The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak expected to continue his bid to make maths education&nbsp;compulsory until 18, as he believes that Britain possesses an inherent “anti-maths mindset” which&nbsp;is costing the country. In an upcoming speech, the excerpts of which were released by 10 Downing Street, Sunak, on Monday (April 17) might argue that failure to consider numeracy as a basic skill like reading is costing the UK economy huge sums.&nbsp;

Sunak’s upcoming speech in north London

“We’ve got to change this anti-maths mindset. We’ve got to start prizing numeracy for what it is – a key skill every bit as essential as reading,” the UK PM is&nbsp;to say, as per his speech briefed in advance by Downing Street, reported the Guardian.&nbsp;

It added, “I won’t sit back and allow this cultural sense that it’s OK to be bad at maths to put our children at a disadvantage.” Sunak is&nbsp;to pitch his campaign to “transform” UK’s supposed national approach to the subject saying that it is not some “nice to have” and change how Britain values maths.&nbsp;

The UK PM is also expected to cite statistics showing that Britain&nbsp;is below average for numeracy among industrialised countries as more than eight million adults reportedly have maths skills below those expected in schools for a child aged nine.&nbsp;

“If we are going to grow the economy not just over the next two years, but the next 20, we simply cannot allow poor numeracy to cost our economy tens of billions a year or to leave people twice as likely to be unemployed as those with competent numeracy,” Sunak is expected to say.&nbsp;

The UK PM will also say that this change will not be delivered overnight and how they&nbsp;“need to recruit and train the maths teachers.”&nbsp;

UK government’s previous response to the issue

This comes months after the British government had pledged to set up an advisory committee to determine if they should&nbsp;make maths&nbsp;compulsory from the current minimum of 16 to 18. The group would include mathematicians, education experts and business representatives to advise on the numeracy content needed.&nbsp;

However,&nbsp;critics, some of which are from the&nbsp;opposition parties have called the promise meaningless saying that the incumbent Tory government does not have a plan or the means including money to recruit and train more maths teachers to implement their mandates.&nbsp;

“Once again, the prime minister needs to show his working: he cannot deliver this reheated, empty pledge without more maths teachers,” said UK’s Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as per the Guardian.&nbsp;

She added that the Tory government has failed UK’s children for 13 years and “repeatedly misses their target for new maths teachers, with maths attainment gaps widening and existing teachers leaving in their droves.” 
 
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The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak expected to continue his bid to make maths education compulsory until 18, as he believes that Britain possesses an inherent “anti-maths mindset” which is costing the country.

The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak expected to continue his bid to make maths education compulsory until 18, as he believes that Britain possesses an inherent “anti-maths mindset” which is costing the country. In an upcoming speech, the excerpts of which were released by 10 Downing Street, Sunak, on Monday (April 17) might argue that failure to consider numeracy as a basic skill like reading is costing the UK economy huge sums. Sunak’s upcoming speech in north London “We’ve got to change this anti-maths mindset. We’ve got to start prizing numeracy for what it is – a key skill every bit as essential as reading,” the UK PM is to say, as per his speech briefed in advance by Downing Street, reported the Guardian. It added, “I won’t sit back and allow this cultural sense that it’s OK to be bad at maths to put our children at a disadvantage.” Sunak is to pitch his campaign to “transform” UK’s supposed national approach to the subject saying that it is not some “nice to have” and change how Britain values maths. The UK PM is also expected to cite statistics showing that Britain is below average for numeracy among industrialised countries as more than eight million adults reportedly have maths skills below those expected in schools for a child aged nine. “If we are going to grow the economy not just over the next two years, but the next 20, we simply cannot allow poor numeracy to cost our economy tens of billions a year or to leave people twice as likely to be unemployed as those with competent numeracy,” Sunak is expected to say. The UK PM will also say that this change will not be delivered overnight and how they “need to recruit and train the maths teachers.” UK government’s previous response to the issue This comes months after the British government had pledged to set up an advisory committee to determine if they should make maths compulsory from the current minimum of 16 to 18. The group would include mathematicians, education experts and business representatives to advise on the numeracy content needed. However, critics, some of which are from the opposition parties have called the promise meaningless saying that the incumbent Tory government does not have a plan or the means including money to recruit and train more maths teachers to implement their mandates. “Once again, the prime minister needs to show his working: he cannot deliver this reheated, empty pledge without more maths teachers,” said UK’s Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as per the Guardian. She added that the Tory government has failed UK’s children for 13 years and “repeatedly misses their target for new maths teachers, with maths attainment gaps widening and existing teachers leaving in their droves.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

PM Sunak wants to make maths education mandatory until 18 in UK. Here’s why

There is a Tamil proverb that fits the situation perfectly after British prime minister Rishi Sunak talked somewhat cryptically about the importance of boosting numeracy among pupils in the United Kingdom, although its alliterative magic may be lost in translation. The saying goes: "Don't say ten times ten is hundred when the stomach is on fire".

