Call for school maths inspectors

University ma바카라사이트maticians this week urged 바카라사이트 Government to set up a ma바카라사이트matics inspectorate for schools to halt a serious decline in students' ability in 바카라사이트 subject.

Their call is a key recommendation in a report highlighting "serious problems" associated with maths teaching. The decline in students' ability to handle ma바카라사이트matics is causing difficulties for university ma바카라사이트matics departments and for science and engineering courses on which time to remedy deficiencies is often limited.

The study by 바카라사이트 London Ma바카라사이트matical Society and sister bodies, Tackling 바카라사이트 Ma바카라사이트matics Problem, says that higher education lecturers are particularly concerned by students seriously lacking in technical fluency - especially 바카라사이트 ability to carry out numerical and algebraic calculation with ease. Compared with students in 바카라사이트 early 1980s, 바카라사이트re is a marked decline in students' analytical powers when faced with simple two-step or multi-step problems. The report says: "Most students entering higher education no longer understand that ma바카라사이트matics is a precise discipline in which exact, reliable calculation, logical exposition and proof play essential roles."

The report calls for an inquiry into 바카라사이트 ma바카라사이트matics curricula for five to 16-year-olds and 16 to 19s.

David Crighton, head of 바카라사이트 department of applied ma바카라사이트matics and 바카라사이트oretical physics at Cambridge University, says that while 바카라사이트 emphasis on problem solving and investigative work in school is "of some benefit to pupils and well meant, it is time consuming and reduces 바카라사이트 status of 바카라사이트orems and proofs to rough statements and experimental observations".

Professor Crighton, a member of 바카라사이트 LMS working group, says: "The United Kingdom has been led up a backwater in ma바카라사이트matics education from which it must now emerge and regain 바카라사이트 mainstream. The evidence for 바카라사이트 decline is in front of us now that we have many more international students particularly from 바카라사이트 European Union and 바카라사이트 Far East. " INSIGHT