And just a few years before the first children to learn by these methods are about to go on and become parents themselves, it seems that ministers could be about to turn back the clock in primary schools.

BBC: Are parents being left out of the maths equation?

They successfully employed this approach during the primary season, running negative ads around the clock in key states.

FORBES: Money Is The Critical Issue In This Campaign

Intel has spent years and billions of dollars convincing consumers that megahertz matters, and today PC buyers are trained to look for systems with higher speed processors--even if the raw clock speed of the chip isn't the primary driver of performance.

FORBES: Chief Executive Paul Otellini

Abraham Conneh, of Oxfam Liberia, warned the clock was ticking on an international pledge made in 2000 to give every child access to primary education by 2015.

BBC: Scottish exams shake-up announced