Maths is set to be compulsory for Year 11 and 12 students across NSW again, which will be terrible news for every student planning to drop the subject faster than a hot pocket fresh out of the microwave.
[jwplayer bmkW0FsI]
It’s being hailed as the “biggest shakeup to the NSW curriculum in over 30 years”, according to the Department of Education. Maths will be compulsory for every student across the state, from Kindergarten to Year 12, happening just as soon as the government figures out how to make it happen. (Talking to key stakeholders, making sure there’s enough maths teachers, that kind of thing.)
The move, championed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, is designed to prep kids with the numeracy skills to “succeed in today’s society”, and is part of the state government’s “return to basics” push on maths, English and science.
“My vision is for every child in NSW to have the necessary maths skills to succeed in life, whether that’s managing home budgets or preparing them for the jobs of the future in science, technology and engineering,” Berejiklian said in a statement.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell described maths as “a companion for life”, which sounds desperately lonely.
“Whether you are a carpenter or a software engineer, maths is a companion for life, we want to make sure that the new curriculum provides a level of maths concepts that will help every NSW student succeed in life after school,” she said.
HOWEVER – and here’s the weird bit – maths might not count towards your ATAR. It’s all a bit confusing, and sounds like the government is still working out the details.
“Whilst we would like to see all HSC students study a form of maths in years 11 and 12 – this won’t involve forcing them to take maths as a unit of study for their HSC, nor will it necessarily count toward their ATAR,” Mitchell told the SMH.
So it’s an…. extra subject? Fun.
There’s no clear answer yet on when maths will become compulsory, but if you’re a young person reading this, there’s probably still time to convince your parents to move interstate. Good luck to ya.
