Rishi Sunak said a “anti-maths mindset” is hurting the economy as he promised an English review.
A group of advisors, comprised of mathematicians and businesspeople, will evaluate the “core maths content” taught in schools.
It will also determine if a new mathematics qualification is required.
However, opposition parties criticized the government’s recruitment of maths instructors.
The prime minister stated in a review speech that more maths teachers were needed but would “not happen overnight.”
He wants all English pupils to learn maths till 18, but not A-level arithmetic.
Mr. Sunak warned a London audience of students, teachers, and business leaders that children without a firm foundation in mathematics risk being “left behind” in the job market.
A “cultural sense that it’s okay to be bad at maths,” he added, had made the United Kingdom one of the least numerate developed nations.
Employers worried about poor numeracy, which cost the economy “tens of billions of dollars per year.”
However, opposition parties have criticized the government’s record of recruiting math teachers, with Labour noting that recruitment targets for math teachers have been repeatedly missed.
Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, stated, “The prime minister must demonstrate his ability to work. He cannot fulfill this reheated, empty promise without more maths teachers.”
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson stated that the government lacked a “proper plan” to recruit more maths teachers, adding, “You don’t need an A-level in mathematics to see that these plans don’t add up.”
Recruitment targets
12% of English secondary school teachers have no post-A-level education.
Targets for the recruitment of new teachers-in-training have not been met for over a decade, despite being lower in 2019.
When asked earlier how many new teachers would be required to fulfill Mr. Sunak’s promises, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan stated that the number would hinge on the findings of the advisory group.
The prime minister stated that the committee would report back in July with recommendations for enhancing the mathematics curriculum, with a subsequent implementation plan to be announced later in the year.
The committee will consist of mathematicians, education leaders, and business representatives, according to Downing Street.
In addition to examining how mathematics is taught in countries with high numeracy rates. The committee will also consider how new technology can be used to assist educators.
A 2017 government review suggested several measures to enhance students’ maths skills, but not all of them were implemented.
The recommendations included eliminating mandatory GCSE retakes instead of promoting existing core maths qualifications. Which emphasize the application of mathematics to real-world situations.
“Overburdening workload”
Mr. Sunak also pledged to introduce a voluntary qualification for mathematics teachers in primary schools and to expand the roughly 40 mathematics Hubs in England, which aim to improve the quality of maths education.
The joint general secretary of the National Education Union, Dr. Mary Bousted, described the prime minister’s goal as “laudable” but cautioned that it would be “thwarted unless he confronts the reality of the state of education in England.”
She stated that there is a “crisis of teacher retention as a result of low pay and excessive workload”. And demanded that the government explain how it intends to recruit more mathematics teachers.
The union’s rejection of the government’s 2022 pay offer would undoubtedly cause more disruptions.
Based on examinations taken by 15-year-olds, the United Kingdom was ranked 18th in the world for maths proficiency in 2019.
Each year, nearly one-third of 16-year-olds in England fail GCSE mathematics and must retake the course in college. The retake pass rate is approximately 20%.
