Arvind Gupta, a leading mathematical researcher, points to his three daughters as examples of what is wrong with math education in British Columbia.
Although his girls do well in the subject, they have no interest in pursuing it as a career.
And that, unfortunately, is typical, says Gupta, chief executive officer and scientific director at a Simon Fraser University centre of excellence known as MITACS — Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems.
“Surprising as it is to me, kids are turning away in even larger numbers than before from mathematical sciences,” Gupta said in an interview. “It’s a huge worry for us because the world is demanding more and more quantitative skills in individuals.”