Year 12 Students Are Avoiding Advanced Maths, Report Finds

Algebraic! (Actually, not so much…)

The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute is getting very nervous about the increasing number of universities that don’t require maths as a prerequisite to study commerce, science or engineering.

According to a report by the institute, 87 per cent of unis don’t require students to have studied maths as a prerequisite for a commerce degree; 86 per cent don’t require it for a science degree and 31 per cent don’t require it for an engineering degree.

"Advanced maths is not a prerequisite for any formal course,” AMSI director Geoff Prince told the AFR.

He believes Year 12 students are increasingly dropping intermediate and advanced maths units as a result.

“Universities must phase in restoration of maths prerequisites; the lack of them sends a negative and misleading message to schools about the value of these subjects," Prince added.

In 2013, 28.7 per cent of year 12 students took intermediate or advanced maths classes, compared to 28.9 per cent in the previous year.

The report by the ASMI also broke down enrolment by gender, noting that 20.7 per cent of boys took intermediate maths compared with 17.6 per cent of girls. The girls also trailed boys in advanced maths enrolment, with 6.7 per cent to 12.7 per cent.

Students, sing out. What are your thoughts on the need for maths as a prerequisite for certain uni study?