Quartz – Neha Thirani Bagri
“There has been a growing feeling in the UK, a country with some of the most elite schools (paywall) and revered universities in the world, that their students are lagging behind students in other countries. This is particularly true in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, where the country is facing a severe shortage of skilled graduates. In fact, when compared to students from Asia, British students are underperforming in STEM subjects from an early age. According to a recent ranking of how 15-year-olds from different countries (pdf) score in math, mainland China comes in at #5; the UK is at #27. And now, to bring their students up to speed, the British government is planning to use Chinese textbooks in UK schools. Following a deal signed between HarperCollins and the Shanghai Century Publishing Group, textbooks used to teach mathematics in Chinese primary schools will be translated for use in Britain.”(more)