| Education Minister Jason Clare said teachers and principals had informed authorities that the current mathematics program was too complex. |
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Maths to go back to basics under sweeping education reforms at public schools across Australia
EMMA KIRK -NewsWire
18/10/2025
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: Australia’s youngest students will see a back-to-basics shift in maths as part of sweeping reforms to the national public school curriculum.
The federal government invested $16.5b to reform the nation’s public education system under the Under the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, with state and territory education ministers agreeing to the next stage of the rollout from as early as next year.
State and Territory education ministers have agreed to the next phase of education reforms in Australian public schools, which will start to roll out as 2026. Picture: iStock
Improving maths curriculum in the first three years of school, establishing an Australian Teaching and Learning Commission, and updating the national professional standards for teachers will be the next phase under the reforms.
Maths is the first subject of the curriculum that will undergo reform, and has been prioritised after teachers flagged challenges with the current early learning program.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) advised authorities to initiate a targeted review of maths curriculum in the first three years of school because they were critical to learning.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the maths curriculum in the first three years of school was the first subject to undergo education reforms. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Education Minister Jason Clare said teachers and principals told authorities the current maths program was too complex, and that teachers needed additional support to implement the curriculum.
Mr Clare said it was important for children to understand the basics early.
“The evidence is really clear. If you get maths, it helps to set you up for success. It’s critical for life and work,” he said.
“Maths helps us make better decisions and boosts productivity.
“If you don’t get the basics right at the start, you can’t build on it.”
The early maths curriculum at public schools will undergo changes after teachers and principals told authorities the program was too complex to implement without additional support. Picture: davidf/iStock
He said the first three years of school were crucial for reading and maths and very moment counts.
“How maths is taught is really important. It is cumulative. You learn it step by step,” he said.
“That’s why we’re bringing forward work on the current maths curriculum for the start of school and creating better materials to help teachers.”
He said the government would fund tutoring for children who fell behind early and needed more help.
“That’s what the Year 1 Numeracy Check is all about, and it starts to roll out next year,” he said.
A new Australian Teaching and Learning Commission will bring together ACARA, the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), the Australian Education Research Organisation and Education Services Australia.
A working group is due to advise education ministers about the potential design of the commission in February.
The AITSL will also propose new teaching standards to ministers, which have not been updated in 15 years. |
