The University of Sydney is the only institution in NSW that has advanced mathematics as a prerequisite for a number of its degrees,but Scott said the number of students meeting the maths prerequisite was getting smaller – a phenomenon he said was linked to a statewide shortage of mathematics teachers.
“Many of our students are going through high school without teachers who are qualified in mathematics[...] there’s a myriad of PE teachers teaching mathematics,and what we’re seeing at the University of Sydney is the consequence of that,” he said.