National

NSW

Education

Opinion

Glenn Fahey Researcher October 22, 2025 — 7.30pm

How do we fix the alarming decline in numeracy among young Australians? The answer is to catch them when they are very young. So it is reassuring that a targeted review of the national maths curriculum, announced at last Friday’s meeting of education ministers, will focus on the first three years of school.

For two decades, Australia’s maths results have fallen further and more consistently than those of almost any other country in international rankings. We’ve seen NAPLAN achievement flatlining despite huge funding increases following the Gonski review. Nearly half of 15-year-olds aren’t proficient in maths .

The consequences ripple across the economy and society. We graduate roughly half as m

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