Metro Letters, April 19: Should Rishi Sunak do the math? | UK News

If Rishi Sunak has approximately 14,000,000 children under the age of 18 and there is a shortage of teachers to teach them, how many children will be able to learn mathematics? A mathematical question that will surely puzzle the Prime Minister. In today’s letters, Metro readers discuss the government’s plans to make math compulsory up to the age of 18.

In other news, how are you preparing for the coronation? We made a quiche.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

■ Our Prime Minister has embarked on a worthy mission to get the British public counting by ensuring that all pupils learn math until the age of 18 (Metro, Tues).

Unfortunately, a shortage of math teachers will prevent his ideas from being realized.

One of the reasons for the improved numeracy is a better understanding of the financial products on offer: loans, mortgages, lease-purchase agreements, equity release and the like.

Perhaps, in the meantime, the financial services industry can encourage public understanding of its many products by using plain English instead of hiding the details in fine print and opaque jargon.

Just as patients do not need to know any medical science before beginning treatment, neither should the public need to be math savvy to understand compound interest, APR, and other features of the products on offer.
Ashis Banerjee, London

■ Over the decades, Tory governments have had many ideas for ‘improving’ the curriculum. I was a language teacher in the 80’s when they suggested compulsory language education up to the age of 16.

‘Not enough language teachers’, I thought. Well it never happened so it seems I was right.

In the mid-’90s, there was a shortage of science teachers, so they welcomed young graduates. I met a few who accepted the offer. After the required two years, they were all gone.

Now it’s the math’s turn to get special attention. If they cannot find enough teachers, the idea will be forgotten and never heard from again.
Valerie Weber, Lewisham

■ Whether Labor or Tory governments, their plans are not always acceptable to the people. However, Rishi Sunak’s math study plans might get some good results in the future – we should think about it and give it a try.

It is very easy to criticize but if we look around carefully we will find many weaknesses in mathematical knowledge compared to other countries that are pushing us back every day.

Why give up math early when we all know knowledge is power?
Samuel, Tooting

■ Instead of lecturing us that we need to improve our math skills, Rishi Sunak has to count the cost of 13 years of Tory misrule. The cost to the UK taxpayer is many billions of pounds – money that is literally being thrown down the drain.
Scott, West London

■ The Prime Minister’s brilliant idea of ​​extending mathematics education to the age of 18 should go much further – it should be compulsory for all government ministers to take refresher mathematics courses.

Billions of tax dollars have been wasted on vanity projects like HS2. Billions have been awarded to companies making fraudulent demands for cash amid the pandemic. Billions were wasted on PPE coats that weren’t fit for purpose – I could go on.

Government ministers throw away money like confetti at a wedding. That’s why they have to learn a lot more about mathematics – and not the rest of us.
Al, Charlton

Not stuck on coronation quiche…?

■ I’m not attached to the coronation quiche (Metro, Tue), no disrespect to the king. Can’t a variant of the Black Forest gateau be designed, perhaps by Prue Leith? It would reflect the German origins of the royal family!
Amy, London

■ Quiche with spinach, broad beans and tarragon? Yay!
Lizzie D, London

■ Thank goodness for Channel 4 and its stance on the coronation (Metro, Tue). By offering alternatives to the crawling transmission of the event on other channels, it lives up to its reputation as a minority broadcaster. For me it will either be Channel 4 or a sick bucket.
Stevie, Harrow

MORE : We tried making the coronation quiche — here’s our verdict

Metro readers discuss various agreements…

■ Surbiton’s John B. (MetroTalk, Tues) says he hasn’t heard of any real benefits to be gained from leaving the EU. Has he forgotten our wonderful trade deal with the CPTPP, which is worth a whopping 0.08 percent increase in our GDP!
Nick, South London

■ After the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia (Metro, Wed), why doesn’t America arrest a Russian TV news reporter in New York and sentence him to 25 years for espionage? Then maybe they are equal and both countries can trade.
Richard Farrar, London

Begin an SMS with VIEWS followed by your comment, name and city to 65700. Standard network charges apply. Or email mail@ukmetro.co.uk Views, Rush-Hour Crush and Good Deed Feed helpline: 020 3615 0600. Full terms and conditions at metro.co.uk/terms. Metro is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organization. Comments may be edited for legality, clarity or space reasons.

MORE : Can You Answer These GCSE Math Questions Correctly?

MORE : Coronation Quiche makes its official debut as Edward and Prue strike Leith