piece of paper you
get at the end, its valuable for the experiences you have, the skills and knowledge you
actually learn, and the accomplishments you achieve while there.

SLIDE 05: Conclusion (35 s)

Undoubtedly, the demands of the modern society involve a good overall preparation level,
and the need to develop research skills in order to continue postgraduate studies and to
become someone transcendent within the profession we will exercise.
To sum up, without pure and applied research there is no possibility of technical progress
and a country remains in a dependent and subordinate position. If a country does not try to
place science and technology at the place that corresponds to them, sooner or later that
country will become a political and economic colony.

TIME = 3:30 minutes.