Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Is Poor Numeracy Ruining Lives?

Posted by Soulskill on from the mainly-restaurant-servers-lives dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "The BBC reports on how millions of people struggle to understand a payslip or a train timetable, or pay a household bill. Government figures show that almost half the working population of England have only primary school math skills, and research suggests that weak math skills are linked with an array of poor life outcomes such as prison, unemployment, exclusion from school, poverty and long-term illness. 'We are paying for this in our science, technology and engineering industries but also in people's own ability to earn funds and manage their lives,' says Chris Humphries. He is the chairman of National Numeracy, an organization seeking to emulate the success of the National Literacy Trust, which has helped improve reading and writing standards since it was set up nearly 20 years ago. The Department for Education wants the vast majority of young people to study math up to 18 within a decade to meet the growing demand for employees with high level and intermediate math skills. 'It is simply inexcusable for anyone to say "I can't do maths,"' adds Humphries. "

9 of 489 comments (clear)

  1. Don't know about Numeracy by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't know about Numeracy - but numerology ruined my life. Fortune cookie told me 05 14 46 52 56 were my lucky numbers. I ran up huge credit card debt expecting to win the lottery with these numbers... then I found out fortune cookie didn't give me the powerball number.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    1. Re:Don't know about Numeracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      My fortune cookie told me 4 8 15 16 23 42 and I ended up trapped for years in an island, only to find out I was dead. It was awful! No more fortune cookies for me.

  2. Re:And the sad part is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I agree with you. Sad thing is that the three of us can't change the world.

  3. Reminds me of a quote by John Wayne by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Life is hard; it's harder when you're stupid.

  4. Re:It's frightening by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here in America we have it easy - we only have to learn one math, not an entire "programme" featuring an assortment of "maths".

  5. It's Not All Bad by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 5, Funny

    My college career was greatly aided by the fact that many of these people will play poker for money.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  6. Trial and error by ZedNaught · · Score: 3, Funny
    I was behind a woman at the gas station who was buying PowerBall tickets @ $2 apiece. She was clutching two $20 bills in her hand.

    Woman: Give me 8 QuickPick tickets .. Cashier: That'll be $16
    Woman: OH! give me three more.
    Cashier: That'll be $22
    Woman: Hmm give me three more..
    Cashier: $28
    Woman: Try 3 more. Cashier: (exasperated) How much do you want to spend???
    Woman: $40
    Cashier: so you want 20 tickets ....
    Woman: If I have enough money yes, give me 20..

  7. Re:I am amused standing in a cashiers line by The+Wild+Norseman · · Score: 4, Funny

    they really couldn't understand that I could easily a number from 100, and thought there must be some secret trick.

    I see you perform the same secret trick with English too!

    --
    "A government is a body of people usually -- notably -- ungoverned." -Shepherd Book
  8. Re:Maths?? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's why I took computer science. We only need to count to 1...

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News