The Numbers Don’t Lie: Alarming Maths Gap in Australian Schools

A Grattan Institute report warns undertrained teachers and weak policies are failing students.

Classroom stationary is seen at Toorak College in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 31, 2022. AAP Image/Con Chronis

The old saying that “there are no bad students, only bad teachers” is resonating across Australia’s classrooms.

A new Grattan Institute report has laid bare the cracks in how maths is being taught—just 13 percent of Year 4 students are excelling, a figure that pales in comparison to 22 percent in England and 49 percent in Singapore.