Less Than 25 Per Cent of Students Are Taught by Qualified Maths Teachers Every Year

Here's an equation for you...

Imagine if only 25 per cent of all students between Year Seven and Year Ten were taught mathematics by qualified maths teachers each year.

...

Well, according to new data from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI), that's actually what's happening in real life.

The data shows that 76 per cent of students will be taught by an unqualified teacher at least once between Year Seven and Year Ten, with eight per cent never being taught by a qualified teacher. While the teachers were qualified to teach in other fields, they weren't specifically trained in teaching mathematics.

ASMI's director Professor Geoff Prince admitted these figures were dire and time was running out to fix the issue.

"These are crisis figures," Professor Prince said in the statement.

"Australia's mathematical capability cannot be put at risk for another two decades, the time to act is now and must include those already in the classroom."

So, what's the solution?

ASMI recommends recruiting new teachers and retraining existing out-of-field teachers, but it's going to be tough.

Last year, a survey conducted by academics from Western Sydney University found that about 0.01 per cent of students showed any interest in pursuing a career in mathematics.

In 2016, just seven per cent of female Year 12 students chose to study advanced mathematics compared to 14 per cent of males who took the subject, despite out-performing males in these subjects.