Critical thinking an essential skill

There is a link between this provincial government’s gutting of universities, which will hit liberal arts programs the hardest, and its K-12 curriculum update, which focuses on numeracy and literacy.

I don’t see why anyone sees value in focusing on numeracy in a world where everyone has a ridiculously powerful calculator in their pocket. I do see value in critical thinking, which is what is most valuable about liberal arts programs and K-12 subjects like social studies.

In a world more full of fake news, alternative facts, anti-intellectualism, and partisan screeds, we should demand our education systems at all levels put a premium value on media literacy and critical thinking, not math. Tom Long, Edmonton