BBC – Judith Burns
“Adults who lack basic science and maths skills risk being “bamboozled” and making bad decisions, according to a leading scientist. Teaching maths and science to all up to 18 would “produce a wiser population”, says new British Science Association president Dame Athene Donald. Prof Donald will use her address to next week’s British Science Festival to urge major changes to UK education. In particular, pupils are asked to specialise too young, she will argue. “Citizens need to be empowered to make good decisions in their private lives – be it about vaccinations, mobile phone masts or climate change,” she will tell the festival, at Bradford University. In order for this to happen, she will say, more young people need to be interested in and comfortable with science. She believes the problem starts young, with too few teachers able to teach primary school science or trained as subject specialists at secondary level.”(more)