Given the deep crisis in the UK economy, the vague statement, though well-intentioned to create jobs in the age of data science, fell short of any government commitment to put its money where its mouth is. Whatever the detail, long-term statements made when there's a short-term emergency of sorts with public services in a state of disarray do not ring true. That may well be the problem with the thinking design of Sunak's Conservative party.

"Let them learn maths" may well be Britain's questionable parallel to the "Let them eat cake" saying attributed dubiously to French queen Marie Antoinette.

But there's more irony to this than a matter of bad timing and lack of detail. A quick Google search will reveal Britain has produced an awe-inspiring range of famous mathematicians. Among them are physicist Isaac Newton, philosopher Bertrand Russell and computer science pioneers Alan Turing and Charles Babbage. G.H Hardy, who mentored Indian number science genius Srinivasan Ramanujan and a host of others bring up a list that should make Britain a mathematical superpower.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rishi-sunak-to-call-for-mandatory-maths-education-till-age-18-549369">Rishi Sunak to unveil plan for mandatory teaching of maths to students till the age of 18</a>

Where did things go wrong? You can't oversimplify the issue but I like to think the gains of the Industrial Revolution, colonialism, and globalisation were not fairly shared with the common British people. The country's class system may not be as visible or talked about as India's caste system but the Brexit vote under which the UK exited the European Union showed that elite Britons in London's financial districts prospered while those in the countryside lagged, leading to insecurities that led to Brexit, which has drained the UK more than its proponents would care to admit.

There's mourning in some circles about Britain losing its global clout, only underlining the hard reality that you cannot succeed globally while failing locally.

The psyche of Tories and colonial-era hubris may have done more damage to the British economy than the ruling party may be willing to acknowledge. In the popular narrative set by them, immigrants are freeloaders from poor countries threatening Britain's security, economy, and way of life. Contrast that with America. Though its right-wing campaigns are hard against illegal immigrants, especially from Latin America, the US has a strong business lobby that supports positive immigration of educated Asians and entrepreneurs.

Google and Facebook owe their origin to Jewish immigrants, Apple to Syrian-immigrant-fathered Steve Jobs and a number of hot startups and tech giants to Indian-born venture capitalist Vinod Khosla.

By stereotyping immigrants and not having a long-term vision on the issue, British politicians like Indian-origin home secretary Suella Braverman (possibly more loyal to Britain than the King) only discourage positive immigration.

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UK can potentially model itself after Scandinavian or Northern Europe countries where public-funded higher education seems to be on stronger footing. Or it can fuel high growth by attracting the right immigrants and sharing the gains of growth with locals. As of now, the Sunak-led Tories have missed both the points.

What seems to have happened, thanks in no small measure to Tory insensitivity, is a case of what an American writer described as a 'secession of the successful'.

There's no doubt that indulgent/profligate Labour Party policies may not be exactly what the doctor ordered for the UK but more true, the rich cannot preach to the less fortunate the glory of mathematics when what is needed is a realistic balance between growth and social equity.

Though education up to the age of 18 is free in Britain, there appear to be big gaps in its education system. A report in The Guardian two years ago said quoting the Institute of Fiscal Studies that state schools in England have suffered their worst decline since the 1980s especially after Conservatives took power in 2010. Secondary schools and deprived areas were most hit by austerity measures.

The British PM may have at least cited his father-in-law and Infosys founder N.R Narayana Murthy as an example to call on UK's fat cats to do some mathematically inclined philanthropy or scholarships while offering a be-like-me sermon for young Britons to learn maths.

Without mixing metaphors, one may say Rishi Sunak's call to boost numeracy in Britain was not a well-calculated one in the land where Sir Isaac Newton invented calculus as a mathematical discipline.

If only Sunak realises the Newtonian gravity of the situation...

