Bill Gates addresses educational reform

SEATTLE, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Microsoft Chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates says he sees a talent shortage of qualified technological engineers emerging from the U.S. educational system.

"The overall picture is that the United States is not turning out, from any group, as many of the great engineers as there will be jobs for," Gates said at a weekend conference of the National Society of Black Engineers.

Gates said minority groups, already marginally represented in the computer sciences, should immerse themselves in technological fields, The Seattle Times reported Saturday.

"African-Americans are going into computer science in greater numbers," Gates said. However, while the number of blacks in computer related fields has doubled since 1995, Gates noted, "We're going to have to double it again and again to get up to where we should be."

Gates addressed broader issues in the U.S. educational system, such as fewer students per class, theme-based curricula and new benchmarks for teacher performance, the Times said.

"The quality of our education, for me, rises above all the other issues in our country," Gates said.