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Dollymix asks: are you any good at maths?

A recent government report suggests that, as a nation, we're not very good at maths. In fact, we have a terrible attitude to the subject that it's leading to a shortage in decent maths specialists in primary schools, possibly because you only need a Maths GCSE of C or above to train as a teacher. This means even I could do it, and trust me, you do not want me teaching your kids the value of X and Y. According to the report, "The United Kingdom remains one of the few advanced nations where it is socially acceptable to profess an inability to cope with mathematics." What do you reckon? Are they right? I'd hazard a guess that women are more guilty of playing the fool than men on this one...

Dollymix asks: are you any good at maths? - Comments

Julie

According to the report, "The United Kingdom remains one of the few advanced nations where it is socially acceptable to profess an inability to cope with mathematics."

I think this is a problem in many advanced countries. The idea that being bad at math is perfectly human and acceptable - almost something you can be proud of as proof that you have spent your time more wisely than those who understand math - is unfortunately widespread. I know it's a problem in my country, Norway. And some countries we might find less "advanced", understand that math is something you need to know in order to become more advanced.