Warning over 'lack of maths skills'

The UK will suffer economic decline if attitudes towards maths do not change, according to Elizabeth Truss.
The education minister suggested that the nation's productivity and growth is being put under threat by poor maths skills.
Ms Truss's comments come the week before she is due to lead a trip to Shanghai, China, to find out why their results in the subject are so high.
Recent international tests put Shanghai, along with a number of other Asian nations , at the top for maths skills.

"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths - their children are streets ahead," Ms Truss said.
"Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive philosophy that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence redeems lack of ability.

"Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works - early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division, for instance."
She added that students in Shanghai have a "can-do attitude to maths, which contrasts with the long-term anti-maths culture that exists here".

"The reality is that unless we change our philosophy, and get better at maths, we will suffer economic decline," Ms Truss said.
"At the moment our performance in maths is weakening our skills base and threatening our productivity and growth. I am determined to change this."

The minister, who will be joined by a number of headteachers on the China trip, is due to visit three schools and teacher training centres during her visit, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

Culled from MSN News.