There will be a price to pay if we continue to take math lightly.

The British government plans to train and recruit more maths teachers. (Source: The Times)

Determined to change the way you think about learning math

A persistent “maths-light” mentality is holding back efforts to improve numeracy skills, according to Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to restart plans to make maths compulsory for children up to the age of 18.

In a speech to pupils and teachers in London today, the British Prime Minister is expected to argue that failing to regard maths as a basic skill like reading is costing the UK economy huge sums of money.

“We have to change our mindset of not paying enough attention to mathematics,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a prepared statement. “We have to start valuing mathematics as a skill, as important as reading.”

“I will not sit back and allow the notion that it is okay to be bad at maths to put our children at a disadvantage. My campaign is to change the national approach to maths.”

In another speech in early January, Chancellor Sunak first set out plans to make maths compulsory until the age of 18, rather than the current minimum of 16.

Critics, including opposition parties, say the claims are meaningless without a detailed plan, including funding to recruit and train more math teachers.

Controversial plan

Chancellor Sunak is expected to announce statistics showing the UK has below-average maths proficiency among industrialised countries, with more than 8 million adults having maths skills below the expected level, similar to the maths ability of nine-year-olds.

“If we look at the economic future not just for the next two years but for the next 20 years, we cannot allow poor numeracy to cost the UK economy tens of billions a year or make it twice as likely to be unemployed as someone with good numeracy skills.”

The British cabinet chief stressed that the country needs to fundamentally change the education system so that young people have the mathematical knowledge and skills to meet recruitment needs and compete with the world's leading companies.

Mr. Sunak also identified that improving the quality of maths teaching in the UK needs to be considered a long-term task, focusing on recruiting and training maths teachers.

The UK government also set out plans to establish an advisory group of mathematicians, education experts and business representatives to advise on the required mathematics content and whether new maths qualifications should be established for 16 to 18 year olds.

However, some members of the opposition party believe that the British government needs to implement a systematic, practical plan rather than empty promises. Some experts say that the first thing to focus on is the team of maths teachers, with recruiting new teachers and finding ways to retain experienced maths teachers.

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