FNQ SCHOOL DEFIES NATIONAL TREND
A FAR North school is defying the national odds after a report from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute revealed a drop in maths participation.
Trinity Anglican School had a 7 per cent increase in maths participation despite the report recording national participation in higher maths had dropped to below 10 per cent in 2020.
TAS head of maths faculty, Mark Pacey, said the national decline was not a sudden phenomenon and he attributed it to underqualified teachers and students lacking motivation.
“I have taught for 35 years and have seen this coming for a very long time,” he said.
Despite what the report stated, TAS had nurtured its STEM students, with 61 per cent of their top maths class dominated by young women.
“At TAS, we appear to have bucked the trend,” Mr Pacey said.
TAS Year 12 school captain Steven Li said he viewed each question as a challenge and his teachers had developed his interest from an early age.
“I find it satisfying when I can overcome the challenge,” he said. “Maths allows us to exercise our brain and improve our critical thinking skills.”
Steven said he was aiming high, with expectations to achieve 90 per cent in his external maths exam as statistics hadn’t quenched his passion for the subject.