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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There is a Tamil proverb that fits the situation perfectly after British prime minister Rishi Sunak talked somewhat cryptically about the importance of boosting numeracy among pupils in the United Kingdom, although its alliterative magic may be lost in translation.

There is a Tamil proverb that fits the situation perfectly after British prime minister Rishi Sunak talked somewhat cryptically about the importance of boosting numeracy among pupils in the United Kingdom, although its alliterative magic may be lost in translation. The saying goes: "Don't say ten times ten is hundred when the stomach is on fire". Given the deep crisis in the UK economy, the vague statement, though well-intentioned to create jobs in the age of data science, fell short of any government commitment to put its money where its mouth is. Whatever the detail, long-term statements made when there's a short-term emergency of sorts with public services in a state of disarray do not ring true. That may well be the problem with the thinking design of Sunak's Conservative party. "Let them learn maths" may well be Britain's questionable parallel to the "Let them eat cake" saying attributed dubiously to French queen Marie Antoinette. But there's more irony to this than a matter of bad timing and lack of detail. A quick Google search will reveal Britain has produced an awe-inspiring range of famous mathematicians. Among them are physicist Isaac Newton, philosopher Bertrand Russell and computer science pioneers Alan Turing and Charles Babbage. G.H Hardy, who mentored Indian number science genius Srinivasan Ramanujan and a host of others bring up a list that should make Britain a mathematical superpower. Also Read | Rishi Sunak to unveil plan for mandatory teaching of maths to students till the age of 18 Where did things go wrong? You can't oversimplify the issue but I like to think the gains of the Industrial Revolution, colonialism, and globalisation were not fairly shared with the common British people. The country's class system may not be as visible or talked about as India's caste system but the Brexit vote under which the UK exited the European Union showed that elite Britons in London's financial districts prospered while those in the countryside lagged, leading to insecurities that led to Brexit, which has drained the UK more than its proponents would care to admit. There's mourning in some circles about Britain losing its global clout, only underlining the hard reality that you cannot succeed globally while failing locally. The psyche of Tories and colonial-era hubris may have done more damage to the British economy than the ruling party may be willing to acknowledge. In the popular narrative set by them, immigrants are freeloaders from poor countries threatening Britain's security, economy, and way of life. Contrast that with America. Though its right-wing campaigns are hard against illegal immigrants, especially from Latin America, the US has a strong business lobby that supports positive immigration of educated Asians and entrepreneurs. Google and Facebook owe their origin to Jewish immigrants, Apple to Syrian-immigrant-fathered Steve Jobs and a number of hot startups and tech giants to Indian-born venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. By stereotyping immigrants and not having a long-term vision on the issue, British politicians like Indian-origin home secretary Suella Braverman (possibly more loyal to Britain than the King) only discourage positive immigration. × UK can potentially model itself after Scandinavian or Northern Europe countries where public-funded higher education seems to be on stronger footing. Or it can fuel high growth by attracting the right immigrants and sharing the gains of growth with locals. As of now, the Sunak-led Tories have missed both the points. What seems to have happened, thanks in no small measure to Tory insensitivity, is a case of what an American writer described as a 'secession of the successful'. There's no doubt that indulgent/profligate Labour Party policies may not be exactly what the doctor ordered for the UK but more true, the rich cannot preach to the less fortunate the glory of mathematics when what is needed is a realistic balance between growth and social equity. Though education up to the age of 18 is free in Britain, there appear to be big gaps in its education system. A report in The Guardian two years ago said quoting the Institute of Fiscal Studies that state schools in England have suffered their worst decline since the 1980s especially after Conservatives took power in 2010. Secondary schools and deprived areas were most hit by austerity measures. The British PM may have at least cited his father-in-law and Infosys founder N.R Narayana Murthy as an example to call on UK's fat cats to do some mathematically inclined philanthropy or scholarships while offering a be-like-me sermon for young Britons to learn maths. Without mixing metaphors, one may say Rishi Sunak's call to boost numeracy in Britain was not a well-calculated one in the land where Sir Isaac Newton invented calculus as a mathematical discipline. If only Sunak realises the Newtonian gravity of the situation... (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Miscalculating migration and maths: Why Rishi Sunak's views don't add up

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PM Sunak wants to make maths education mandatory until 18 in UK. Here’s why

Miscalculating migration and maths: Why Rishi Sunak's views don't add up