02.03.12
Charity launched to tackle poor numeracy
Millions of people in Britain are struggling with numeracy, damaging our economic performance, according to a new charity ‘National Numeracy’, set up to improve maths skills.
Government figures show that almost half of the working population inEnglandhave only primary school level numeracy, leading to difficulty understanding pay slips and train timetables and paying household bills.
Poor numeracy is linked with several poor life outcomes, including prison, unemployment, exclusion from school, poverty and long-term illness.
The charity seeks to emulate the success of the National Literacy Trust. The Skills for Life survey last year showed that only 22% have strong enough maths skills to get a good GCSE, down from 26% in 2003.
Chris Humphries, chairman of National Numeracy and a former chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, said: “It is simply inexcusable for anyone to say ‘I can’t do maths’. It is a peculiarly British disease which we aim to eradicate.
“It doesn’t happen in other parts of the world. With encouragement and good teaching, everyone can improve their numeracy.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “We want the vast majority of young people to study maths up to 18 within a decade to meet the growing demand for employees with high level and intermediate maths skills.
“We are undertaking a root-and-branch review of how maths is taught in schools, attracting the best maths graduates into the profession.”
Image c. Seth Youngblood
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