Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to ensure that all children in the United Kingdom will study mathematics in some form until they reach 18 years of age so that they do not lag behind in today’s age of data and statistics. Surprisingly, while speaking to the community, Asian Voice learned that Asian parents are supporting Sunak’s idea, as well as teachers - despite the huge pay gap and shortage of skilled staff that would need addressing should this plan be implemented. Students are wary of the Prime Minister’s outlook towards math.
Sunak’s plan came as a part of his speech on Wednesday seeking to reset his premiership amid a health crisis, ongoing industrial action, and dire poll ratings for the ruling Conservative Party. This will include a new “ambition” to tackle poor numeracy levels by requiring all school pupils in England to learn maths to 18. Some 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children and only half of 16-19-year-olds study any maths at all, the government has said.
However, Maths will not become compulsory at ALevel, Sunak’s office clarified, with other routes such as new Core Maths and technical qualifications being explored. It was unable to provide a timeline for when the changes would come into effect, saying only that work would begin on the policy before the next election. Taking a quick dig at prime minister Sunak, Sussex University Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar tweeted, “Sunak has gone full old Asian dad with this Maths thing. I did pure & applied A level Maths. Not particularly well, wasn’t happy and it stopped me from discovering what I was good at. From every aspect, the idea is utter toilet.”
Asian Voice reached out to teachers, parents, and students in the community to understand their perspectives on the PM’s plans. 16-year-old Shreya Paul, a student at Henrietta Barnett School told Asian Voice, “When the news of Rishi Sunak making maths a compulsory subject until eighteen years old had first cone out, I along with thousands of other people and their families had a look of utter horror on our face. Having recently picked my A levels and joined sixth form and learned about my pathway to higher education, I sincerely pity those forced to take a subject that they don't have a passion for. “Having come from an immigrant family like Sunak, where having 'success' was seen as excelling in STEM subjects, I personally enjoyed them immensely, but many other members of my family had immense talent in other areas which lead them up many other pathways to success. My mum had regaled me and my sister with tales of her experiences with maths all the way up to university having been forced to continue with it by her dad, and I shudder to think that these feelings of fear, dread and hatred for the subject will be felt by so many young people for the lack of say they had in choosing it and love for it.” Paul further explained that in addition, for students aiming for top universities such as Oxbridge, grades and predicted grades are the make or break to receiving an offer. “If maths becomes a compulsory third or fourth subject, and students are unable to gain a high enough grade in maths but did in the subject they want to continue with, there will be a whole truckload of wasted potential in each person who may find success in other non-mathematical fields. It is almost impossible to do well in any A-level subject without having a passion for it, and with maths already being a relatively difficult subject, results day will only be associated with a lack of hope for many. Besides, how will detailed knowledge of trigonometry help to split a bill in a restaurant?” she argued.
Although Shreya personally enjoys maths and has chosen to continue with it through to A level, she believes that it is simply cruel to force entire generations with bright futures down the same robotic pathway and subsequently severely hurt their chances of having good higher education and career progression, which more important than ever in today's climate. Majority of students miss out on developing functional mathematical skills Commenting on the PM’s plans, SEN Teacher Tamalika Basu told us, “I do welcome the move as I see in a secondary school setting an extensive number of students lack the numeracy skills. Whereas GCSE resits do continue to invest some time in maths along with their post-16 pathways, but a majority of students miss out on developing functional mathematical skills if they are pursuing humanities and creative courses. I feel there should be a dedicated hour for maths for those students where employment-oriented numeracy should be boosted. Like learning Tally or Spreadsheets, continuing practice with percentages and interest that will come helpful in life with mortgages.” Parents stand with Sunak Ketan Dattani, CEO and Founder of Buckingham Futures, a recruiting firm told Asian Voice, “As a parent of four children, I support PM Rishi Sunak’s plan to make maths, a compulsory subject for students up to age 18. I appreciate that numeracy, statistical literacy, and the ability to make sense of data are essential skills for the modern world, whether for the workplace or for playing an active role in society and it makes total sense to give all young people a chance to develop these skills. However, if we want the UK economy to thrive and young people to be prepared to compete on a global level, we need a radical overhaul of our education system and simply mandating compulsory maths until 18 may not be sufficient in itself without the appropriate number of qualified teachers and academic infrastructure.” Arpita Nath told the newsweekly, “I feel that maths is important at every key stage of education because it provides a strong basis for reasoning, estimation and thinking logically in later life. Professions which are most sought after science, medicine, engineering, computer programming, finance, data science, even students opting for Arts, construction need maths skills, and thus opens up so many career options.”
Atrayee Bandyopadhyay said, “I do agree that basic mathematics should be made compulsory at least to a certain level, say up to age 16, after which only those who have an inclination for the subject may choose to continue to study the same. Advanced mathematics may be made optional but it’s true that knowledge of basic mathematics is very important to build a strong foundation in academia. It has certainly helped me in my higher studies.” Despite the support, many Britons have expressed that this will stunt growth for students in high school, who are better off in other subjects, affecting grades or ability to pursue different expertise. However, the prime minister’s ambition for schools in England faces a 5,000 shortfall in maths teachers and a sixth form funding gap. Sunak certainly isn’t the first minister to consider the issue. In 2011 the government, with Michael Gove as education secretary, commissioned Carol Vorderman to head a task force on maths in schools. It recommended that some form of maths teaching remain compulsory until the age of 18. Making his numbers add up will need large sums of money and teachers which remains one of the major setbacks amid ongoing parle of crises in the country.
