§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what is her response to the representations that have been made to her by engineering bodies and others about the shortcomings of some mathematics teaching in primary and secondary schools, in relation to the education and training of engineers in Britain. [13379]
§ Mr. ForthI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 10 February,Official Report, column 438, which stressed the Government's commitment to higher standards in mathematics. The national curriculum will improve standards by establishing demanding expectations for both teachers and pupils. The full beneficial effects will only be seen in the medium term, however, as pupils progress through the curriculum: the first pupils to embark on the mathematics national curriculum as five year-olds in 1989 will not complete the curriculum as 16–year-olds until the year 2000, before moving on to further and higher education.
Meanwhile, the findings of the Engineering Council's review of the changing mathematical background of undergraduate engineers, which was published at the 164W beginning of March, will helpfully inform current discussion about the teaching of mathematics.