Making maths compulsory for entry to primary teaching courses in NSW will, “cause long-term damage to the teaching workforce,” warns Greg Craven

“This move on maths will simply dissuade more students from opting to take up teaching. It will reduce the pool by another 25 per cent, meaning the government will not be able to staff its new schools and will have to import teachers,” the Australian Catholic U VC says. Professor Craven refers to a state government announcement last week.

Professor Craven adds the new requirement is not needed as primary teaching students take maths at university and that all teaching grads must be in the top 30 per cent of the community to qualify for classrooms.

This is measured in the national Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education. In last year’s LANTITE 92 per cent of ’17 grads made the cut – ACU campuses were bang on the national average, except in NSW, where there were still well above the cut-off b (CMM April 23).

Professor Craven argues the state government’s move is a distraction from, “the need to provide stronger assurance of existing teachers.”