We need to improve maths education, and not just for children.  Adults are also often seriously lacking in numeracy sills.  But here is where things get complicated.  There is no one set of math skills that everyone needs to know so that they are better able to cope with their lives, but many different ones.  

If you’re purchasing real estate in Nicaragua for example, you’ll need a basic set of numeracy skills, if you’re a doctor you’ll need to understand how to read statistics, if you use a computer, maths related to programming one of them could be relevant.  

Unfortunately however, anyone following a math course, either in school or later on in life will find themselves being served up with obscure concepts such as quadratic equations and algebra.  Really?  How relevant is that to real life?  When do you have to solve a quadratic equations?  If you’re buying real estate, if you are a doctor or if you use a computer the answer is probably going to be “Never.”

Perhaps there is something to be learned from understanding math in the abstract.  Our brains may become stronger from being exercised in this way.  But that should not be the complete focus.  Our math education needs to be more practical and more focused on helping us with our day to day problem solving.  

We should be able to draw on a solid foundation of maths when we have life questions to answer:

• Should I buy this car or lease it?
• Is this vacation property going to earn me more than keeping the money in the bank?
• Am I saving enough for my retirement?
• How much chlorine should I put in the pool given it’s volume?

No, not sexy, but these are everyday problems we need to be better at solving.  And the right kind of maths can help us do just that.