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Encouraging Students to Drop Mathematics

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the math-be-tough-let's-go-shoppin dept.

Coryoth writes "The BBC is reporting that students in the UK are being encouraged to drop math at the senior levels. It seems that schools are seeking to boost their standing on league tables by encouraging students not to take 'hard' subjects like mathematics, in favor of easier subjects in which they are assured good grades. The result is Universities being forced to provide remedial math classes for science students who haven't done math for two years. The BBC provides a comparison between Chinese and UK university entrance tests — a comparison that makes the UK look woefully behind."

5 of 618 comments (clear)

  1. Glad to see by afidel · · Score: 5, Funny

    someone else has as messed up an education system as the US.

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
  2. finally by Manos_Of_Fate · · Score: 5, Funny

    I heartily endorse this. If I suck at maths then so should everyone else.

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    Isn't enough that I ruined a pony, making a gift for you?
    1. Re:finally by jpetts · · Score: 5, Funny

      develop a belief mathematics is useless as a defense mechanism
      I'm sorry, but mathematics is useless as a defense mechanism: if someone has a gun on you, you can't put a Riemannian Manifold or anything like that in the way of the bullet, can you?
      --
      Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
    2. Re:finally by RR · · Score: 5, Funny

      develop a belief mathematics is useless as a defense mechanism
      I'm sorry, but mathematics is useless as a defense mechanism: if someone has a gun on you, you can't put a Riemannian Manifold or anything like that in the way of the bullet, can you?

      But you can put a book describing Riemannian manifolds in front of the bullet.

      --
      Have a nice time.
  3. That's only because... by Cr0w+T.+Trollbot · · Score: 5, Funny
    At over 1 billion, China has twice as many people as the UK's 60 million. So they need math more.

    Anyway, I didn't take any math in school, and it hasn't impaired my reasoning at all!

    Crow T. Trollbot