The Nationals’ Melina Bath, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education has raised serious concerns in state parliament over the alarming decline in mathematics outcomes in Victorian students.
Ms Bath said statistics released by the OECD’s Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) reveals a troubling trend that revealed our mathematics proficiency for students has continually declined statewide over the past two decades.
The report highlights that in 2003 Australia was ranked 11th globally for mathematics, but it slid down the rankings to now be 29th out of 38 countries at the end of 2023.
“The decline is particularly concerning in Victoria, with nearly half of our 15 year olds unable to meet the national standards of proficiency in mathematics.
“There are fewer students taking on the higher level secondary mathematics subjects which does not bode well for Victoria’s future workforce.
“Maths underpins many aspects of life and is essential for a wide range of careers from skilled tradespeople through to university educated professions in health care, engineering, technology and finance.
“A decline in mathematic outcomes has far reaching implications, limiting career prospects of students while hampering the state’s ability to attract and retain a competent workforce.”
Ms Bath said Victoria must reverse the trend and lift its educational standards through a greater investment in teaching, so students receive the quality education they deserve.”
“The Allan Labor Government failures were recently highlighted in the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into education that found Victoria’s state education system is failing students and teachers due to an overcrowded curriculum, inconsistent learning practices and ongoing staffing shortages.
“There needs to be a greater investment in teacher training to ensure our educators are equipped with strong numeracy skills, additional support for students who are struggling and engagement of parents to foster success.
“Sound numeracy helps to safeguard our communities against unemployment, low wages and poor health outcomes.
“The decline in outcomes is a cause for concern and The Nationals want to see a greater prioritisation of maths education and an implementation of effective policies to secure a brighter future for our children.”
