Cosmos
Cosmos is a quarterly science magazine. We aim to inspire curiosity in ‘The Science of Everything’ and make the world of science accessible to everyone.
By Cosmos
Australia is in the midst of a maths crisis which is undermining the economy, according to a new consortium of interest groups which is recommending change.
The group says current state and federal government plans to address teacher supply and skills shortages are “inadequate” and leaves Australia “without the necessary skills for innovation and productivity improvements.”
It’s calling for Australia to follow the international trend to improve the skills of existing teachers, a position endorsed by the Australian Institute of Physics.
The review group consists of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, the Australian Mathematical Society, the Statistical Society of Australia, the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and the Actuaries Institute.
It says the teacher shortage was brought on not just by COVID-19 and increased secondary enrolments but by chronic classroom shortages. “40% of teachers are out of field,” it says.
The review, ”Analysis of out of field secondary mathematics teacher upskilling initiatives in Australia” says existing state based programs are “completely inadequate.”
It says the new Albanese Government National Teacher Workforce Action Plan is commendable but it “must include upskilling initiatives.”
“With a secondary teacher workforce of nearly 150,000 and mathematics makes up about 17% of the curriculum, the size of the problem is enormous,” says Professor Tim Marchant, Director of the Australian Mathematical Institute.
“Mathematics is vital to Australia’s future, for individuals and the economy.
“That future is jeopardised by a failure to manage the maths teacher workforce.”
The Australian Institute of Physics endorsed the report, saying: “The shortage of high-school mathematics teachers in Australia has reached crisis point.”
“Mathematics is the language of physics and is of foundational importance to all areas of STEM.
“The teaching of mathematics classes by out-of-field teachers is prevalent in Years 7-10. This lack of suitably trained teachers is particularly severe in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, entrenching disadvantage and lack of opportunity.
“As a result, strategies to support and up-skill out-of-field teachers are desperately needed.”
Ripple effects of the maths teacher crisis
