How many more times do we need to have rammed down our throats that India and China are creaming the U.S. when it comes to the numbers of engineers that are being produced yearly? Surely it must millions a year by now, right?

Okay, I'm being sarcastic. China produced more than 600,000 engineers in 2005, and India produces nearly 500,000 technical graduates annually. But even if those numbers are greater than the numbers in the U.S., there’s another element under scrutiny: what’s the quality of the education these students are receiving in India and China?

In many cases, the quality is not very good and they are having a hard time getting hired, according to a recent report in Newsweek International. Well, it’s no wonder that’s the case if engineering students in India show up for class and there are no teachers, as the report mentions.

The report offers many interesting points, particularly on the quality of education the graduates receive. For example, corporate recruiters in both India and China say there is a shortage of qualified applicants. "Out of the huge number of engineering and science graduates that India produces, only 25 to 30 percent can be regarded as suitable," says Kiran Karnik, head of the National Association of Software and Services Companies.

I’m not saying we don’t have a real problem on our hands when it comes to the numbers of engineers we’re cranking out yearly in this country compared to China and India. I just think we need to look at the high-quality technical institutions we have here, the U.S. citizens who attend them and are receiving fantastic educations, and remember that we’re looked on as a world technology leader for some very good reasons.

Let’s not become enamored with engineers educated in India and China because they have the reputation of being whiz kids in math and science. Let’s look at the whole picture.