Another advocate of reform is Sir Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust, a biomedical charity, who led a recent official review of maths and science education.
ECONOMIST: Reform is mooted as exam grades seem to rise inexorably
The rehabilitation centre provides children and adults with vocational training, and education in maths, computer science and languages, including Sinhalese, the tongue of the majority Sinhala Buddhists they had once been coached to kill.
Sarah Eichhorn, from the University of California, Irvine's maths department, said this represented an "online education milestone" which would put such maths courses in reach of students around the world.
National Numeracy plans ultimately to extend the scheme to improve maths standards among people not in employment or education.
Dame Julia Higgins, who chairs the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, said all students should study maths until the age of 18.
Ofsted also said that the money the government makes available for summer schools to help disadvantaged children bridge the gap between primary and secondary education could be better spent on extra maths and English classes once they start secondary school.
BBC: Schools could do better with pupil premium, says Ofsted
They also argue that the strongest incentive for students to continue with maths is that it is required for employment or higher education.
The main reform being proposed by Michael Gove, the Tory education spokesman, is for harder subjects like maths to be worth more in school league tables than softer ones like sociology.
"This is likely to have a hugely detrimental impact on children's education with teachers in key subjects such as maths, physics and IT who have highly marketable skills leaving teaching and graduates with these skills, and other sought-after skills, not going into teaching, " she said.
On education who can argue with a need for more maths and engineering students?
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The lack of achievement in maths had once been a major cause for concern - and the education department has highlighted that there has been steady improvement in the subject.
Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham welcomed the proposals to improve English and maths skills.
This year there were 679 new religious education trainees compared with a target of 730, and 2, 058 maths trainees against a target of 2, 350.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | Teacher training places reduced
The Pisa tests, which measure the performance of 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science, have become a highly influential way of comparing international education standards.
"The NUT has always argued that the entry requirements for initial teacher education, which include GCSE passes grade C or above in English and maths, should be sufficient and make the additional skills tests superfluous, " said General Secretary Christine Blower.
Alan Brown, director of education, said he was pleased with the results, which represented English, Maths and Science.
Education Secretary Michael Gove says the university will be "deeply engaged in developing a new maths curriculum".
BBC: Cambridge University funded to offer A-level maths help
Education Secretary Michael Gove said the decision to fund development of the new curriculum should help revitalise maths teaching in schools and colleges.
BBC: New sixth-form maths course will focus on 'real' problems
There is indeed a crying need for vocational courses that satisfy employers, ensure students reach a decent standard in English and maths, and provide practically minded youngsters with the routes into work that have long been lacking in British education.
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