Sydney university takes a stand on maths

The University of Sydney will lead the attack on declining standards and falling enrolments in mathematics by requiring students in a range of courses, including science, engineering, commerce and IT, to have passed maths, at minimum of intermediate level, in year 12, writes Tim Dodd for the Financial Review.

The decision makes the University of Sydney the first to move against the trend – which started in Australian universities two decades ago as a ploy to boost enrolments – of lowering the standard of maths prerequisite subjects needed to study maths-related bachelor degrees.

In the past 20 years the proportion of Australian students studying intermediate maths in year 12 has fallen from about 27% to 19%, and the number studying advanced maths (which builds on intermediate) has fallen from about 14% to 10%.
Full report on the Financial Review site