London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to make mathematics a top priority for the nation’s school education till the age of 18.
A release from PM Office on Wednesday pointed at Sunak’s ambition to get all students taught some of form of maths to remedy the country’s poor numeracy skills.
"Every opportunity I've had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive," Rishi Sunak will tell in his first speech of the year setting out his priorities for 2023.
The release from PMO however acknowledged that the ambitious plan to overhaul the system on a scale as is planned is challenging.
It is challenging because around 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, it said.
"With the right plan - the right commitment to excellence - I see no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the world," Rishi Sunak's speech reportedly read.
The speech further said that letting children out into the world without mathematical skills is like letting them down.
A world where data and statistics underpin every job, students require more analytical skills than ever before, he said, adding that the situation calls for reimaging ‘our approach to numeracy’.
However, the government is not planning to make Math A-Level compulsory for all 16-year-olds.