No secondary mathematics foundation under tertiary engineering superstructure

Professor Hargreaves is at Queensland University of Technology QUT. A few years ago another QUT Professor, geographer Lidstone made some very trenchant and authoritative criticisms of QSA's integrated social studies syllabus. "students are not presented with the fundamentals of geography.. formation of mountains, glaciers.. rainfall cycle…' the syllabus 'doesn't do history well, it doesn't do geography well… it becomes a hodgepodge'. The problems in maths, numerical science and engineering are at least as bad. Engineering/Maths/Science (EMS) faculties across Queensland must know that there are terrible problems with the knowledge base of their entering students. Furthermore, senior university leaders up to Vice Chancellor level must know that there are problems across the EMS area.

I do not blame the tertiary engineering departments' teaching methods for the failure rate. The students are so far below par on entry that there is little chance of saving many from failure. However I do blame engineering faculties as well as mathematics and physical science departments for their failure to shout the problem from the roof tops for the last 20 years or so. They must have noticed the declines. If they did not then they have been incompetent. If they did see it happening and took no real action then they must be accused of negligence. Archie Johnston went public 6 years ago and it must have been known well before he issued his statement. What if anything have engineering/maths/ science (EMS) done? Have they issued statements to the press on a regular basis informing parents that their children's schooling is grossly inadequate and is debarring thousands of students from later studies in EMS? Have they made statements in the press, on radio and on TV criticising QSA and other Boards of Study for the paucity of the syllabi and assessment systems? Have they rattled the cages of all the State politicians demanding immediate action? (The Boards of Study are the creatures of State parliaments). Have they even bothered to examine all the relevant subject syllabi and assessment systems with a critical eye and against the reasonable criteria the subject syllabi and their assessment should be defined, reliable and validated ?

A public and prolonged exposure of the low standards of maths and numerical sciences produced by the QSA driven syllabi/assessment systems by the EMS departments and the top people within the universities across the State would be powerful. The question is 'do the institutions have the courage, the get up and go, to do what is, surely, no more than their responsibility to their future students?'

I am not hopeful. I suspect that fear will continue to silence them. Perhaps they should bear in mind President Franklin Roosevelt's statement 80 years ago.

There is nothing to fear except fear itself.